Sky Rainforest Rescue
WORKING
TOGETHER TO
HELP SAVE
1 BILLION TREES
TALES FROM
THE FOREST1
Welcome to your I Love
Amazon Schools ‘Tales
from the forest’ pack,
which provides lots of
opportunities for your
pupils to learn more about
the importance of forests
and how they can help
protect them.
This Summer our focus
is storytelling; pupils will
complete differentiated
activities to create their
own ‘Tales from the forest’
to engage and inspire a
wider audience.
Top tips for
JOURNAL writing
1. Pick just one thing to write about.
2. Less is more - think about the quality of
your writing in sharing your experience.
3. Use facts to engage the reader and
opinions to challenge them.
4. Use words that help readers picture
things for themselves.
5. Remember to use complete sentences.
6. Check your spelling and grammar.
USING THIS PACK
• Pupils will read stimuli journal
entries and watch reports and
videos, before creating their
own responses to develop
cross-curricular descriptive
writing skills.
• Download the ‘Tales from
the forest: Journal entries
PowerPoint’ and use alongside
this pack.
• Each activity starts with a
video clip to introduce pupils
to the context or focus, and is
supported by a journal entry.
You can print copies or display on
your interactive white board to
work through as a class.
• From simple sentences to
in-depth descriptions, these
activities will see your pupils
experiment with language and
progressively complex writing
conventions, in order to develop
their own ideas and opinions on a
given topic.
• Select the activities with the best
fit for your pupils’ age and stage
to develop their writing skills and
techniques.
• To start exploring, use ‘It’s all
about the audience’ activity
on page 4 to introduce the
concept and purpose of
writing journal entries.
Remember to encourage pupils to use their Sky Skills to help them make the most of these Amazon Explorer activities.
Creativity • Teamwork • Communication • Problem solving • Self-management
2
Activities in this pack
This pack has been designed to support
all primary teachers deliver elements
of the geography, science and English
curriculums. Specific strands of the new
National Curriculum for England 2014 are
given at the back of the pack.
It’s all about the audience Introduce pupils to how writing a journal
entry can help them share what they know
about the Amazon with a wider audience.
Amazon investigation
Page 6
Help pupils understand the importance of
putting the focus on fact when writing an
informative report for an audience
Life in the Amazon ave
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ny!
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m
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Page 4
Page 7
Support pupils to develop empathy and
understanding of different perspectives,
whilst exploring habitats and homes in
the Amazon.
Animal narratives
Page 9
Develop pupils’ imagination and storytelling
skills, whilst supporting them as they explore
some of the amazing creatures of the Amazon.
Show what you know Page 10
Support pupils to showcase what they’ve
learnt about the Amazon.
Tales from the forest competition Page 12
Share pupils’ Amazon news reports.
More tha
n 1,600 n
ew
species o
f animals
plants ha
and
ve been d
iscovered
in the Am
azon in th
e last
15 years,
making it
the
most dive
rse habit
at
on the pl
anet.
Summer: Competition entry form Page 13
Resource and curriculum links Page 14
Key
Activity
Research
Photo Opportunity
Creative
3
It’s all about the audience
This activity introduces pupils to how writing a journal entry can help them share what they
know about the Amazon with a wider audience.
Age
5-7
Resources required
• A4 sheets of paper pre-folded and concertinaed
into three
• Coloured pencils, chalks or crayons.
Steps
1. Play the introductory film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=gpzuVt_mkKs and read the ‘It’s all about the
audience’ journal entry to the class. Help pupils see
how the use of language in both engages the reader.
2.You’re now going to play with expanded noun phrases
to describe your own unique species discovered in
the Amazon. To do this, start with a single noun e.g.
parrot, then encourage pupils to add words which
help create a picture of that parrot e.g. the blue,
red, green, loud, squawking, upside down, acrobatic,
hooked beak, strong clawed parrot. Each time an
adjective is added, repeat the whole phrase before
asking pupils for another word to add.
3.Write the original noun on the board, and then write
out the expanded phrase the pupils have created
underneath. Which is the most interesting? Which
gives us the most information? Which would the
pupils prefer to read?
