The Rainforest: An Integrative Lesson Plan Featuring Social Studies, Science, Reading, Drama, and Fi

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The RainforestAn Integrative Lesson Plan
FeaturingSocial Studies, Science, Reading,
Drama, and Fine Art

• Dr. Janie Hubbard
• University of Montevallo
• Montevallo, Alabama
• Hubbardjd_at_montevallo.edu
• Presented at the NSSSA Conference
• November 30 December 2, 2007
• San Diego, California

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Standards (example)

• Science Grade 3 10.) Determine habitat
  conditions that support plant growth and
  survival.
• Science Grade 3 13.) Describe ways to sustain
  natural resources, including recycling, reusing,
  conserving, and protecting the environment.
• Science Grade 5 9.) Describe the relationship of
  populations within a habitat to various
  communities and ecosystems.
• English LA Grade 3 3.) Demonstrate literal
  understanding of print material.
• English LA Grade 5 1.) Use a wide range of
  strategies to interpret, evaluate, appreciate,
  and construct meaning from print materials.

National Content Standard 2 (K-4) Theater Acting
by assuming roles and interacting in
improvisations Achievement Standard Students
imagine and clearly describe characters, their
relationships, and their environments Students
use variations of locomotor and nonlocomotor
movement and vocal pitch, tempo, and tone for
different characters Students assume roles that
exhibit concentration and contribute to the
action of classroom dramatizations based on
personal experience and heritage, imagination,
literature, and history This list constitutes
only a small example of the many standards that
you would have in many content and arts
disciplines. This lesson plan can be adapted to
many grade levels.
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CONNECTIONS

• Social Studies
• Social Consciousness
• Geography
• Science
• Biomes Habitats
• Plants Animals
• Environmentalism
• Language Arts
• Reading Fluency
• Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Music
• African Jungle Music (cultures) The Gift of the
  Tortoise
• Rhythm
• Drama
• Movement Sound
• Fine Art
• Rousseau

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Materials Procedures

• Materials Needed
• Technology to show PPT to students
• The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
• Space for movement and drama
• Several meters of fabric in different colors (for
  students to wrap and tie for costumes)
• Several small hand-held musical instruments (e.g.
  triangle, rain stick, tambourine, rattlers, etc.)
• Procedures
• Begin with SLIDE 4 and show the PPT to students.
• Follow the directions on the PPT slides.

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Talk with a partner for 1 minute. What do you
see in these pictures?
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• Share
• your ideas
• with the class

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Henri Rousseau (18441910) was a clerk in the
Paris toll service who dreamed of becoming a
famous artist.
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Although he painted many exotic scenes, Rousseau
never left France. He often explored the
Botanical Garden in Paris where he studied and
drew plants and wild animals that could be
naturally found in the Rain Forest. He visited
museums for artistic inspiration.
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What is the Rainforest?

• A Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense
  jungle. 
• The reason it is called a "rain" forest is
  because of the high amount of rainfall it gets
  per year. 
• The climate of a rain forest is very hot and
  humid so the animals and plants that exist there
  must learn to adapt to this climate.

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Rainforests are the earth's oldest living
ecosystems.
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These incredible places cover only 6 of the
Earth's surface yet they contain MORE THAN 1/2 of
the world's plant and animal species!
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Inside the Rain Forest

• Inside the rain forest, there are 5 separate
  layers from bottom to top.
• Each layer is home to different animals and
  plants.

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People Depend on the Rainforests

• Some of the common
• products we use from the
• rainforest include
• chocolate
• sugar
• cinnamon
• rubber
• medicine
• pineapples
• bananas
• coffee

Vanilla Plants
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Animals Depend on the Rainforest

• Name all the animals that you see in this
  picture.
• Lets list them on the board.
• Do you know others that might live in this
  environment?

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Where in the World is a Rainforest?
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What does this have to do with me?

• Earth
• is your
• home
• and
• she
• needs protection

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So, whats the problem?

