Title.
rainforest
Rainforest Lesson Plan
Date of Lesson: November Teacher: Tara Bunner
Grade Level: Kindergarten Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: one month Topic: Rainforests
Essential Questions:
1. What are the characteristics of a rainforest?
2. Where do we find rainforests on the globe/map?
3. Why are rainforests important and how can people preserve them?
What School of Education standard/s did you try to address in this lesson?
Standard 1: Incorporates understanding of human learning and development
Standard 3: Demonstrates sophisticated curricular knowledge
Standard 4: Demonstrates pedagogical knowledge in specific domains
Standard 6: Connects school and community
Standard 7: Understands and adapts to multiple forms of communication
Standard 8: Employs varied assessment processes
Standard 10: Employs varied Instructional strategies
Standard 12: Accommodates for all students
MMSD standards:
· Examine pictures of different environments to describe how they are similar and different from their own
· Explain how people’s actions can have an effect on the environment.
NCSS Social Studies Theme:
#3 People, Places, and Environments
Materials Needed:
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette
Canyon
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Objectives:
Lesson Context:
It is November and the students have studied the Prairie and the Boreal forest. Now they are ready to move outside of their own environment to study the Rainforest. They will have the opportunity during this lesson to visit Bolz conservatory at Olbrich Gardens to get the feel of a real rain forest. This lesson cuts across the curriculum from math, to literacy, to science, to movement, to music.
Lesson Opening:
The teacher reads (sings) the book The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell and asks the children to join in when they can. When finished, the teacher will explain that the class will come back and use this book more throughout this lesson. (The students will use the match game during math and free choice time. The students will make the recipe for Rainforest Cookies later in the lesson.)
Procedures:
1. What is a rainforest?
a. After reading the book The Rainforest Grew All Around, the teacher will tell the students that this book is about a place called a rainforest.
b. The teacher will ask the children to describe what they learned about a rainforest from the book they read together.
c. Field Trip to Bolz Conservatory
i. The students will visit Bolz Conservatory
ii. The students will take their Rainforest Journals to the Conservatory and write or draw their observations
iii. The teacher will ask the children to notice how it felt in the Conservatory (warm, humid)
iv. The students will make a large mural for their classroom using construction paper, glue, paint, and markers to depict a rainforest.
v. (This part of the lesson is taught in conjunction with a science lesson in which the students make terrarium rainforests)
2. Where are rainforests located?
a. The teacher will explain that there used to be more rainforests in the world than there are now
b. The teacher will show the students how to find rainforests on a map of the world from several years ago
c. The teacher will ask the students to compare that map with a more recent map of where rainforests are located.
d. The students will discuss why they think the rainforests are shrinking
3. Why are rainforests important?
a. Rainforests are home to many animals and plants
i. The teacher will read Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette Canyon.
ii. The students will sing and move as the teacher turns the pages (music & movement)
iii. The students will list in their journals the different animals and plants they read about in this book.
iv. The students will add more animals and plants to their mural.
b. We get food from the rainforest
i. The students will review the story they “sang” in the beginning of this lesson.
ii. The teacher will lead the children in making Rainforest Cookies. (math)
iii. As they use each ingredient that grows in the rainforest, the teacher will point out its origins to the students.
1. The children will have an opportunity to observe (smell, taste, see) the ingredients
2. The ingredients from the rainforest include: cinnamon, banana, sugar, vanilla, coconut, cashew, chocolate (beware of allergies)
c. Many products come from the rainforest. The teacher will use The Remarkable Rainforest by Toni Albert as a resource for the following information.
i. Medications such as aspirin and drugs that fight cancer come from the rainforest
ii. Many valuable woods come from the rainforest, such as mahogany (show samples if possible)
iii. Many other products such as rubber and bamboo come from the rainforest (show samples if possible)
4. What can we do to preserve the rainforests?
a. The teacher will read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
b. The teacher will lead the children in a discussion about what can be done to preserve the rainforests
c. The children will decide what they would like to do to help protect the rainforest (fundraiser, writing letters, etc.)
d. The teacher will find ways for the children to accomplish their goal to help preserve the rainforests.
Closure:
Students will discuss their feelings about this lesson. They will tell their favorite parts about the lesson and how their final project made them feel.
