4 Layers of the RainforestStart by making a KWL chart using a piece of poster board sectioned off: What we know about the Rainforest, What we want to learn about the Rainforest, and What we learned about the Rainforest.Have the children brainstorm what they already know about the rainforest. Even if they say something incorrect, write it down - you can always correct it if after they learn more.
Then sing the "Layers of the Rainforest" song:Tune: "If you're happy and you know it"There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!Forestfloor, understory, canopy, emergent.(as you sing the names of the layers first crouch down, then stand up and bend over a bit, then stand and put your arms over your head like an umbrella, then stand on toes and reach up high)There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!
This song will be sung several times a day for the next 4 days, so have them practice a few times. The names of the rainforest layers are new to the children, so really have them practice pronouncing each word. By the end of the lesson, each child should know the layers.After they know the song, read Helen Cowcher's book "Rainforest".Read, discuss, and ask questions about the book.
The activity for the day is the Layers of the Rainforest layered book. They color each layer and cut it out - then the teacher helps make sure they put them in the proper order (I usually tape them, but they can glue)
(Technology Integration!) Play Microsoft Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest cd-rom at computer station throughout the day. Allowing children to take turns.
Day 2
Flowers and LeavesSing 4 layers song. Show many pictures of different flowers and plants of the rainforest. Read "Rainforest" and "The Great Kapok Tree" - these books show lots of flowers and plants.
Discuss the importance of trees and plants giving us oxygen. Teach the definition of oxygen (the air that we breathe). Start talking about the more trees and plants we have, the more oxygen we have and when they cut down the rainforest, we have less oxygen. This will get them thinking about the importance of saving the rainforest and not being wasteful. Talk about how much of the world is covered by rainforest, etc.
Activity:(Technology Integration!) Use SmartBoard to draw/trace the pictures of some rainforest flowers in front of the whole class.
Have each child create flowers and leaves for the rainforest wall using construction paper. Stress creativity. If they can imagine it, there is probably a flower that looks like that in the rainforest!
Day 3Birds- especially ToucansSing 4 Layers song. Read "Rainforest" and look through "Nature's Green Umbrella". Talk about which layers of the rainforest birds hang out in. Show pictures. Talk about what they eat, how loud they are, etc.
Activity:Have each child color and cut out the toucan. Pattern is included. Hang from vines and on rainforest wall.Eat fruit loops!
Writing activity:Have each child write this sentence prompt: In the rainforest, I saw___. Then have them illustrate what animal they saw in the rainforest and write the name of the animal themselves. Let them use inventive spelling to write the name of the rainforest animal. They can do it!
(Technology Integration!) Then, when finished hand-writing, let students take turns at computer station to practice typing their sentence in a word-processing software.
Day 4
Jaguars and TigersSing 4 layers song. Explain a bit about how jaguars are the king of the rainforest, but that tigers also live in some, but more in less dense areas. Read "The Great Kapok Tree" and "Who is the Beast". Ask questions on "Who is the Beast". There are some other ideas to do with the book included.
Activity:(Technology Integration!) Use SmartBoard to trace the drawing a jaguar in front of the whole class.
Have each child create a jaguar with construction paper to add to your rainforest. If you have time, you can also have each child cut out a tiger and then marble paint it.
Last Day – Day 5
Wrap up and KWLSing 4 layers song.
(Technology Integration!) Let children one at a time come to the front of the class and write on the SmartBoard a name of a rainforest animal that we have learned about (spider monkey, howler monkey, morpho butterfly, jaguar, tiger, gorilla, toucan, macaw, sloth, boa, frogs, etc.)
Introduce the word EXTINCT. Read "Where the Forest Meets the Sea" and "For the Love of our Earth". Explain about the increasing rate at which animals of the rainforest are disappearing. For the rest of the day - every hour take down all of 1 kind of animal so they can visually comprehend extinct.
(Technology Integration!) Visit http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/ on either the SmartBoard of DocCam, so that the entire class can browse the website at once. Explain to the students how even they can get involved in helping save the rain forest if they so choose.
Get out your KWL chart and finish the last column - "What we learned" Have them check "what we know" and using what they now know, check for accuracy. Write a class letter to the President asking him to pass legislation to save the rainforest.
A good website to learn more about the rain forest is (http://www.rain-tree.com/). It has lots of helpful information that we might not have time to cover in class. So I suggest that if you have a computer at home, or time to go to the library, that you take a look at this website!
This is the cover for the students rainforest journal. It just needs to be printed out and then taped/glued onto each child's journal.
This image provided and copyrighted by Raintree Nutrition, Inc.All rights reserved. http://www.rain-tree.com
This is the stencil for the toucan drawing project.
This is the stencil for the jaguar drawing project.
This is the stencil for the tiger drawing project.
