A Walk Through the Rain forest

by: Tina Champion, Jennifer Davis, and Sandy Gilliland
 
 
 

 

Introduction

Peer into the thick, leafy canopy of a tropical rain forest and what will you see?  Over half of the world's species of plants and animals.  Tribal groups  live in much the same way as their Stone Age ancestors.  Huge trees hold soil in place, preventing floods and erosion.  Rare plants provide vital ingredients for medicines.  A vast array of irreplaceable riches, that's what you'll see. The tropical rain forest is fast becoming a vanishing area. At a rate of 100 acres per minute, rain forests are being cut down to make room for cash crops, dams, farms, cattle ranches, and logging operations.

Students as you journey through the Rain Forest Webquest, keep a journal of ideas that you might have for preserving the Rain Forest.  The class will be divided into four groups of five, each group will be tasked with creating a Rain Forest Brochure.  Use the links provided in the webquest to accummulate additional research information on preserving the vanishing Rain Forest.  Class pay close attention the tropical colors and unique features.  Travel safely and tropical treats will be provided at the end of your journey.
 

Task

As you journey through the rain forest you will meet some of the exotic and wonderful animals that live there, learn about the incredible variety of plant and animal life that abounds, and enrich your knowledge of this unique environment.   Students you have the ability to travel back and forth between links with simply clicks. Double click on any link to begin your journey.

Rain Forest Layers
Rain Forest Vocabulary
Rain Forest Preservation
Rain Forest Fascinating Facts
Rain Forest Animals
Rain Forest Tropical Treats
Teacher Resource Page

Process

The Rain Forest has an exquisite palette of tropical color.  In many cases color provides protection for a plant or animal by helping it hide from enemies or by warning them away.  You will create your own Rain Forest Rainbow of Colors.  Use colored construction paper to draw rain forest plants, animals and products.   Choose two from the chart below.
 

red/orange	coral serpent	bromeliads	ginger flowers	poison frogs
green	frogs	dwarf palms	chameleons	tree python
yellow	toucan	butterflies	pitcher plant	bananas
pink	bromeliads	periwinkles	orchids
blue	morpho butterfly	macaw
tan/tawny	gorilla	capybaras	golden lion tamarin

Paste your picture on a piece of white paper and label it.  Make sure to include a variety of plants and animals in your Rain Forest Rainbow of Colors booklet.  Bind your pages with vine colored (green) yarn.

1- Explain why you chose the plant or animals that you did for your booklet.
2- Imagine the tropical colors you would encounter and how they protect the plant or animal.
3- Are any of the animals or plants endangered?  What can we do to help preserve the rain forest?
4- What if there were no tropical rain forests, how would our world be affected?

 

Your next task is to create a travel brochure for a rain forest.
1- Examine sample brochures and brainstorm a list of rainforest facts that might be included in a travel brochure for a rainforest.
2- Using what you have learned, create a travel brochure that will encourage prospective travelers to visit a rain forest.  Be sure to include information about what they will find there.
3- Design a distinctive cover using selective resources from the internet or from the resources listed below.

Resources
www.ran.org/kids_action/
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/rforest.html
www.kiddyhouse.com/Rainforest/
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/animals
http://www.pbs.org/tal/costa_rica/rainwalk.html
http://www.zoomschool.com/subjects/rainforest/
http://stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/rforest.htm
http://tropical-forests.com/facts/animals.htm
 

Literature
Nonfiction
Rain Forest Secrets by Arthur Dorros
Life In The Rain Forests by Lucy Baker
Our Endangered Planet:  Tropical Rain Forest by Cornelia Mutel
Make Your Own Rain Forest by Damian Johnston
Amazon: A Young Reader's Look At The Last Frontier by Peter Lourie
Journey Through A Tropical Jungle by Adrian Forsyth
The Rain Forest by Billy Goodman

Fiction
Journey Of The Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Martin and Tanis Jordan
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Panther Dream by Bob Weir
Feathers Like A Rainbow by Flora, Harper and Row
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George

Other
Rainforest Destruction by Tony Hare
Conserving Rain Forests by Martin Banks

Evaluation
Now it is time to present to the class your Rain Forest Rainbow of Colors booklet.  You will capture your favorite plant or animal image from the Rain Forest on a classroom mural.   Be creative with the tropical colors.  The mural will be displayed for the upcoming PTO meeting, where our class will serve our guests Tropical Treats as we celebrate Rain Forest Preservation.
 
 
 

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