Reflection Title: Deforestation in the Amazon
Learning Activity: Creating Sustainable Rainforests by Michael Cruse
Subject Area: Science
Focus Areas: Biology, Deforestation, Ecology, Environmental Studies, Soil erosion, Economics
Grade: 6-8
Duration: 3 class periods (135-180 minutes)
Common Core State Standards:
Writing: 1, 7, 9
Reading: 1, 7, 8, 9
Learning Activity Overview:
After reading the Reflection on Deforestation, students will define 'rainforest' by identifying its
four layers, its natural resources, and its byproducts for human consumption. Students will learn
definitions and characteristics of deforestation and clear-cutting and evaluate these methods to
determine their impact on ecosystems. Students will also research the origins of a wood product
or byproduct and apply the use of mean and median in the context of their research.
Objectives: (LW –Learners Will)
* LW identify the size, geography, layers and characteristics of the world’s rainforests
* LW list the diversity of byproducts created from wood and wood products
* LW distinguish between clear-cutting and deforestation
* LW investigate various product manufacturers ethical rainforest
* LW apply mean and median to solve content-related questions
Preparation:
* Copy attached handouts
* Schedule time in computer lab for completion of step 5
* Students will have read the Reflection, Deforestation in the Amazon. Students should have also
completed the following Unit Resources:
Previewing the Reflection
Understanding the Reflection
Reviewing the Reflection
Reflection Prompt:
In the eighth paragraph, Emma says, “If you think about every piece of wood furniture or
structure, there’s a good chance that wood came from trees in the Amazon rainforest.”
Essential Question: How can rainforests be ethically used and/or preserved?
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Procedure:
Step 1: Rainforests around the World (10-15 min)
Ask students to estimate the percent of rainforests covering the planet. Write the range of
answers on the board. Ask students to find the mean and the median of this group of numbers.
Remind students what the difference between the mean and median.
Mean (aka ‘average’)– Add all the numbers and divide that by the number of numbers being
averaged.
Median – List numbers in ascending order and find the number that is the exact middle
The rainforests cover only 6% of the earth's surface, but contain more than 50% of the world's
plant and animal species. Rainforests are located in the Amazon (South America), Central
America, Africa, Southern Asia, Australasia: including Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea.
Ask students to identify how many of the world’s seven continents contain a rainforest.
(Answer: Four: S. America, Africa, Asia and Australia)
Step 2: Rainforest Layers (20-30 min)
Ask students to provide a list of adjectives to describe a rainforest and write the list on board.
Some of the adjectives should describe its wetness, temperature, height and density.
Give students Handout A. Use the descriptions and web page below to introduce students to the
four layers of the rainforest. Students record information on their handout. Connect the
characteristics of each layer to the adjectives that the class has provided. Example: Adjective:
Tall – “The emergent layer contains the tops of the tallest trees, which can be as high as 200 feet
above the rainforest floor”.
Webpage: http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/whlayers.html
Emergent Layer
The tallest trees are the emergents, towering as much as 200 feet above the forest floor with
trunks that measure up to 16 feet around. Most of these trees are broad-leaved, hardwood
evergreens. Sunlight is plentiful up. Animals found are eagles, monkeys, bats and butterflies.
Canopy Layer
This is the primary layer of the forest and forms a roof over the two remaining layers. Most
canopy trees have smooth, oval leaves that come to a point. It's a maze of leaves and branches.
Many animals live in this area since food is abundant. Those animals include: snakes, toucans
and treefrogs.
Understory Layer
Little sunshine reaches this area so the plants have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight.
The plants in this area seldom grow to 12 feet. Many animals live here including jaguars, redeyed tree frogs and leopards. There is a large concentration of insects here.
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Forest Floor
It's very dark down here. Almost no plants grow in this area, as a result. Since hardly any sun
reaches the forest floor things begin to decay quickly. A leaf that might take one year to
decompose in a regular climate will disappear in 6 weeks. Giant anteaters live in this layer.
Step 3: How do we use the Rainforests? (10-15 min)
Based on the complexity of the rainforest, have students reflect on the essay prompt a second
time. “If you think about every piece of furniture or structure that is made out of wood, there’s a
good chance that wood came from a tree in the Amazon rainforest.”
Ask what else trees provide or help to produce? List these items on board. When students have
exhausted their connections between trees and products, expand by presenting the following:
When trees are used to make lumber and plywood, there are leftover chips and pieces of bark.
The chips are made into wood pulp for paper and paper products. The bark is used for
landscaping, and to generate electricity for paper and lumber mills. No part of the tree or its
byproducts is wasted.
Check for understanding of what a byproduct is, based on this explanation of lumber, and its
byproducts of wood chips and bark.