4.Give each pupil a sheet of pre-folded A4 paper. Ask
them to draw an animal head in the first third (being
sure to add a neck from the bottom of the first
crease). When they’ve finished, ask pupils to fold their
drawing over and swap with someone else, who then
draws a body in the middle third, before folding their
drawing over and passing it on to another pupil who
will add legs to the final third. Swap the drawings once
more before opening them out to see what the new
species you have discovered in the Amazon looks like!
5.Support pupils to use their animal creations as
stimulus, to write their own journal entries as if they’re
explorers in the Amazon. Can they use what they’ve
learnt about expanded noun phrases to describe the
animal creations to the reader (audience)?
6.Create a display of your class’s creature creations
and journal entries and see who can match the
description to the correct creation.
4
use the
’
You could
rainforest
e
h
t
f
o
s
e
‘Creatur
a copy at
d
a
lo
n
w
o
poster (d
sky.com/
rces)
u
o
s
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r
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o
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amazonsc
f the
pupils o
to remind
rainforest
different
their
layers and .
ts
inhabitan
The Amaz
on is hom
e to
over 1/3 o
f the plan
et’s
remaining
tropical
rainfores
ts, and on
e in
10 of all t
he specie
s
we know
about.
Age
7-11
Steps
1. Play the introductory film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=gpzuVt_mkKs and read the ‘It’s all about
the audience’ journal entry to the class. Did either
excite them or make them want to find out more?
4.Read the edited version out loud. Discuss the impact
on the reader of having removed all the descriptive
language. Which version is the most interesting?
Which version gives us the most information? Which
version would pupils prefer to read?
2.Explain that the use of language can help to engage a
reader. Work through the ‘It’s all about the audience’
journal entry together, identifying and deleting all the
adjectives and adverbs used.
5.Brainstorm a list of words, which can include those
removed from the original example, which describe
the Amazon rainforest.
3.Remind pupils what adjectives and adverbs are using
the definitions below:
Adjectives tell you more about a noun (person, place
or thing):
• Adjectives can come before a noun to help form a noun phrase e.g. the tiny blue poisonous frog
• Adjectives can refer back to a noun e.g. the tiny frog was blue and poisonous
• Adjectives can be comparative e.g. the tiny frog was bluer and smaller than I thought
• Adjectives can be superlative e.g. the tiniest, bluest
poisonous frog.
Adverbs tell you more information about what
happened e.g. how
• Adverbs can describe manner e.g. the harpy eagle moved swiftly and silently
• Adverbs can describe place e.g. the harpy eagle flew through the trees and behind the cloud
• Adverbs can describe time e.g. later the harpy eagle would eat the prey
• Adverbs can describe degree e.g. the harpy eagle caught the monkey with exceptional speed.
6.Ask pupils to use these to help them write their
own journal entry about the rainforest as if they
were an explorer experiencing the Amazon for the
very first time.
Tip: Use the Top Tips on page 2 to help pupils to
structure their journal entries.
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5
Amazon investigation
If you’ve used the ‘It’s all about the audience’ activity with your pupils, they’ll already
understand the importance of using description to engage the reader. This activity takes it a
step further and gets them to focus on the facts when writing an informative report.
Age
5-7
Age
7-11
Help pupils understand why facts can help readers
understand their story.
Develop the idea of using facts and opinion to give
context and emotion to pupils’ journal entries.
Steps
1. Play the film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=pNJSWlMsQ58 and share the ‘Amazon
investigation’ journal entry to get started.
Steps
1. Play the film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=pNJSWlMsQ58 and share the ‘Amazon
investigation’ journal entry to get started.
2.Ask pupils to re-read the journal entry and focus on
what it tells them about the Amazon.
3.Explain that you’re going to work together to discern
between facts and opinions:
2.Ask pupils to focus on what these tell us about
the Amazon. Discuss pupils’ responses, and if you
have access to an interactive white board perhaps
highlight words in the journal entry that stand out.
3.Ask pupils to write a short journal entry of their own,
about exploring in the Amazon. Remind them that
they need to use lots of description in their journal to
engage the reader.
4.Develop the idea of using facts to give context to
information contained in the journal entry. Can pupils
identify anything they’ve written that might benefit
from them checking data to ensure they’re being
factually correct?
