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Designed by: Amanda Hearn, Jennifer Roberson, and Tia Weeks
Grade Level: Fifth
Curriculum Standards:
5.2.1 Investigate the relationships among organisms within a specific ecosystem.
Classify specific kinds of relationships among plants and animals within an ecosystem.
5.2.2 Recognize that organisms are able to change their environment.
Predict the consequences of a human action on the environment.
5.10.1 Recognize that earth materials have a variety of practical uses.
Choose the appropriate use for an earth material (e.g. fuel, monument, house foundation).
Objectives:
Students will speculate on the ecological importance and the fragility of the rainforests.
Students will be able to identify and give examples of the four layers of the rainforests.
Students will be able to explain why the resources of the rainforests are valuable.
Duration: Ten day unit plan
Materials Needed: Computer with internet access, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Word Processing.
Scaffolding Activities: Go to www.actden.com and click on PowerPoint, internet explorer 5 and FrontPage tutorials and complete. Then go to www.ssanpete.k12.ut.us/EES/lab/compact.html and complete WordPerfect tutorial. Once final steps are completed in each tutorial have teacher check your work.
Statement of Problem: One hundred and fifty acres of rainforests are destroyed per minute per day, resulting in the loss of seventy-eight million acres per year. What can we do to stop or at least lessen the amount of deforestation and conserve our own use of natural resources?
Descriptions of Tasks: Students will be grouped into dyads or triads for all activities.
Activity One: Each group will learn about the layers of the rainforest. Students will then take a virtual tour of the rainforests. Based on the information learned from the website and the FrontPage tutorial, create a website detailing the layers of the rainforests studied. Each student will contribute a fact about each layer found on the site. (Application)
Click on the parrot below to start your virtual tour.
Activity Two: Using information found on www.kids.mongabay.com, students will create a PowerPoint presentation with a minimum of five slides on how humans are destroying the rainforests. One slide will be a title slide and additional slides will state the facts. Students should use a variety of slide layouts as well as clip art and animation. The completed PowerPoint will be presented to the entire class. (Synthesis and Evaluation)
Activity Three: The student will prepare a word document after exploring the website www.rain-tree.com. This site contains interesting facts and information about the world’s rainforests. After reading the information on this website, prepare a 1-2 page paper on the facts you find to be most interesting, explaining in detail. This paper will need to be typed using a Word document. (Analysis)
Assessments:
Click here for rubric for activity one.
Click here for rubric for activity two.
Click here for rubric for activity three.
Reflection and evaluation: Upon completion of the learning web, students will discuss the activities and present PowerPoint presentation in class.
Websites:
www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/
Animation courtesy of www.animationattic.com/animation.htm
