Rainforest Products Lesson

Introduction

This lesson provides students with an opportunity to learn about products native to tropical rainforests.

Objectives

Students will:

• learn about the various foods and substances that come from tropical rainforests.
• understand how the clear-cutting of rainforests will impact their lives and the availability of the products they use every day.
• take inventory of rainforest materials found in their classroom and at home.
• analyze and interpret data from a survey.

Suggested Time Allowance

40 minutes

Materials

• Rain Forest Inventory Vocabulary Worksheet
• Tape, scissors, graph paper, pencils

Procedure

1. Introduce and define key vocabulary: conservation, natural resources, cultivate, medicinal plant, native, and product. Ask students to fill in the Vocabulary Worksheet.
2. Have students research rainforest products individually or in pairs.
3. Ask the students to think of all of the materials in the classroom that are from the rainforest.
4. Have them create or cut out vocabulary words featured in the vocabulary worksheet, and tape them to those items that apply.
5. When the students are finished, have them reconvene as a class and draw up a class list of all the things they labeled.
6. When the students return to class, have them share their results.

Assessment

Have students chart the class results and calculate which items were found most often.

Students should be able to:

• define key vocabulary words.
• complete the Vocabulary Worksheet.
• survey the classroom and chart the results.

Extension Activities

• Challenge students to create their own surveys.
• Have students write in their journals and answer the following questions about conservation:
  Why should we care about what happens to the rainforest?
  Why is it important to replant trees in the rainforest?
  What can you do to help protect the rainforest?