• The world's rainforests are currently
  disappearing at a rate of 6000 acres every hour
  (this is about 4000 football fields per hour). 
•  
• When these forests are cut down, the plants and
  animals that live in the forests are destroyed,
  and some species are at risk of being made
  extinct. 

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And there are more reasons why we need to
protect the rainforests

• As the large-scale harvesting of lumber from the
  rain forests continues, the balance of the
  earth's eco-system is disrupted. 
• We need the rain forests to produce oxygen and
  clean the atmosphere to help us breathe. 
• We also know that the earth's climate can be
  affected, as well as the water cycle. 
• Rainforests also provide us with many valuable
  medicinal plants, and may be a source of a cure
  from some deadly diseases.

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What can we do?

• Be aware!
• Tell others.
• Support companies and programs that make a
  commitment to safe environmental practices.
• Recycle and re-use whenever possible,
• and help keep the earth
• green and healthy.

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Lets Make a Rainforest!

• 1. Finger snaps
• 2. Palms rubbing together
• 3. Gently clapping hands
• Patting knees loudly
• Adding foot stomps
• Adding vocal sounds for the wind
• ________________________________________
• Then reverse the order and bring the rainstorm to
  a dripping close.
• ____________________________________________
• This exercise can be done in wave with each
  person
• passing along the action of the leader in
  sequence.

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Create Characters with Your Bodies

• Work in groups of 3 and use your bodies to
  create
• kapok tree
• monkey
• toucan
• One person in the middle forming one part and two
  people on each side forming the other part.
• Example Person in the middle is the Kapok Tree.
  The people on each side are the limbs.
• The leader points to a person and names the
  characters (kapok tree, monkey, and toucan) and
  begins to count to 10.
• The team must make the animal as previously
  created by the group. The team must make the
  animal and freeze in position before the leader
  reaches 10.

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Sounds that Rainforest Creatures Make

• Vocabulary words that are SOUNDS that the
  rainforest animals make
• lull
• slithered
• scampered
• chattered
• squawked
• piped
• padded
• swung
• plodded
• murmured

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Create a Sound for Each Character (whole group)

• Boa constrictor
• Bee
• Monkey
• Toucan
• Tree frog
• Leopard
• Porcupine
• Anteater
• Sloth
• child

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Create a Rainforest Environmentwith Sounds

• A group of 2 to 5 students make the sound of one
  animal (choose from the last activity)
• Groups make overlapping sounds
• The leader will move hands up and down for
• Loud
• Medium
• Soft
• The leader will make a crossed hand signal for
• stop

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Movement

• Practice moving through space in a safe and
  controlled manner.
• Try not to touch, bump, or fall.
• Move in and out of the empty or negative spaces.
• Interpret the movements of these animals
• Sloth moving slowly up a tree
• Bee busily buzzing among the beautiful flora
• Toucan flying from tree to tree

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The Great Kapok Treeby Lynne Cherry

• In the dense, green Amazon rain forest, a man
  has come to chop down a great Kapok tree. When he
  lies down to rest, the creatures that inhabit the
  tree and the surrounding forest come to whisper
  in his ear, each in its own fashion begging him
  to spare their home.
• "You see, all living things depend on one
  another," buzzes the bee. A boa constrictor,
  monkeys, colorful birds, a small tree frog, a
  jaguar, tree porcupines, anteaters, and a
  three-toed sloth take their turns, each giving an
  additional reason for the man to abandon his
  mission and choose to preserve this unique
  environment.
• Finally, a young child of the Yanomamo tribe
  whispers, "Senior, when you awake, please look
  upon us all with new eyes." And that is exactly
  what the man does. (Scholastic Books, p. 1).

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Time OutTeacher, assign the pages

• Each small group of students (about 3) should be
  assigned a certain page of the book to practice
  reading. 9 groups, so have students count to 9 to
  form their groups.
• Teacher may want to have one page per group
  already copied if there are not enough books for
  each group.
• Students will be using the information on their
  pages, and they will act out the story for the
  whole groupone page at a time.