Special Considerations:
· Be aware of any allergies children in the classroom may have. If allergies prevent this part of the lesson, adapt it so that the children know that these ingredients come from the rainforest and allow them to observe (see, taste, smell) any that will not cause a problem
· Be aware of physical problems for the field trip (wheel chair accessibility to the bus, etc.)
· Adapt the movement part of the lesson for those who are physically disabled.
Assessment:
Assessment will be formal and informal as the teacher reads the journal entries and observes the drawings the children make on the mural. If the children decide to write letters about the rainforest, she will assess their understanding when they read them. She will informally assess as she listens to their questions, answers, and comments throughout the lesson.
Annotated Bibliography
Albert, T. (2003). The remarkable rainforest. Mechanicsburg, PA: Trickle Creek
Books
This is a great reference book for teachers. It gives many ideas to incorporate a rainforest theme across the curriculum.
Berkes, M. (2007). Over in the jungle: A rainforest rhyme. Nevada City, CA: Dawn
Publications.
Especially written for young children, this book combines math and movement to teach students about the rainforest.
Cherry, L. (2000). The great kapok tree: A tale of the Amazon rain forest.
Riverside, UT: Sandpiper
A woodcutter takes a nap after trying to cut down a great kapok tree. As he dreams, the rainforest animals beg him not to destroy their home.
Mitchell, S. (2007). The rainforest grew all around. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Sylvan Dell
Publishing
The words in this book are based on the well-known song The Green Grass Grew All Around. It uses generic words such as frog and bird, but gives the full name, such as poison dart frog, in the margins to identify further the animals in the rich pictures throughout the book. Matching games and a recipe using ingredients from the rainforest are in the back of the book.
Grade Level: Kindergarten Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: one month Topic: Rainforests
Essential Questions:
1. What are the characteristics of a rainforest?
2. Where do we find rainforests on the globe/map?
3. Why are rainforests important and how can people preserve them?
What School of Education standard/s did you try to address in this lesson?
Standard 1: Incorporates understanding of human learning and development
Standard 3: Demonstrates sophisticated curricular knowledge
Standard 4: Demonstrates pedagogical knowledge in specific domains
Standard 6: Connects school and community
Standard 7: Understands and adapts to multiple forms of communication
Standard 8: Employs varied assessment processes
Standard 10: Employs varied Instructional strategies
Standard 12: Accommodates for all students
MMSD standards:
· Examine pictures of different environments to describe how they are similar and different from their own
· Explain how people’s actions can have an effect on the environment.
NCSS Social Studies Theme:
#3 People, Places, and Environments
Materials Needed:
- Books:
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette
Canyon
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
- A Rainforest Journal for each student
- A map showing rainforests from about 50 years ago
- A map showing rainforests today
- Newsprint or butcher paper for a mural
- Scraps of construction paper
- Markers
- Crayons
- Paint
- Ingredients for Rain Forest Cookies (see The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell)
- Samples of wood grown in the rainforest, rubber, bamboo, etc.)
- Items to be decided on when planning a project to help save the rainforests
Objectives:
- TSWBAT describe a rainforest.
- TSWBAT name several animals that live in the rainforest.
- TSWBAT name a few plants that live in the rainforest.
- TSWBAT tell that the size of the rainforests is shrinking.
- TSWBAT name some foods that grow in the rainforests.
- TSWBAT name other items that come from the rainforest (wood, medicine, etc.).
- TSWBAT actively participate in a project to preserve the rainforests (i.e. a bake sale to raise money or a letter writing campaign).
Lesson Context:
It is November and the students have studied the Prairie and the Boreal forest. Now they are ready to move outside of their own environment to study the Rainforest. They will have the opportunity during this lesson to visit Bolz conservatory at Olbrich Gardens to get the feel of a real rain forest. This lesson cuts across the curriculum from math, to literacy, to science, to movement, to music.
Lesson Opening:
The teacher reads (sings) the book The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell and asks the children to join in when they can. When finished, the teacher will explain that the class will come back and use this book more throughout this lesson. (The students will use the match game during math and free choice time. The students will make the recipe for Rainforest Cookies later in the lesson.)
