Rainforest Lesson Plans

• A Visit to the Rain Forest - Students listen to The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest to learn the names of animals and people found in the Amazon Rain Forest. They play a card game to arrange the animals in the sequence that they appeared in the story.
• An Emerald Place - This lesson is designed to invite first graders to discover the four layers of the rain forest and to help them identify the life of animals at each level.
• Bountiful Biomes - Students work in groups to research five different biomes (arctic tundra, tropical rain forest, North American desert, African grasslands, deciduous forest) and complete a graphic organizer.

1. My Forest or the Rainforest?- There are many differences and similarities between the flora and fauna of temperate forests and rainforests. Certain environmental conditions allow particular plants and animals to live in the rainforest.
2. Products from the Rainforest- Bananas, cocoa, coffee, wood and many more products originate in the rainforests of Latin America. As demand for products from the rainforest increases, more pressure is exerted on these precious ecosystems.
3. Rainforest Exploration- "To learn the simple concepts of the rainforest and its inhabitants. Create a 3-D rainforest using one of the animals learned about."
4. Rain Forest Animals By Layers - Students will use technology and print materials to learn about the Rainforest and animals found there.
5. Regions of the Rainforest - The goal of this lesson is to give the children a better understanding of the two types of rainforests, along with learning facts about each layer and the animal and plant life that live in those places.
6. Soil in the Amazon- By examining data, students will come to understand the effects of nutrient depletion in the Amazon and the impact of tree and plant removal from Amazon soils. Students will be able to describe slash-and-burn agriculture and its impact on the environment.
7. The Great Kapok Tree: A Social Studies Lesson- "Students will demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of animals, people and plants in the rainforest by participating in an ecosystem simulation."
8. The Rainforest, Raw Materials, and You- In this lesson, from PBS' "Journey into Amazonia," students identify products made with materials that originate in the world's rainforests.
9. Importance of the Rainforest: Great Kapok Tree- "Students will be able to identify animals that live in the rainforest."