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The Great Kapok TreeBy Lynne Cherry

• Get with your group.
• 2. Practice reading your part fluently (either
  together or just one person).
• 3. Read your page of the book when your time
  comes.

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Before we start, please remind me again about
where the rainforests are located ?
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Read The Great Kapok Tree

• Teacher reads pages 1 and 2 to students.
• Students (in groups) practice fluently reading
  one page per group (pages 3 11). 9 groups.
• Everyone reads page 12 - 16 together (whole class
  and teacher)

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Pages 12 - 16

• Page 12
• A child from the Yanomamo tribe who lived in
  the rain forest knelt over the sleeping man. He
  murmured in his ear Senhor, when you awake,
  please look upon us all with new eyes.

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Page 13

• The man awoke with a start. Before him stood
  the rain forest child, and all around him,
  staring, were the creatures who depended upon the
  great Kapok tree. What wondrous and rare animals
  they were!

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Page 14

• The man looked about and saw the sun streaming
  through the canopy. Spots of bright light glowed
  like jewels amidst the dark green forest.
  Strange and beautiful plants seemed to dangle in
  the air, suspended from the great Kapok tree.
• The man smelled the fragrant perfume of the
  flowers. He felt the steamy mist rising from the
  forest floor. But he heard no sound, for the
  creatures were strangely silent.

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Page 15

• Page 15
• The man stood and picked up his ax. He swung
  back his arm as though to strike the tree.
• PREDICT WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!

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Page 15continued

• Suddenly, he stopped. He turned and looked at
  the animals and the child.
• Page 16
• He hesitated.
• Then he dropped the ax and walked out of the
  rain forest.

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Lets Discuss This

• How do you think the different animals were
  feeling about the man? Explain.
• What do you think the animals might have
  whispered to the man?

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Time Out Lets Prepare for Acting

• Remember
• Each page in the book (pp. 3-11) is dedicated to
  one of the different animal groups listed on the
  right.
• Each group will be asked to act-out (role-play)
  the page that they read.

• Bees
• Boa Constrictors
• Toucans
• Tree Frogs
• Monkeys
• Jaguars
• Anteaters
• Three-toed Sloths
• Tree Porcupines

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Acting First Play

• Groups Act out your page of the story.
• You have 3 minutes to practice with your group.
• _______________________________
• How did people use their bodies to show us
• the particular animals?
• 2. What actions did you see that you thought
• were interesting?
• 3. What will you do differently when we replay
  the story?

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Acting Second Play

• Teacher provides several pieces of cloth cut in
  meters (these serve as costumes)
• Teacher provides several small hand-held
  instruments such as rain stick, triangle, flute,
  etc.
• If teacher does not have instruments, students
  may improvise with sound effects.

• Students (in same groups) select musical
  instruments and costumes.
• Students practice (5 minutes) with group.
• Each group should follow the sequence of the
  story when presenting.
• Each animal group should approach the man.

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Technology

• To Learn more about Henri Rousseau visit the NGA
  Classroom (Art Ecology)
• http//www.nga.gov/education/classroom/art_and_eco
  logy/art_monkeys.shtm
• Create an exotic jungle online at NGAkids Art
  Zone
• http//www.nga.gov/kids/linkrousseau.htm
• Rousseau Exhibition Jungles in Paris
• http//www.nga.gov/exhibitions/rousseauinfo.shtm

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IDEAS FOR AFTER THE LESSON?

• EXAMPLE Write a persuasive letter from the
  animals point of view asking the government to
  save the rainforest.
• __________________________________
• CLOSURE Name all the things that you learned
  about the rainforest today, and lets write them
  on the board so we can discuss them.

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Descriptive Writing (page 14)

• The man looked around and saw the sun shining
  through the canopy. Spots of light could be seen
  in the forest. There were plants hanging from
  the Kapok tree.
• The man smelled the the flowers. He felt mist
  from the forest floor. But he heard no sound,
  because the animals were silent.