5.Ask pupils to find facts and/or pictures about the
Amazon. They might want to use worldwildlife.org/
places/amazon, wwf.org.uk/where_we_work/south_
america/amazon/ and ngkids.co.uk/did-you-know/
amazon-facts#sthash.BP26GA48.dpuf, along with
other secondary sources of information.
6.Ask pupils to select a fact/image to add to their
journal to give their readers a fuller picture. Do they
agree this is useful and helps the reader understand/
picture the setting better?
Facts:
• Are true statements.
• Are facts regardless of who says them or when or where they are stated e.g. the Amazon is in South America/ the Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
Opinions:
• Are statements that tell you what someone thinks or feels.
• Are personal and individual and dependent entirely on who you are or ask e.g. I love the tropical rainforest,
I think its beautiful/I hate the tropical rainforest, I
find it too hot and sticky and I don’t like creepy crawlies.
4.Work through the journal entry together, identifying
and highlighting all the facts in one colour and all the
opinions in another.
5.Using worldwildlife.org/places/amazon,
wwf.org.uk/where_we_work/south_america/
amazon/ and ngkids.co.uk/did-you-know/amazonfacts#sthash.BP26GA48.dpuf along with other
secondary sources of information ask pupils to find
facts and develop their own opinions about the Amazon.
6.Ask pupils to write a journal entry, depicting them
exploring the Amazon River. They’ll need to support
their own first person tales with some of the facts
and figures they’ve researched.
Tip: Use the Top Tips on page 2 to help pupils to
structure their journal entries.
6
Life in the Amazon
This activity develops pupils’ empathy and understanding of
different perspectives, whilst exploring habitats and homes in
the Amazon.
The Amaz
on River b
asin is
the larges
t in the w
orld.
It is share
d by Braz
il, Peru,
Ecuador, B
olivia, Colo
mbia,
Venezuela
and Guya
na although
more tha
n
half is fou
nd
in Brazil.
Age
5-7
Steps
1. Play the film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=ZKjilu4cLyw&feature=youtu.be and read
the ‘Life in the Amazon’ journal entry.
3.Discuss how their chosen habitats provide for the
animals and/or people that live there.
2.Ask pupils to work in groups to explore two
contrasting Amazon habitats and the needs of
their inhabitants e.g. the tropical rainforest and the
Amazon River OR two different forest layers. Pupils
might find it useful to look at:
5.Use this list to distinguish between needs and wants,
and then relate these together with the habitat
comparisons, to the ways in which the rainforest
provides for the indigenous people that live there.
• ‘Creatures of the rainforest’ poster (download a copy at sky.com/amazonschoolresources)
• Pink river dolphin
–
worldwildlife.org/species/amazon-river-dolphin
–
youtube.com/watch?v=ZCJgvabihQ8
– wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_
species/cetaceans/about/river_dolphins/pink_
river_dolphin/
• Virtual field trip to the Amazon including contrasting layers
–
youtube.com/watch?v=JEsV5rqbVNQ
• Forest habitat
–
worldwildlife.org/habitats/forest-habitat
–
bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/tropical_and_
subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests
• Fresh water habitat
–
worldwildlife.org/habitats/freshwaters
–
bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/River
4.Ask pupils to consider their own needs and
brainstorm a list for comparison.
6.Show this BBC film clip about being a child in the
rainforest, bbc.co.uk/worldclass/15337710, to help
pupils imagine being a child in the Amazon and how
they’d go about finding everything they need in or
around the forest.
7.Ask pupils to write a journal entry, either from the
perspective of a child living in the rainforest or from
their own perspective about why they would or
wouldn’t like to live in the rainforest.
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7
Sky Rainforest
Rescue
Age
7-11
Steps
1. Play this film clip about the children of the Amazon
- vimeo.com/25707533 and read the ‘Life in the
Amazon’ journal entry.
2.Discuss the impact of deforestation on the
indigenous people interviewed in the video. Use
similar pupil experiences of change e.g. starting a new
school or moving home to develop empathy with the
children of the Amazon.
3.Task pupils to work in groups to use the internet,
along with other secondary sources, to find out more.
