Tropical Treehouse

Subjects: science, social studies, language arts, and visual arts.

Concepts:

n In biological systems energy flows and materials continually cycle in predictable and measurable patterns.

n Altering the environment affects all life forms including humans and the interrelationships that link them.

n Organisms adapt to changes in the environment according to the genetic and behavioral capacity of their species.

Skills: reasoning, discussing, researching and interpreting.

Materials: copies of student pages (I have a page that they can cut out animals and paste into the proper space in the rainforest) coloring markers or colored pencils, wall map, pictures of rainforest animals.

Objectives:

n Students will describe plants and animals that inhabit tropical rainforests.

n Students will analyze an issue involving the rights of native inhabitants of a tropical rainforest.

Assessment:

n Assess students reports in terms of how well they describe the animal and the specific rainforest habitat involved.

Background: What is a tropical rainforest? Tropical rainforests are wet, evergreen forests circling the equator in south and Central America, Africa, Asia, and many of the Pacific Islands. These complex ecosystems have evolved over millions of years. Their environment is distinguished by a warm, humid climate capable of supporting an immense variety of life. (All background information I’m going to include in a short slide show)

Doing the Activity: Part A- inside the rainforest

1- Ask students whether they have ever heard of a tropical rainforest, and of so, what it might look like. After then share their ideas, show the pictures of the rainforests that I have. The “Cross-section of a Rainforest” student page (which I will have to have separately since it’s in my book) will be used.

2- Ask students whether they have any ideas about what animals live in a tropical rainforest. The “Rainforest Inhabitants” student page (which is also in my book) will be used.

3- Each student will receive a copy of both student pages 212 and 213 (“Cross-section of a Rainforest” and “Rainforest Inhabitants”). They will all cut out the characters on the rainforest inhabitant’s sheet and place them on the cross-section of the rainforest scene at the appropriate levels. Once the inhabitants are placed in the correct levels, they can be glued on and colored. (Explain- the inhabitants on the sheet come from different rainforests around the world and would not be found all together in the same forest).

Part B- jungle tunes

1- Ask students for their ideas about what a rainforest is and what animals might live in a rainforest. The pictures will be shown to them and feedback will be collected on what sound each animal makes.

2- Gather everyone in a circle and instruct students that we are going to make some sounds of the rainforest.

n Rub palms together back and forth (wind)

n Snap fingers slowly, then quickly (first raindrops)

n Clap hands, not all in the same rhythm (steady light rain)

n Slap thighs (heavy rain)

n Stamp feet rapidly on ground (downpour)

n Slap thighs

n Clap hands

n Snap fingers quickly, then slower and slower

n Rub palms

-Talk about a quick review about what was learned-

End