Year 5: Why should the rainforest be important to us
all? (4 weeks)
KS2 Geography: locate the world’s countries, using
maps to focus on South America and concentrating
on their environmental regions, key physical and
human characteristics.
WOW: Horniman Museum artefact workshop.
LC1
Where are rainforests located and what are
their main features?
LC2
How important is the Amazon River to the
South American rainforests?
LC3
What can you find out about an endangered
animal that lives in the rainforest?
LC4
Why are rainforests often in the news and
what can we do to help?
LC5
Can you use watercolours to create a piece
of art?
Literacy Link : LC3 provides opportunities for
children to carry our their own research and to
present their findings in a range of interesting
ways which may involve ICT.
LC4 will provide opportunities for children to use
their persuasion skills when making cases for
saving the rainforests.
Numeracy Link: LC4 provides opportunities for
children to use statistics and percentages to
strengthen their case.
Creative Art Link: LC3 sees children creating
clay animals. LC2 allows children to create
collages of the rainforest. LC5 sees children
using watercolours to create artwork.
The
Lorax
© Focus Education 2014
Dr.
Seuss
1
Year 5 Geography Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Geographical Enquiry
• Can they collect
information about a
place and use it in a
report?
• Can they find possible
answers to their own
geographical
questions?
Physical Geography
Human Geography
• Can they explain why
many cities of the world
are situated by rivers?
• Can they explain how a
location fits into its
wider geographical
location; with reference
to physical features?
• Can they explain why
water is such a valuable
commodity?
• Can they explain why
people are attracted to
live by rivers?
• Can they explain how a
location fits into its
wider geographical
location; with reference
to human and
economical features?
• Can they explain what
a place might be like in
the future, taking
account of issues
impacting on human
features?
Geographical
Knowledge
• Can they name and
locate many of the
world’s major rivers on
maps?
• Can they locate and
name the main
countries in South
America on a world
map and atlas?
Year 5 (challenging)
• Can they explain what
a place (open to
environmental and
physical change) might
be like in the future
taking account of
physical features?
• Can they report on
ways in which humans
have both improved
and damaged the
environment?
© Focus Education 2014
• Can they begin to
recognise the climate
of a given country
according to its
location on the map?
2
Year 5 Design Technology Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Mouldable materials
• Are they motivated enough to
refine and improve their product?
• Do they persevere through
different stages of the making
process?
Working with tools, equipment,
materials and components to
make quality products
• Can they explain why their finished
product is going to be of good
quality?
• Can they explain how their product
will appeal to the audience?
• Can they use a range of tools and
equipment expertly?
Evaluating processes and
products
• Do they keep checking that their
design is the best it can be?
• Do they check whether anything
could be improved?
• Can they evaluate appearance and
function against the original criteria?
Year 5 Art & Design Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
• Can they express their emotions accurately through their painting and sketch?
• Do they keep notes in their sketch books as to how they might develop their work further?
• Do they use their sketch books to compare and discuss ideas with others?
© Focus Education 2014
3
Year 5: Why should the rainforest be important to us all?
LC1 – Where are rainforests located and what are their main
features?
LC2 - How important is the Amazon River to the South American
rainforests?
LC3 - What can you find out about an endangered animal that
lives in the rainforest?
Children will use an atlas to locate different rainforests around the
road and identify the features of a rainforest to present in a fact
file.
Children will write a poem about the rainforest based on rainforest
poems they have read in class.
Literacy children will look at a range of poems based on
rainforests and animals in the rainforests. Children will identify the
features and structure.
Children will discuss ideas for why the Amazon River is important in
terms of human and physical geography. They will research the
Amazon and present their findings in a fact file. They will identify
the importance of the river to plants, animals and tribesmen.
Children will create a collage of the Amazon rainforest using
paint, card and tissue paper.
Children will identify the endangered animals of the rainforest and
discuss what this means. They will then choose an animal to
research and present to the class. Children will choose the
method they want to use.
Children will write a poem about their endangered animal.
Children will create clay versions of their endangered animal.
LC4 - Why are rainforests often in the news and what can we do to
help?
LC5 - Can you use watercolours to create a piece of art?
Children will discuss reasons why rainforests might be in the news.
Children will discuss the types of plants that grow in a rainforest.
Children will research articles about the rainforest and use this
Children will use watercolours to paint a rainforest scene.
information to write a non-chronological report about a rainforest
Children will display their work in a gallery.
with a conclusion defining strategies to help the rainforest.
Children will pick a strategy they want to encourage to save the
rainforest and write a persuasive piece to present to the class.
Children will debate the best way to help the rainforests.
Children will visit the Horniman museum and handle rainforest
artefacts during a workshop session.
Forest Academy
4