The following links are a good place to start:
• worldwildlife.org/places/amazon
• wwf.org.uk/where_we_work/south_america/
amazon/sky_rainforest_rescue.cfm
• wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/
deforestation/forest_illegal_logging/
• blogs.wwf.org.uk/blog/green-sustainable-living/
ten-products-and-ingredients-that-come-from-
the-amazon/
Tip: Use the reverse of the ‘Creatures of the
rainforest’ poster (download a copy at sky.com/
amazonschoolresources) to help pupils consider
products of the rainforest.
4.Ask pupils to use what they’ve learnt to write a
journal entry to express their personal response to
the contrast between the needs of the natural forest
and its people versus our needs for the forest’s
produce (they could focus on wood, rubber, coffee,
chocolate, fruit, nuts, medicines and cosmetics).
5.If you have time, before pupils start writing, you could
use the ‘Conscience alley’ activity on page 9 of the
I Love Amazon Schools Guidance for Teachers Pack
(download a copy at sky.com/amazonschoolresources)
to explore different perspectives.
Tip: Use the Top Tips on page 2 to help pupils to
structure their journal entries.
8
WORKING
TOGETHER TO
HELP SAVE
1 BILLION TREES
Sky and WWF are working together to help protect 1 billion trees in the Amazon.
We want to inspire others to do the same - and that’s what I Love Amazon for
primary schools is all about.
What’s more, of the 6-7% of the Earth’s total
land surface covered by rainforests, the Amazon
contains almost half. And it also has the largest
river basin on Earth and one of the world’s longest rivers - the Amazon river. Flowing east and
emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon
river is second only to the Nile and is also by far
the world’s largest river in terms of the volume
of water it discharges into the sea.
In real terms, just two hours of its flow could
meet the freshwater needs of London’s 8.3 million residents for a whole year.
The Amazon spans across 9 countries in
South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru,
Suriname and Venezuela.
The temperature of tropical rainforests ranges
from 18 to 35 degrees celsius, due to its close
proximity to the equator.
Climate change
Deforestation worldwide accounts for as many
emissions as all the world’s trains, planes, cars
and ships put together. One of the keys to
protecting the world’s rainforests is to create
more sustainable opportunities for rainforest
people to make a living without cutting down
the trees.
Halving global deforestation by 2030
would save us more than $3.7 trillion
in damages caused by climate change.
Scarlet
macaw
Blue and
yellow macaw
Harpy eagle
Blue Morpho
butterfly
Toucan
Howler
monkey
Woolly
monkey
Sloth
Pygmy
marmoset
Tree boa
Tree frog
Fruit bats
Ocelot
Kinkajou (honey bear)
Potoo
Ring-tailed
coati
Spider
monkey
Tarantula
Tapir
Peccary
Capybara
Agouti
Poison
dart frog
Bullet ant
Anaconda
Leaf cutter
ant
Jaguar
You can make a difference by supporting
your pupils to learn about the value of
rainforests and how they can help protect
them through their everyday actions.
Our Amazon themed activities will help
you transform your classroom into a
stimulating learning environment with a
tropical rainforest twist.
Just log onto sky.com/amazonschools
to awaken your pupils’ senses to a truly
inspirational, educational walk on the
wild side.
What’s it to me?
Bring the rainforest into your classroom with Sky Rainforest Rescue. Study the
significance of the rainforest and the importance of the work we do to protect
the forest for everyone.
UK
The Amazon contains the planet’s largest
remaining rainforest, which has an unparalleled
diversity of species and habitats. With between
20 to 80 different species of tree per acre and
a wide variety of animal life, many of which have
special adaptations that allow them to live in
the tropical conditions, they would not survive
outside of this ecosystem.
As a result of the activity, pupils could then write
questions that they would like to find the answers
to during their Amazon topic and these could be
displayed simply as post-its around the poster or as
a structured ‘I wonder why?’ geographical/scientific
enquiry wall.
$
Where in the world?
Amazon
Play this game to explore the animals of the Amazon rainforest
with your class. Photocopy the cards below, cut out and distribute to
pupils who can display them on a headband, so the person wearing it
has to ask questions to find out who they are/what type of animal they
are, or the child can simply keep the card a secret for their partner to guess.
