Lesson 1: What is the rain forest?
Lesson 2: What are the layers of the rain forest?
Lesson 3: What is a rain forest food chain or web of life?
Lesson 4: Why is the rain forest important?

STUDENT LEVEL:  Grades 3-5

MAJOR GOALS  and INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will become familiar with what a rain forest is.
2.  Students will locate the different rain forests on earth.
3. Students will become familiar with the different layers or levels of the rain forest.
4. Students will become familiar with the vocabulary related to the rain forest.
5. Students will become familiar with food chains and webs.
6. Students will become familiar with the flora and fauna of the rain forest.
7. Students will experiment with different things to show how a rain forest works.
8. Students will use technology  to enhance their research, create maps, fill-in data sheets, import pictures, and create original illustrated stories about the plant and animal life in the rain forest.

TIMELINE:  4-6 classroom periods

SETTING:  science classroom, homeroom classroom, computer lab, optional field trips to the Bronx Zoo (rain forest exhibit), Museum of Natural History, and Botanical Gardens.

ASSESSMENTS:
    1.  Vocabulary data sheet.
    2.  Layers of the Rain Forest data sheet.
    3.  World rain forest map.
    4.  Experiments.
    5.  Original stories.
    6.  Research on flora and fauna native to the rain forest.

STANDARDS:
    1.  Students demonstrate understandings of organisms and their environments.
    2.  Students demonstrate understanding of change over time.
    3.  Students demonstrate understanding of physical positions on earth.
    4.  Students demonstrate understanding of earth's diversity.
    5.  Students will write a report of information
    6.  Students will use scientific notation for writing of experiments.

BOOKS/MAGAZINES:
Troll Book Company publishes a variety of the books on the rain forest- of particular use is The Wonders of the Rain Forest.
National Geographic Magazine shows the rain forest as regular featured articles.
The American Museum of Natural History publishes a monthly magazine which often features articles and pictures on the rainforest.
Life in the Rainforests, by Lucy Baker, New York: Franklin Watts, 1990
Exploring the Rainforest- Science Activities for Kids, by Anthony D. Fredericks Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado 1996
 

WEB SITES:
http://richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/biomes/rainforest.html
This site has excellent pictures and information on the rain forest, as well as links to all the sites listed below.  Kid friendly and easy to use.
http://eduweb.com/amazon.html
Explore geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online games and activities- Great fun way to learn about the rain forest!
http://ran.org/ran/kids_action/index.html
Great site with links for teachers and students showing pictures, kid's art, and ways to help protect the rain forest.
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/index.htm
Links  to sites showing the layers of the rain forest, where they're found, what they're called, and facts- very kid friendly!
http://geocities.com/RainForest/3678/flora1.html
This site gives a tropical rain forest tour, complete with pictures of flora and fauna, and additional links
http://encarta.com
This site is an online extension of Encarta Encyclopedia.  The student can research rain forests from here.
http://m-w.com
This is Merriam Webster OnLine