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BY: MARIE KING, TEGAN STANFORD, ERIN STENGEL, AND ASHLEY STRATCHKO The Rainforest
BY: MARIE K ING, TEGAN STANFORD, ERIN STENGEL, AND ASHLEY STRATCHKO
The Rainforest
Unit Rationale:
By the end of this unit we want our students to be able to give a tour of the rainforest habitat they created in the hallway. They will be able to identify and describe in detail the different plants and animals, while playing a different role in the rainforest and explain their role. (tourguide, animal, and plant).
Overarching Questions:
-What kind of plants and animals thrive in the rainforest?
-What are the layers of the rainforest trees?-How was creating a rainforest habitat
different from just reading or writing about the rainforest?
-How have artists been influenced by the rainforest?
-How have different authors incorporated the rainforest into their writings.
Rainforest Poem What is a rainforest?
I bet you'd like to know.It's a place where animals live,
And plants and trees grow.
It's got birds, amphibians, and mammals,Reptiles, insects, and fish.
There are many kinds of fruits,Which make a lovely dish.
There are millions and millions of species,Of animals, plants, and trees. But they're all disappearing,They need your help, please!
The trees are all being cut,Only seven percent remain.
What have we done to our world?We must be completely insane.
The animals live in the forest,Over one million kinds.
When the trees go, so do they,So don't just act as if your blind.
We need the trees for oxygen,And the animals need it too.
The rainforest provides many products we need,With many things to study and do.
We have to take care of the forests,'Cause half the world's creatures live there.
So write a letter or talk to your friends, To show you really care!
Lesson 1:The Great Kapok Tree:Rationale: -Students will gather information about kapok trees by listening to a read aloud of The Great Kapok Tree. Students will discuss the ways in which different animals of the rainforest depend on kapok trees. Students will perform a play based off of the story. They will create their own costumes and backgrounds for their performance using various materials (paper plates, construction paper, markers, etc.)
Standards:PA Art .1.3 D-Use knowledge of varied styles within each art form through a performance or exhibition of unique work. PA Language Arts 1.2.3 A- Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.
Student objectives/outcomes: -Students will understand the importance of the kapok tree by listing reasons
given by the animals in The Great Kapok Tree.-Students will be able to act out their role according to the descriptions given
in the story. -Students will identify the different animals by creating masks to represent
their character.
Lesson 2: Plants and Animals:
Rationale: -Students will create a rainforest habitat mural throughout the hallway as a class, adding animals and plants to it as they learn about them. They will understand the concept of a mural after learning about Michaelangelo and his famous mural in the Sistine Chapel.-Science: As students learn about various plants and animals of the rainforest, they
can make them out of paper or any other material, label them, and place them in their appropriate spot on the rainforest mural.
-Art: Students will create a large tree on a mural, showing the different layers of the rainforest and 3-D animals and plants.
Standards: PA Art 9.2.3.F-Know and apply appropriate vocabulary used between social
studies and the arts and humanities.PA Language Arts 4.7.4 A- Identify differences in living things.
Objectives:-Students will be able to exhibit an understanding of the layers of the rainforest by creating a habitat of their own. This will be done by painting a mural on the hallway windows. -They will be able to identify different species of plants and animals by creating them out of construction paper and placing them on the appropriate layer of the rainforest habitat.
Resources:
Rainforest Mural:
Sistine Chapel:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/sistinechapelceiling.htm
Lesson 3:Life Cycles:Rationale: Science: Students will understand the different life cycles of different plants,
animals, and people that inhabit the rainforest. Art: Students will choose a living thing in the rainforest and put together (write and
illustrate) a completed life cycle by using various materials.
Standards:PA Art 9.1.3 A- Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to
create works in the arts and humanities. PA Environment and Ecology 4.6.4 AP- Understand that living things are
dependent on nonliving things in the environment for survival, PA Environment and Ecology 4.6.4 B. Understand the concept of cycles.
Student objectives/outcomes: Students will be able to summarize information about a living rainforest creature
into a life cycle story with original text and images.
Lesson 4: The Food Chain Mobile: Rationale: - Students will understand the concepts of a food chain. How the food chain plays an important role in the ecology of the rainforest. To educate students about how animals survive in the Rain Forest they will read Red Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley. Children through reading and art will learn different techniques such as prediction, cause and effect, and making connections.We want students to draw meaning and understanding about Rainforest animals and use art to show their understanding of how the food chain works in this particular ecological environment. - Literacy and Science: Students will identify rainforest animals by using the characteristics from reading the book “Red Eyed Tree Frog” by Joy Cowley . Students then will create a mobile of the rainforest food chain. ex The snake wants to eat the frog that is why the frog will jump away. The frog eats the moth because that is its food. - Art: Students will create their own rainforest food chain mobile that they will hang in the classroom using the book details. The mobile will be made out of a wire coat hangers, string and different materials ( colored paper, colored pencils, pastels,) that they will incorporate in creating the animal food chain. The mobile will be created over a 120 minute period where students will use the details in Red Eyed Tree Frog, to create their food chain for the rainforest. Standards: PA Art 9.1.3 B. Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts.( visual arts, paint, draw, craft, design for environment, communication, multimodal. PA Environment and Ecology 4.6.4 B- Understand the concept of cycles.
Objectives: -Students will be able to identify features of animals in the rainforest and how they survive in their environment. -Students will be able to create a model of the food chain following the characteristics using the book “Red Eyed Tree Frog” by Joy Cowley.
Red Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iOuL67MGvk
Lesson 5: A Walk Through the Rain Forest:
Rationale:Language Arts: Students will come up with their own creative story
from the perspective of an adventurer, scientist, animal, native or any other character found in a rain forest. They write about what they, see, hear, smell, feel etc.
Art: (Similar to our fan fiction) They will illustrate their story using mixed media of their choice (colored pencils, watercolor, pastels). They will need to create between 6-8 images.
Standards:PA Art 1. C- Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate
ideas, experiences, and storiesPA Language Arts 1.4.3 A- Write narrative pieces (e.g., stories, poems,
plays).
Objective: The students will synthesize information they have learned throughout the unit to write a story about their imaginary walk through a rain forest.
Henri Rousseau:
Tiger in a Tropical Storm:
First of many jungle scenes for which he is best known.
Seemingly “childish” style.
Lesson 6:Recycling:
Rationale: Students will watch a video about the wonders of the rainforest and what kids can do to save it. Students will brainstorm ideas about how they can recycle. Environment and Ecology- Students will learn why it is important to recycle. Students will talk about ways recycling affects the rainforest. Art- Students will learn that recycling is reusing materials for different uses, Once use can be making art. The class will learn about Robert Bradford who uses recycled toys to make sculptures. Students will then make rainforest plants and animals from recycled materials.
Standards:PA Art 9.1.3 B-Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of
appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts.
PA Environment and Ecology 4.3.4 B- Identify how human actions affect environmental health.
Student objectives/outcomes: The students will be able to create animals from "junk" and recycled items
from their homes and classroom.
Resources:
- video on recycling:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14OM-H-hBU&feature=player_embedded
- Robert Bradford: artist, uses recycled toys to make sculptures.