Continue the explanation of wood byproducts. Natural wood is made of tiny fibers (cellulose)
and the natural glue that holds them together (lignin). When wood is turned into pulp for paper,
heat and chemicals dissolve the lignin and release the cellulose fibers. Byproducts of this process
are used in asphalt, paint, chewing gum, detergents, and turpentine.
Cellulose is used for paper, disposable dinnerware, cellophane, toilet seats and tool handles,
helmets, toothbrushes and electrical outlets. Cellulose can be further refined to produce rayon
fabric, nail polish, rocket fuel, and explosives.
Wood pulping byproducts are used to make cleaning compounds, deodorants, hair spray,
artificial vanilla flavoring, medicines, and cosmetics. Torula yeast is a high-protein product used
in baby foods, cereals, imitation bacon, pet foods and baked goods that is produced from wood
sugars. Scientists in Italy have even discovered a way of making artificial replacement bones out
of wood!
Step 4: Why Deforest? (30-40 min)
Ask students: why do you think countries with rainforests are cutting down these trees in record
numbers? The answer has to do with the number of products that can be made from wood and
wood byproducts, as well as the value of the land itself and other uses that support a countries’
growth and economic development.
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Next, introduce the difference between deforestation and clear-cutting. Deforestation is the
removal of a forest with no plan to establish a future crop of trees. Clear-cutting is both a
removal and a regeneration of the forest, which is done to improve the quality, growth, genetics,
and species of trees in a forest.
Have students further research the differences between these two methods for harvesting forests
and use Handout A to record their findings. Students may work individually, in pairs, or teams,
using the unit resources to begin their research.
Once students have completed Handout A, have them report back to the class and determine if
there is a consensus over which practice may be better for people and the environment.
Warning: Students will find that the research on this topic is controversial. Students do not need
to come to a consensus on which practice is best. The goal is for students to research the two,
evaluate their differences and underscore the value placed on wood and wood byproducts.
Step 5: Sustainable Rainforests (30 min)
Explain that cutting down all of the trees in a given area at once – whether as clear-cutting or
deforestation - causes long-term damage to people and their environments. Introduce the idea
that there are sustainable ways to harvest wood. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) works
with industries to certify logging practices that present the least threat to rainforests.
The FSC has a list of certified products, made by manufacturers that provide incentives for
responsible forestry. Everything made from wood and wood byproducts is available from this list
of FSC-certified products.
Students should identify a wood or wood byproduct to research. They should check the FSC
products database at www.fsc-info.org and use Handout B to record their findings. Explain to
students that by researching and buying FSC certified products, they are showing that there is a
demand. This is an important and simple way to help FSC encourage preserving and harvesting
sustainable rainforests. The teacher may first want to demonstrate this product review process for
the class.
Step 6: Presenting Findings (1 class period)
Students may present findings to the class, they may make an argument for deforestation or clear
cutting, create a brochure or commercial for certain wood products, or write a short essay
demonstrating their understanding about rainforests.
Students Demonstrate Understanding by:
* identifying the size, geography, layers and characteristics of the world’s rainforests
* listing the diversity of byproducts created from wood and wood products
* distinguishing between clear-cutting and deforestation
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* investigating various product manufacturers ethical rainforest
* applying mean and median to solve content-related questions
* presenting findings of research to the class
Additional Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearcutting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rainforest-threats/
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestationoverview.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/deforestation.htm
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forestry/clrcut.htm
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Handout A
Name:
Layers of the Rainforest
Emergent Layer:
Canopy Layer:
Understory Layer:
Forest Floor:
http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/what.html
Clear-cutting versus Deforestation
Clear-cutting:
Deforestation:
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Handout B
Name:
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Product Review
1. Using the FSC Certificate Database , www.fsc-info.org type the name of a wood product or
byproduct into the field marked “Product”.
Write the product here: _______________________________
2. Check to make sure that the Status field says “Valid” If not, change using the drop down to
the right of this field. Next, select “Search”.
3. Complete the questions listed below for your product.
Questions
How many manufacturers are listed for this product? _________
How many of these manufacturers are in the USA? ___________
List the names of other countries listed and the number manufacturers for each country
Country
______________________
No. of manufacturers
Using the data you have recorded above for the USA and other countries, what is the mean
number of manufacturers across the represented countries? (Ex. 20 manufacturers / 5 countries =
4 (mean)
Again, using the data that you have recorded, is there a median whole number of manufacturers
for this product across the represented countries? (Reminder: Median is the middle number in a
series of ordered numbers)
Based on your findings for this product, select another product to research in the FSC database.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for this second product. Compare the two products’ means and determine
which one has the higher mean of manufacturers using sustainable practices.
Write the second product here: ____________________________
Which product has the higher mean of manufacturers? ________________________________
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