Either way pupils take turns to ask questions of
their partner in an attempt to discover which
animal they are. Questions can only be answered
‘yes’ or ‘no’ and pupils should be encouraged to ask
questions about the layers and the type of animals
included on the poster. They could also ask questions
about colour and key features.
Key facts
t on Earth.
st rainfores four layers:
is the large
t has
The Amazon
the rainfores
er shows,
r
As this post
st trees towe
e the talle
t layer, wher in height.
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• Eme
form a
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spread to
tops of trees e canopy.
where the
nam
• Canopy,
r, hence the
plants
cove
and
like
bs
shru
roofof smaller
t
ory, a layer
the rainfores
• Underst
ed between r canopy.
sandwich
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n for
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• Forest floor of insects and a myri
the
a multitude lichen which form
and
i
the
of
fung
of many
staple diet
live within
animals that t.
the fores
It is believed that 10% of the world’s species
of plants and animals are found in the Amazon
rainforest, including species that are found
nowhere else on Earth. Each layer of the rainforest is home to a different range of animals
which, due to human activities, are either already
threatened with extinction or could become
threatened.
Who am I?
The
U
into K would
the
fit
more Amazon
th
27 tim an
es.
The Amazon rainforest is at least four times larger than either of the next two largest
tropical forest regions, Indonesia and the
Congo Basin.
The Amazon rainforest is about 50% larger
than the European Union. In Europe, 10,000m2
of woodland might have 20 species of trees
compared to the same area of Amazon
rainforest which can shelter as many as
220 different species of trees.
Using the activity below, consider how the
rainforest impacts on your lives.
Conduct a survey to see how many products
you use/consume that have come from the
rainforest. Below are some examples:
Moisturiser
Next time you see your mum smooth
on her face cream, take a look at
the ingredients. Lots of Amazonian
plants - like Brazil nut and coconut
oil - help make skin soft and
wrinkle free!
Medicine
Not only do ingredients in
Amazonian plants make us smell nice, they can
save lives too. 70% of the plants that can help us
fight against cancer are only found in
tropical rainforests.
Shampoo
You can thank the Amazon for your
luscious locks! Lots of ingredients
found in shampoo, like the passion
fruit, are grown in rainforests.
Nuts
We all love a healthy snack but
did you know that your packet
of dry roasted cashew nuts
started out in a faraway tropical
climate such as the Amazon? So did Brazil nuts.
Vanilla seed pods
Vanilla is used in lots
of our favourite foods,
soaps and shampoos
because it tastes and
smells so good! And you guessed it; the vanilla
orchid, which produces these powerful little
vanilla pods, grows in rainforests too.
Coffee
Grown-ups often drink coffee.
Did you know that shade-grown
coffee can help local people earn
a living while keeping the rainforest standing?
Avocado and bananas
Most of us won’t have visited a
rainforest but a large part of our
diet either comes from or is grown
there - including foods such as
avocados, coconuts, grapefruits,
bananas, guavas and pineapples to
name but a few.
Spices
No matter what kind of food you enjoy, chances
are it will be seasoned with spices found in
rainforests, as they provide a wide range of spices such as cinnamon and pepper.
Acai berries
Acai is often called a ‘superfood’
because it is so rich in protein
and minerals. The acai palm tree
grows naturally in the Amazon rainforest and its
berries can be harvested without harming the
forest or the species that live there.
Chocolate
Did you know that your favourite
chocolate comes from the cacao
plant? This grows wild in Central and
South America and growing it can be
a way for people who live in the
Amazon to make a living without hurting
the forest.
The Amazon might seem like a very far away
place, but actually it’s closer to home than
you think. Can you find out what other products
the rainforest provides e.g. rubber, mahogany
and kapok?
The warm
condition , wet
rainfores s of the
t make th
em
the riches
t source
of animal
life i
the world n
.
Animal narratives
In 2013, a
new spec
ies of
monkey,
the Caqu
eta titi
monkey,
was disco
vered in
the Amaz
on. This n
ew
species is
one of ab
out 20
species o
f titi mon
key
which live
in the
Amazon b
asin.
This activity uses the journal entry to develop pupil’s imagination and
storytelling skills, whilst exploring some of the amazing creatures of the Amazon.
