Topic: Plants and animals of the rainforest

Supplementary material for use in lessons in the group of natural sciences (nature, biology, chemistry, geography, physics), additional classes, science clubs. It can serve as a resource for expanding knowledge, preparing students for science competitions.

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school

Core Curriculum

Grade V Geography
IV. Landscapes of the world: humid equatorial forest and temperate forest, savannah and steppe, hot and ice desert, taiga and tundra, Mediterranean, high altitude Himalayas; zonation and climatological vegetation in the world. Pupil:
3) presents the main features and compares the known landscapes of the world and recognizes them in descriptions, films and illustrations;
4) recognizes plants and animals typical of the landscapes;

General aim of education

Students recognize and name the organisms typical of the equatorial forest.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to recognize examples of equatorial forest plants;

• to list adaptations of climbing plants for life in the equatorial forest;

• to recognize selected species of animals living in the equatorial forest.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• large sheets of paper with a continental outline, glue, scissors, crayons.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• The teacher asks the chosen student or students to get acquainted with the abstract material and to prepare the illustrative material for the lesson.

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

• Selected students present the illustrative material prepared by them before the lesson.
  The teacher encourages the class to ask questions to the presenters, e.g.

  • Why did you choose such examples?

  • What does this photo involve?

  • What this illustration is talking about

  • Why is this scheme important?

  • What is the graphics to tell us about?

Realization

• The teacher asks students to read the given fragment of the abstract and try to remember its content. Then the participants, working in pairs, ask each other about the knowledge of the fragment.

• Participants familiarize themselves with the content presented in the interactive illustration. Then the teacher discusses the issues with the students.

• Teams receive their own work – a map of the world. The task of each team is to make a collage of photos depicting the richness of life in the equatorial forest..

• Students, working individually or in pairs, carry out interactive exercises to check and consolidate knowledge learned during the lesson. Selected people discuss the correct solutions for interactive exercises. The teacher completes or corrects the statements of the proteges.

Summary

• The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the lesson from his point of view. He asks other students if they would like to add anything to their colleague's statements.

• At the end of the lesson the teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer? If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.

Homework

• Develop a lap book containing issues learned during the lesson and bring your work to the next class.

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Plants and animals of the rainforest

It is difficult to accurately indicate the number of species of plants living on Earth. However, it is estimated that more than half, or even 2/3 of all planetary species of our planet occur in evergreen, humid rainforests.
The largest of them are trees. In the canopy layer of densely growing tree crowns, for example, we encounter American mahogany, whose wood is very valuable due to its hardness, durability and beautiful color. Among the tall trees of the rainforest are also many palms. In the understory layer grow fig trees which supply edible fruit and cocoa, whose seeds can be used for making cocoa and chocolate products. There also grow species having a hard and heavy wood, called ebony. It is used for the production of furniture, aviation propellers or artistic products. Some herbaceous plants size and shape resemble trees, such as tree ferns and banana trees.

Very popular in rainforests are various vines, that climb the trunks of the trees so that their highest leaves have access to light. Some of them have thick, woody and long dozens or even hundreds of meters stems. We call them lianas. There are many species of philodendrons, which are grown in our apartments at 1 - 2 meters in height, and in the rainforest they can even reach several dozen meters in length.

Many species epiphytes grow on tree bark or branches, a among them ferns, mosses and beautifully blooming orchids. There is very little sunlight reaching the forest floor, which is why there are few plants there.

Rainforest animals are very diverse. In addition, most of them are represented by more species than anywhere else. Mostly invertebrates live here. Among them are thousands of species of butterflies that reach up to a 25 cm wingspan. Numerous spiders live here, including large tarantulas that sometimes measure up to 30 cm.
Rainforests are also a great place to live for many vertebrates. Numerous species of monkeys living in treetops are characteristic for these regions. There are large predatory cats here too, the jaguar in South America, leopard in Africa and tiger in Asia. In Africa there are apes: chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas, and in Asia, orangutans. 75% of all known bird species live here. Their representatives are for example parrots, toucans and hummingbirds. Many amphibians, often colorful, live on the trees and river banks, and the rivers are full of fish. Crocodiles and snakes also live in rivers, often reaching large sizes.

• Each layer of the rainforest consists of plants adapted to the conditions prevailing there.

• Characteristic elements of rainforests are vines and epiphytes.

• The rainforests are the environments with the largest diversity of animals in the world.

• Cutting down rainforests is a serious threat to the Earth.