Procedures:
1. What is a rainforest?
a. After reading the book The Rainforest Grew All Around, the teacher will tell the students that this book is about a place called a rainforest.
b. The teacher will ask the children to describe what they learned about a rainforest from the book they read together.
c. Field Trip to Bolz Conservatory
i. The students will visit Bolz Conservatory
ii. The students will take their Rainforest Journals to the Conservatory and write or draw their observations
iii. The teacher will ask the children to notice how it felt in the Conservatory (warm, humid)
iv. The students will make a large mural for their classroom using construction paper, glue, paint, and markers to depict a rainforest.
v. (This part of the lesson is taught in conjunction with a science lesson in which the students make terrarium rainforests)
2. Where are rainforests located?
a. The teacher will explain that there used to be more rainforests in the world than there are now
b. The teacher will show the students how to find rainforests on a map of the world from several years ago
c. The teacher will ask the students to compare that map with a more recent map of where rainforests are located.
d. The students will discuss why they think the rainforests are shrinking
3. Why are rainforests important?
a. Rainforests are home to many animals and plants
i. The teacher will read Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette Canyon.
ii. The students will sing and move as the teacher turns the pages (music & movement)
iii. The students will list in their journals the different animals and plants they read about in this book.
iv. The students will add more animals and plants to their mural.
b. We get food from the rainforest
i. The students will review the story they “sang” in the beginning of this lesson.
ii. The teacher will lead the children in making Rainforest Cookies. (math)
iii. As they use each ingredient that grows in the rainforest, the teacher will point out its origins to the students.
1. The children will have an opportunity to observe (smell, taste, see) the ingredients
2. The ingredients from the rainforest include: cinnamon, banana, sugar, vanilla, coconut, cashew, chocolate (beware of allergies)
c. Many products come from the rainforest. The teacher will use The Remarkable Rainforest by Toni Albert as a resource for the following information.
i. Medications such as aspirin and drugs that fight cancer come from the rainforest
ii. Many valuable woods come from the rainforest, such as mahogany (show samples if possible)
iii. Many other products such as rubber and bamboo come from the rainforest (show samples if possible)
4. What can we do to preserve the rainforests?
a. The teacher will read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
b. The teacher will lead the children in a discussion about what can be done to preserve the rainforests
c. The children will decide what they would like to do to help protect the rainforest (fundraiser, writing letters, etc.)
d. The teacher will find ways for the children to accomplish their goal to help preserve the rainforests.
Closure:
Students will discuss their feelings about this lesson. They will tell their favorite parts about the lesson and how their final project made them feel.
Special Considerations:
· Be aware of any allergies children in the classroom may have. If allergies prevent this part of the lesson, adapt it so that the children know that these ingredients come from the rainforest and allow them to observe (see, taste, smell) any that will not cause a problem
· Be aware of physical problems for the field trip (wheel chair accessibility to the bus, etc.)
· Adapt the movement part of the lesson for those who are physically disabled.
Assessment:
Assessment will be formal and informal as the teacher reads the journal entries and observes the drawings the children make on the mural. If the children decide to write letters about the rainforest, she will assess their understanding when they read them. She will informally assess as she listens to their questions, answers, and comments throughout the lesson.
Annotated Bibliography
Albert, T. (2003). The remarkable rainforest. Mechanicsburg, PA: Trickle Creek
Books
This is a great reference book for teachers. It gives many ideas to incorporate a rainforest theme across the curriculum.
Berkes, M. (2007). Over in the jungle: A rainforest rhyme. Nevada City, CA: Dawn
Publications.
Especially written for young children, this book combines math and movement to teach students about the rainforest.
Cherry, L. (2000). The great kapok tree: A tale of the Amazon rain forest.
Riverside, UT: Sandpiper
A woodcutter takes a nap after trying to cut down a great kapok tree. As he dreams, the rainforest animals beg him not to destroy their home.
Mitchell, S. (2007). The rainforest grew all around. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Sylvan Dell
Publishing
The words in this book are based on the well-known song The Green Grass Grew All Around. It uses generic words such as frog and bird, but gives the full name, such as poison dart frog, in the margins to identify further the animals in the rich pictures throughout the book. Matching games and a recipe using ingredients from the rainforest are in the back of the book.