Age
5-7
Age
7-11
Steps
1. Start by watching youtube.com/watch?v=tq6N9bKw
G5o&list=PL3E2555BF0C35D90C&index=22 to
explore the fauna and flora of the rainforest before
reading the ‘Animal narratives’ journal entry.
Resources required
• Fact finder worksheet
2.As a class, read the ‘Animal antics extracts’ as
stimulus to consider what it might be like to be an
animal in the Amazon rainforest.
Steps
1. Start by watching youtube.com/watch?v=tq6N9bKw
G5o&list=PL3E2555BF0C35D90C&index=22 to
explore the fauna and flora of the rainforest before
reading the ‘Animal narratives’ journal entry.
3.Let pupils choose what sort of an Amazon animal
they would like to be, before drawing a picture, or
finding a picture of their chosen animal.
2.Ask pupils to read the ‘Animal antics extracts’ to
consider what it might be like to be an animal in the
Amazon rainforest.
4.Once all of the drawings are complete, or pictures
have been sourced, tell pupils that they’re going to
create a journal entry entitled ‘If I were a…’.
Let pupils choose what sort of animal they would
be, then use the questions on their Fact finder
worksheet to help them research some key facts for
their journal entries:
• Where in the rainforest do you live?
• Do you live on your own, in a pair or large group?
• What do you like doing?
• What do you like to eat?
• What likes to eat you?
• What’s special about you or your habitat?
• What do you look like?
5.Write the following statements up for the class to
see, and ask pupils to complete each one for their
chosen animal:
• ‘I would live...’
• ‘I would have…’
• ‘I would like…’
• ‘I would eat…’
6.Ask a couple of pupils to read out their journal
entries; can the rest of the class guess which
animals they’re describing?
are your
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s
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t
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r
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wwf.org.u
3.Support pupils to write a journal entry as if they were
their chosen Amazon animal, remembering to use all
the skills they have been learning i.e. using adjectives
and adverbs to engage the reader, using facts and
opinions to make their journal entry interesting and
using empathy to enhance their animal’s perspective.
4.Share pupils’ journals and see if others can guess the
animal being described from the journal entry alone.
9
Show what you know
This activity allows pupils to showcase what they’ve learnt about the Amazon, and helps them
hone their journal writing skills to create a news report to share their love for this amazing place.
Age
5-7
Steps
1. Start by playing the film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=S-YPD5ntKZc. What did this make pupils
think about the Amazon or feel? It is awesome?
Huge? Amazing? Full of wildlife? Somewhere they’d
like to visit?
2.Recap on all the journal writing skills they’ve
developed:
• Engaging the audience by painting a
picture with your words
• Using a mix of facts and opinions to
interest the reader
• To present the place or idea from
different perspectives
• To tell a story
3.Ask pupils to use what they’ve learnt about the
Amazon through writing journal entries, research and
previous work, to create a news report. Do they know
what a news report is? What makes news interesting to
read? Read the ‘Show what you know’ journal entry.
4.Support the class as they decide what their news
reports will focus on. Do they love a particular animal?
Do they think the trees are amazing? Are they wowed
by the Amazon River?
5.Copy and paste each of the word lists below one by
one to abcya.com/word_clouds.htm to create word
clouds to help pupils think about the information
they might want to include.
• Where? Amazon, rainforest, river, mountain, village, canopy, emergent, understory, floor, undergrowth, leaves, sky, water
• Who? animal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, explorer, scientist, man, woman, sloth, monkey, frog, snake, jaguar, dolphin, caiman, macaw
• What happened? flew, squawked, jumped, slithered, roared, photographed, saw, destroyed, discovered, identified, ran, hid, collected
recorded, protected
• How did you or they feel? happy, delighted, excited, scared, tired, sad, lucky, proud, upset, disappointed, worried, angry, jealous, embarrassed, guilty, relieved, safe
6.Support pupils to create their news reports about
the Amazon, its animals, plants, people or need for
protection. Are they using words from the clouds? Are
they being descriptive?
7.Once they’re finished, show the first 30 seconds (up
to where the news reporter hands over to a guest
from WWF) of a news clip about new species in the
Amazon - youtube.com/watch?v=SNU-ut_X0vQ.
