Resources needed:

  • A3 copy of map of the world (one per pair)
  • Blue/green pencil crayons
  • Paper and pencils
  • Picture of a rainforest

 

  1. Give each pair of children a map and explain that they are going to locate where in the world rainforests are. Let the children firstly use the blue pencil crayon to colour in any areas where they think there may be rainforests.
  2. Now show the children the map at http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/where.htm which also explains the difference between temperate and tropical rainforests. Now let the children colour in some of the actual locations in green on their map.
  3. Ask the children to make a list of the kinds of creatures they might expect to find in a rainforest. What is the climate like? How does this influence the kinds of creature who would thrive there?

Teaching point: show the children a picture of an area of rainforest and explain emergent, canopy and understory to them – this may help them think about the kinds of creatures they add to their list.

  1. Collate the children’s answers into a class list. Are there any common creatures? Any surprises?
  2. Now show the children the short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojTS22t9bbY which lists 14 different type of creature found in the rainforest. If there is time, a more comprehensive video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEsV5rqbVNQ
  3. Give each small group of children a particular rainforest creature to research, either in school or as homework. These fact pages can then be gathered together to build a rainforest fact file for the class to share.

 

Further Activities:

Build a rainforest in the classroom using large cardboard tubes, green tissue, paper vines and cut out leaves. Fill it with creatures (pictures or models!) and make vocabulary flash cards to help stimulate the children’s writing.

Give the children a large map of the world and animals on stickers. They should then research the habitat of their creature and find the correct place on the map for their sticker.

Research the effects of man’s behaviour on the rainforests and what impact this could have on the planet. Ask the children to come up with ways to live in a more sustainable way.

Write a letter to the local MP to ask them to help stop the deforestation of the rainforests.

Curriculum Areas covered:

Pupils should extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

Pupils should be taught to:

Locational knowledge

  • locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities

Place knowledge

  • understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America

 

Human and physical geography

  • describe and understand key aspects of:  physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle

Geographical skills and fieldwork

  • use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied