Penguins - different families

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/12/same-sex-penguin-couple-fosters-egg-sydney-aquarium/

Magic and Sphen are two male penguins at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, Australia. The gentoo penguins were observed forming a bond earlier this year and they were often seen bowing to each other. Penguin Supervisor Tish Nannan says, "Bowing is a gentoo way of saying they love each other." Sphen then gave  Magic a stone, which the penguin staff understood to be a token of affection like a proposal, before the couple built a nest together.

Staff decided to give Sphen and Magic a fake egg to practise their parenting skills and then they were given a real egg. Tish says penguins parents can only raise one chick at a time and the original parents of the egg didn't even notice it was missing. When they were given the egg Magic and Steph, "immediately knew exactly what it was and started incubating it and we're really really happy."

Magic and Steph are the first same sex penguins in Australia to be given a foster egg to raise. but there are other stories of penguins around the world who have raised chicks in different families. Roy and Silo in New York City zoo became famous and they had a book written about them (And Tango makes three). At Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent, UK, a same sex pair raised a chick that had been abandoned by its parents. The park owner Tony Biskin says, "These two have so far proven to be two of the best penguin parents we have had yet."

What do you see in the picture?
What do you think the story might be?

explain the story

- How did the zoo keepers know Sphen and Magic were a couple?
- Why did they decide to give the penguins a fake egg?
- Why did the zoo keepers decide to give the penguins a real egg?
- Why does Tish say, "We're really happy"?
- What does this story show about different families?
- What is the name for two males who are in a couple? (gay), what is the name for two females in a couple? (lesbian)
- The story has been celebrated and gone viral around the world; why?
- What does this show about people around the around the world and their attitudes toward different families?
- What can we learn from the penguins Spen and Magic?
- What can we learn from the zoo keepers at Sydney Sea Life?
- Why is this story about No Outsiders?

"No outsiders in our school: Teaching the equality act in primary schools" by Andrew Moffat

"Reclaiming radical ideas in schools: Preparing young children for life in modern Britain" by Andrew Moffat