***Disclaimer: All photos used on this website that are not otherwise credited or cited, are free clip art images provided byhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/
Day 1
4 Layers of the RainforestStart by making a KWL chart using a piece of poster board sectioned off: What we know about the Rainforest, What we want to learn about the Rainforest, and What we learned about the Rainforest.Have the children brainstorm what they already know about the rainforest. Even if they say something incorrect, write it down - you can always correct it if after they learn more.
Then sing the "Layers of the Rainforest" song:Tune: "If you're happy and you know it"There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!Forestfloor, understory, canopy, emergent.(as you sing the names of the layers first crouch down, then stand up and bend over a bit, then stand and put your arms over your head like an umbrella, then stand on toes and reach up high)There are four layers in the rainforest.4 LAYERS!
This song will be sung several times a day for the next 4 days, so have them practice a few times. The names of the rainforest layers are new to the children, so really have them practice pronouncing each word. By the end of the lesson, each child should know the layers.After they know the song, read Helen Cowcher's book "Rainforest".Read, discuss, and ask questions about the book.
The activity for the day is the Layers of the Rainforest layered book. They color each layer and cut it out - then the teacher helps make sure they put them in the proper order (I usually tape them, but they can glue)
(Technology Integration!) Play Microsoft Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest cd-rom at computer station throughout the day. Allowing children to take turns.Day 2
Flowers and LeavesSing 4 layers song. Show many pictures of different flowers and plants of the rainforest. Read "Rainforest" and "The Great Kapok Tree" - these books show lots of flowers and plants.
Discuss the importance of trees and plants giving us oxygen. Teach the definition of oxygen (the air that we breathe). Start talking about the more trees and plants we have, the more oxygen we have and when they cut down the rainforest, we have less oxygen. This will get them thinking about the importance of saving the rainforest and not being wasteful. Talk about how much of the world is covered by rainforest, etc.
Activity:(Technology Integration!) Use SmartBoard to draw/trace the pictures of some rainforest flowers in front of the whole class.
Have each child create flowers and leaves for the rainforest wall using construction paper. Stress creativity. If they can imagine it, there is probably a flower that looks like that in the rainforest!
Day 3Birds- especially ToucansSing 4 Layers song. Read "Rainforest" and look through "Nature's Green Umbrella". Talk about which layers of the rainforest birds hang out in. Show pictures. Talk about what they eat, how loud they are, etc.
Activity:Have each child color and cut out the toucan. Pattern is included. Hang from vines and on rainforest wall.Eat fruit loops!
Writing activity:Have each child write this sentence prompt: In the rainforest, I saw___. Then have them illustrate what animal they saw in the rainforest and write the name of the animal themselves. Let them use inventive spelling to write the name of the rainforest animal. They can do it!
(Technology Integration!) Then, when finished hand-writing, let students take turns at computer station to practice typing their sentence in a word-processing software.Day 4
Jaguars and TigersSing 4 layers song. Explain a bit about how jaguars are the king of the rainforest, but that tigers also live in some, but more in less dense areas. Read "The Great Kapok Tree" and "Who is the Beast". Ask questions on "Who is the Beast". There are some other ideas to do with the book included.
Activity:(Technology Integration!) Use SmartBoard to trace the drawing a jaguar in front of the whole class.
Have each child create a jaguar with construction paper to add to your rainforest. If you have time, you can also have each child cut out a tiger and then marble paint it.Last Day – Day 5
Wrap up and KWLSing 4 layers song.
(Technology Integration!) Let children one at a time come to the front of the class and write on the SmartBoard a name of a rainforest animal that we have learned about (spider monkey, howler monkey, morpho butterfly, jaguar, tiger, gorilla, toucan, macaw, sloth, boa, frogs, etc.)
Introduce the word EXTINCT. Read "Where the Forest Meets the Sea" and "For the Love of our Earth". Explain about the increasing rate at which animals of the rainforest are disappearing. For the rest of the day - every hour take down all of 1 kind of animal so they can visually comprehend extinct.
(Technology Integration!) Visit http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/ on either the SmartBoard of DocCam, so that the entire class can browse the website at once. Explain to the students how even they can get involved in helping save the rain forest if they so choose.
Get out your KWL chart and finish the last column - "What we learned" Have them check "what we know" and using what they now know, check for accuracy. Write a class letter to the President asking him to pass legislation to save the rainforest.
A good website to learn more about the rain forest is (http://www.rain-tree.com/). It has lots of helpful information that we might not have time to cover in class. So I suggest that if you have a computer at home, or time to go to the library, that you take a look at this website!
This is the cover for the students rainforest journal. It just needs to be printed out and then taped/glued onto each child's journal.
This image provided and copyrighted by Raintree Nutrition, Inc.All rights reserved. http://www.rain-tree.com
This is the stencil for the toucan drawing project.
This is the stencil for the jaguar drawing project.
This is the stencil for the tiger drawing project.
***Disclaimer: All photos used on this website that are not otherwise credited or cited, are free clip art images provided by http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/