Then re-read the ‘Show what you know’ journal
entry. What is the most exciting? Why?
8.Task pupils with rehearsing a verbal presentation of
their news report to share with the class. Get them
to think about how they could make this look
exciting? Do they need pictures, maps or props to
help tell their story?
10
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Steps
1. Start by playing the film clip at youtube.com/
watch?v=S-YPD5ntKZc. What did this make pupils
think about the Amazon or feel? It is awesome? Huge?
Amazing? Full of wildlife? Somewhere they’d like to visit?
Top tips for news
report writing
1. The headline should make people want
to read the rest of the report.
2. The opening sentence should
summarise what the report is about.
2.Tell pupils they’re going to use what they’ve learnt
about the Amazon through writing journal entries,
research and previous work, to create a compelling
news report.
3. Use the report to say what happened
in order, using facts to tell the reader
what, who, when and where the news
happened.
3.Before they start, ask who knows what makes a good
news report. Share the Top tips for news report
writing shown here.
4. Give descriptive details about the
events, including opinions of what
happened.
4.Ask them to read the ‘Show what you know’ journal
entry and use the Top tips for news report writing
to identify and label the components.
5.Use modelled writing to compose sample opening
sentences for news reports.
5. Finish with a personal comment or
quote from someone relevant to the
story, to allow readers to empathise
with the story.
6.Support pupils as they create their own news reports
about the Amazon, its animals, plants, people or need
for protection.
Tip: Remind pupils to use complete sentences in the
past tense and suggest they leave their headline until
last, when they can use the content of their report to
generate ideas.
7.Once they’re finished, show the first 30 seconds (up
to where the news reporter hands over to a guest
from WWF) of a news clip about new species in the
Amazon youtube.com/watch?v=SNU-ut_X0vQ. Then
re-read the ‘Show what you know’ journal entry.
What is the most exciting? Why?
8.Task pupils with rehearsing a verbal presentation of
their news report to share with the class. Get them
to think about how they could make this look
exciting? Do they need pictures, maps or props to
help tell their story?
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11
It’s competition time!
The Amazon rainforest is an incredibly
diverse place, full of amazing plants and
animals. But it is also under threat of
deforestation, misuse and irreparable
damage. That’s why we’re looking to
find the Sky Rainforest Rescue Young
Reporter of the year.
Their task is simple – they need to
share the rainforest’s story with others.
Together we can encourage people
to stand up, take action and make a
difference.
If you think your class has what it takes, get
your pens or cameras at the ready!
Who can apply?
All primary pupils are eligible and entries will be
accepted in one of two age categories, 5-7 and 7-11 year
olds. To enter, individual pupils or small groups of pupils
need to produce a written or filmed news report linked
to the Amazon rainforest.
What can pupils submit?
A written news report of up to 200 words or a filmed
news report lasting no longer than 2 minutes. Reports
should be clear, concise, factually correct and very
engaging in order to encourage others to support the
Amazon. You can use the template overleaf for written
entries, but this isn’t mandatory.
What are the prizes?
There are individual prizes for the winning young
reporters, a £500 cash prize for their school and a
visit from a Sky News reporter!
Terms and conditions
Read the full terms and conditions, acceptable file
formats and entry guidelines at
sky.com/amazonschoolresources
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Looking for inspiration?
The activities in this pack will help your pupils hone their
writing techniques and prepare their entries. You can
also play the Introduction to the Competition film clip
at youtube.com/watch?v=i1XbOZAg8xY or use our
introductory PowerPoint (download the deck from
sky.com/amazonschoolresources) to introduce the
Young Reporters Competition 2015 to your class.
