Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Tropical Belt

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
Where in the world is the equator? Explore a world map with your class, coloring in oceans, continents, and rainforests while locating the three major lines of latitude: the equator, Tropic of Cancer, and Tropic of Capricorn. Discuss how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Philippine Banig Weaving

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create a Philippine banig mat. As part of designing and creating the mat, the class is introduced to the tropical rain forest of the Philippines and how the environment impacts the lives of the people. Individuals also discover...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tropical Rain Forest

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use various web sites to access information about the rain forest. They use the Tropical Rainforest Interactive CD to make their own rain forest pictures and stories and learn facts about the rain forest. They use various books...
Lesson Plan
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Rainforest Alliance

Colombia Biodiversity

For Teachers K
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biodiversity

For Teachers K
Students investigate the diversity of temperate forests and tropical rainforests. They catch and observe local insects, sort leaves and insects on a chart, listen to the book "A Walk in the Rainforest," and create a class bar graph that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Tropical Rainforest Special?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the characteristics of the tropical rainforest. Using a map, they locate the rainforests found around the world, continents and the equator. Using the internet, they research the various layers of the rainforest and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guetemala's Changing Forest

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders compare their local ecological zone to the tropical rainforest. In this natural ecology lesson, 8th graders complete an activity about the differences in ecological zones. They compare their biome to the Guatemalan...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Welcome to the Rain Forest

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders become aware of the worlds rain forest and study the plants of the rain forest and the adaptations they have made to survive in the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tropical Rain Forests

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read a story about the Rain Forest, participate in a class discussion, and complete the Canopy picture match with poems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rain Forest Adventures

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners discover locations of the world's rain forests. Once they identify the animals, plants, products, and resources located in them, they construct they own rain forest terrariums. By comparing and contrasting the two types of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants of the Tropical Rainforest

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students experiment with the growth of philodendron plants in different amounts of sunlight. They complete a gardening notebook including plant sketches and growth data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

El Salvador: How Can My Breakfast Harm the Birds?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore how their food choices can have an impact on the rain forests. They examine coffee farming and how their techniques can harm birds in the rain forest. Students design two farms with sustainability of bird habits in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Amazon Rainforest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students decorate the hallways and their classrooms to represent different layers of the rainforest.  In this Amazon rainforest lesson, students watch a slide show presentation to discover the Amazon rain forest of South...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transportation

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read about various modes of transportation for people, plants, and animals. In this transportation lesson, students read information about the transportation modes for people plants, and animals using water and land. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

El Salvador: Whose Breakfast Isn't for the Birds?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the understanding of where coffee is grown by conducting a survey. They study the natural history of coffee and examine bird habitats in the areas where coffee is grown. They write letters to explaining the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil, Forest, and Land Exploitation

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students debate over the cutting of rainforests in order to put people to work. They then brainstorm ways it may be possible to provide jobs for people and to preserve the rainforest.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coming to Terms

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the rainforest. In this environmental lesson, students work in small groups to conduct online research of various topics having to do with the rainforest. The groups construct a large poster to illustrate the concepts...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Would Halloween be Like Without the Ecuadorian Rainforest?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders are given a number of typical Halloween treats and work in groups to determine which foods came from the Rainforest (chocolate) and which foods came from temperate regions (apples, popcorn) and treats that don't have...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rainforest

For Teachers K - 1st
Students examine how important the rainforest and its resources are for our everyday survival in the future.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Theme: Rain Forests and Planet Ecology

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students expand their knowledge of rain forests and planet ecology through the use of literature and related activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Information Fluency Unit

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders pretend they have been asked to make t-shirts to show endangered plants and animals in the rainforest. Using the internet, they research what is happening in the rainforest and discover why the destruction of it is harmful...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rainforests

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars watch a video about the rainforest and create a large wall mural of rainforest features. Students write a first person point of view article by an endangered rainforest animal and discuss logging.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Rain Forests

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students draw a picture and label the layers of a rain forest in Africa.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Goin' Down?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this service learning activity, students investigate the locations of the world's rain forests and concerns regarding the world's rain forests.