Take young naturalists on an exploration of the world's tropical rainforests with this extensive collection of lessons and activities. Whether its creating leaf and flower prints or investigating the absorption spectrum of...

How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading...

Gorillas, tigers, and tree frogs ... welcome to the rainforest! Scholars complete a KWL chart to determine what they already know—and what they want to find out—about the rainforest. Next, they participate in a gallery walk, viewing...

How is a map a type of informational text? Class members view a world map of major rainforests, discussing its text features with a partner. Next, they take notes on key details from multiple texts about rainforests and write an...

The differences between tropical and temperate rainforests range from animals and flowers to climate and landscapes. Kindergarteners compare and contrast characteristics of their local forest to a tropical rainforest.

Talk like a scientist. Pupils engage in a science talk about rainforests, using a note-catcher worksheet to record important points. Next, they work in triads to synthesize their ideas about the rainforest, adding notes to a KWL anchor...

How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...

A fiction and nonfiction text, The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry and I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page begins a learning experience in...

The Pacific Northwest includes four mountain ranges and one rain forest. Explore the breathtaking scenery using a lesson from a larger series from PBS covering climate and weather. Starting with photographs taken from the international...

Take a taste test and chart pupils' favorites with a delicious fruit salad made up of fruit found in the rainforest. Still hungry? Snack on the rainforest inspired trail mix using a recipe of dried fruit and nuts. 

Biomes share similar climates and ecosystems, despite being separated geographically on the planet. A presentation introduces the six most common land biomes. It focuses on the commonalities in climate, plants, and animals with many...

A read-aloud anthology explores various habitats and the animals that inhabit them, from the Artic to the desert, the forest, and bodies of water. First graders listen to and discuss texts and complete word work. Each lesson offers...

Whether you are embarking on a unit on ecosystems, or on the characteristics of the Australian terrain, this picture-packed presentation would be a great one to use. Not only does the presentation contain useful information, it also has...

If driving to school only takes 10 minutes, then how long does it take to drive to a tropical rainforest in Colombia? Explore the focus question in a lesson that uses measurement tools and formulas to figure out the time and...

Discover the Colombian rainforest through a presentation that follows a young girl named Chayo. Chayo describes her daily life, exploring the rainforest filled with plants and animals. After getting to know Chayo, scholars go...

Do you hear what I hear? Encourage scholars to use their listening skills and participate in a series of activities that demonstrate how the sense of hearing is crucial to the human and animal world. Activities guide learners...

Take a trip to the Colombian rainforest through the sense of touch. Here, class members discover what's inside a mystery box: wood, cinnamon, Brazil nuts, a banana, and orange. Then, the class takes a trip outside for a tree rubbing...

Explore animal habitats and reinforce speaking, listening, reading comprehension, and writing skills with a unit that focuses on the Arctic, desert, ocean, prairie, and rainforest. Enthusiastic scientists read informational text to...

The end is in sight. Pupils complete an end of unit assessment, analyzing an interview with a rainforest scientist and then comparing and contrasting two informational texts. Next, they complete a self-assessment to reflect on their...

Lights, camera, action! Viewers discuss a video about the Great Bear Rainforest Remote Camera Project. As they watch, they find the gist, determine the meaning of unknown words, and analyze the features of a documentary as an...

What's it like to study snakes, reptiles, and turtles in their natural habitats? Serving as the mid-unit assessment, pupils read an interview with a rainforest scientist. Next, they analyze the text and answer text-dependent questions.

Let's explore the rainforest by studying its inhabitants. Pupils continue reading an interview with a sloth scientist and answer text-dependent questions. Next, they engage in a class discussion to share the new facts they learned about...

It's time to slow down and learn about sloths! Scholars read the first few questions of an interview with a sloth canopy researcher, looking for the gist. Next, they create a glossary in the back of their journals to add new scientific...

Over the course of 10 days, scholars take a pre-assessment to place them in one of three leveled groups. Whole-class and in small groups, pupils take part in read-alouds, field trips, hands-on activities, and complete learning contracts...