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Page 14 Descriptive Writing Example

• The man looked about (more interesting word
  than around) and saw the sun streaming (vivid
  verb) through the canopy. Spots of bright light
  glowed like jewels (simile) amidst the dark green
  (adjectives) forest. Strange(adjective) and
  beautiful (adjective) plants seemed to dangle
  (vivid verb) in the air, suspended (vivid verb)
  from the great (adjective) Kapok tree.
• The man smelled (sensory connection) the
  fragrant perfume (vivid noun) of the flowers. He
  felt (sensory connection) the steamy (adjective)
  mist rising (vivid verb) from the forest
  (adjective) floor. But he heard (sensory
  connection) no sound, for the creatures (vivid
  noun) were strangely (adverb describing the
  adjective) silent.

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Research Cultures
http//www.crystalinks.com/yanomami.html

• .

Yanomami Indians of Venezuela and Brazil
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  
                        'Yanomami' means 'Human
Being'. The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe
(also called Yanamamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma) made
up of four subdivisions of Indians which live in
the tropical rain forest of Southern Venezuela
and Northern Brazil. Each subdivision has its own
language. They include the Sanema which live in
the Northern Sector, the Ninam which live in the
southeastern sector, the Yanomam which live in
the southeastern part and the Yanomamo which live
in the southwestern part of Yanomami area. Of
the approximately 20,000 Yanomami alive today,
about 12,000 of these are Yanomamo.
Villages The Yanomami live in about hundreds of
small villages, grouped by families in one large
communal dwelling called a Shabono this
disc-shaped structure with an open-air central
plaza is an earthly version of their gods'
abode.Ý They hunt and fish over a wide range and
tend gardens in harmony with the forest. Villages
are autonomous but constantly will interact with
each other. The villages, which contain between
40 and 300 individuals, are scattered thinly
throughout the Amazon Forest. The distance
between villages may vary from a few hours walk
to a ten day walk.
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Yanamamo Tribe of the Amazon
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RESOURCES

• Animals of the Rainforest
• http//www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainfo
  rest/Edit560s6/www/images/animals/animals.gif
• Bananas
• http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//www.
  andrew.com/ACCESS/0703/images/link4_food.jpgimgre
  furlhttp//www.andrew.com/ACCESS/0703/articles/am
  azon-print.aspxh424w375sz12hlenstart18t
  bnidWr_xVKwxdLpyYMtbnh126tbnw111prev/image
  s3Fq3Drainforest2Bvanilla26gbv3D226svnum3D1
  026hl3Den26sa3DG
• Cherry, L. (1990). The Great Kapok Tree A Tale
  of the Amazon Rain Forest. Voyager Books, NY.
  ISBN 0-15-200520-X.
• Earth
• http//www.southbaymobilization.org/newsroom/earth
  .htm
• Jones, C. (2005). Creative Drama The Great Kapok
  Tree. Institute for Education in the Arts Theatre
  Institute. Montgomery, AL.
• Kapok Tree
• http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//www.
  wavelengthmagazine.com/2003/images/on03webpad1.jpg
  imgrefurlhttp//www.wavelengthmagazine.com/2003/
  on03webpaddle.phph426w550sz40hlenstart18
  tbnidL09zjj48WtA5LMtbnh103tbnw133prev/ima
  ges3Fq3DThe2BGreat2BKapok2BTree26gbv3D226s
  vnum3D1026hl3Den26sa3DG
• Kapok Tree - Drawing
• http//www.emsb.qc.ca/literature/english/carlyle/t
  ree.htm
• Rainforest - Cutting Trees
• http//www.solcomhouse.com/rainforest.htm
• Rainforest - Ferns Trees
• http//www.ericksonscience.com/Biomes/Student20We
  bsites/Period203/2720320mohammed/27MohammedMain
  .html
• Rainforest - Fog
• http//dylanb.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/ontario-sci
  ence-museum/
• Rainforest - Map