Hints and tips
Check out the links below to introduce pupils to the
Young Reporters competition and get some great tips
from Sky News reporter Lorna Dunkley:
• How to be a great news reporter youtube.com/watch?v=QHcw0edw18Y
• How to make a great news report youtube.com/watch?v=29eIOIr7I4s
• Lorna’s tips on how to be a great news presenter youtube.com/watch?v=2J5EUCiTiBQ
Previous winning entries
To give you a flavour of what success looks like, take a
look at:
• rainforestrescue.sky.com/our-campaign/news-andblogs/news/young-reporter-winner
• rainforestrescue.sky.com/activities-for-childrenand-schools/amazon-schools/competition.
and
s
a
e
d
i
re
For mo ces visit
resour
y
primar .uk/
es.co
c
r
u
o
s
re
/
english tm
9.h
D
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s
i
l
g
en
Summer: Competition
entry form
Can you produce a written or filmed news report linked to the Amazon
rainforest? We’re looking for clear, concise, factually correct and very
engaging news reports which encourage others to support the Amazon. If
you want to enter a written report, pens at the ready - fill in your details
below, choose your Amazon topic and start writing!
Apply by
3rd July
2015
My Young Reporter’s news report
NAME:
AGE:
SCHOOL:
CLASS:
HEADLINE
PHOTO
(200 words max – continue on a separate sheet if needed.)
Teachers: Please scan and send written entries to [email protected] or by post to Wendy Hardy,
Schools and Youth Officer, WWF-UK, The Living Planet Centre, Rufford House, Brewery Road, Woking, Surrey GU21
4LL. Film entries should be sent to [email protected] via http://wetransfer.com (maximum file sizes
apply) and should be a maximum of 2 minutes long. See sky.com/amazonschoolresources for more details.
13
Resource and curriculum links
This pack has been designed to support all primary teachers to deliver elements of the geography and
science curriculum whilst developing speaking and writing skills. If you’re teaching the new National
Curriculum for England 2014, we’ve given the specific strands below to help you with your planning.
GEOGRAPHY:
PLACE KNOWLEDGE
ENGLISH:
SPOKEN LANGUAGE
• KS1: Understand geographical similarities and
differences through studying the human and physical
geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and
of a small area in a contrasting non-European country
• Give well-structured descriptions, explanations
and narratives for different purposes, including for
expressing feelings
• KS2: Understand geographical similarities and
differences through the study of human and physical
geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region
in a European country, and a region within North or
South America
ENGLISH:
WRITING COMPOSITION
Links to other I Love Amazon Schools resources:
Guidance for Teachers Pack – ‘Animal research’,
‘Finding the rainforests’, ‘Guess the layer’, ‘Rainforest
layer mobile’ and ‘My Amazon’
• Writing about real events
Science: LIVING THINGS
AND THEIR HABITATS
• KS1: Identify that most living things live in habitats
to which they are suited and describe how different
habitats provide for the basic needs of different
kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on
each other
• KS2: Recognise that environments can change and
that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things
Links to other I Love Amazon Schools resources:
Guidance for Teachers Pack – ‘Adapted for life’,
‘Recreating the rainforest’, ‘The water cycle’, ‘The
carbon cycle’ and ‘Symmetry of Nature’
Nature Trail Activity Pack – ‘What makes things
grow’, ‘Lifecycles, pollination and seed dispersal’ and
Seasonal changes’
14
• Writing for different purposes
Links to other I Love Amazon Schools resources:
Guidance for Teachers Pack – ‘Animal descriptions’,
‘Postcards from the rainforest’, ‘Protecting the
Rainforest’, ‘Finish the story’, ‘Save the jaguar’ and
‘The rainforest hierarchy’
Life in the Forest Activity Pack – ‘Story starters’
Value in the Forest Activity Pack – ‘Balancing act’ and
‘Biodiversity diorama’
your
Please let us have
k;
views on this pac
ck to
email your feedba
ols
iloveamazonscho
@wwf.org.uk
You can dow
nload
all of the
I Love Amaz
on Schools
resources a
nd activity
packs at
sky.com/
amazonsch
ool
resources
I Love Amazon Amazon Schools is part of Sky Rainforest Rescue, a partnership between Sky and WWF which
aims to help save one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest. Visit: sky.com/rainforestrescue
I Love Amazon Amazon Schools,c/o WWF-UK, The Living Planet Centre, Rufford House, Brewery Road, Woking,
Surrey GU21 4LL. WWF-UK registered charity number 1081247 and registered in Scotland number SCO39593. A
company limited by guarantee number 4016725. © panda symbol and ® “WWF” Registered Trademark of WWFWorld Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund).
15