KS2 RAINFORESTS
Information and guidance for teachers
CURRICULUM LINKS
KS2 Sc2 life processes and living things:
5a How living things and their environment need protection
5b How different plants and animals are found in different habitats
5c How plants and animals in a habitat are suited to their environment
IMPORTANT NOTE – ARTEFACT CONTACT
Some Discovery Workshops MAY a selection of bio-artefacts. Please inform
us in advance of any allergies or phobias that may be affected by this.
An antibacterial foam handwash will be offered to all students at the
end of the workshop. In order for this to be effective, teachers are asked
to ensure that all students have clean hands on arrival at the Education
Centre.
Updated September 2015
Chimpanzees, like
Boris, are found in
the Rainforests of
Africa.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this workshop, pupils will be able to:
• Describe the tropical rainforest habitat
• List some species found in this habitat
• List items used in every day life that come from the rainforest
Most students will be able to:
• Explain how some species are adapted for life in the rainforest
• Explain why the world’s tropical rainforests are so important
and understand the need for conservation
Some students will be able to:
• Make connections between their own everyday actions and the
consequences for the rainforest
A Critically Endangered
Buffy-headed Capuchin
LESSON PLAN
Our mission, should your pupils choose to accept it, is to go on an
adventure to the Amazon Rainforest to find out why it’s important!
We’ll discuss what we’d need to pack, involving a dressing up activity
before setting off.
We’ll arrive in the Amazon, where pupils will look at a range of artefacts
and plants to establish why the Amazon Rainforest is important..
Upon flying back home we will summarise why the rainforest is important
and the need for conservation before discussing which Rainforest animals
can be seen at Chester Zoo.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are a selection of KS2 curriculum- linked, self-led Explorer trails available to
download at http://www.chesterzoo.org/education/primaryschools/
ks2-explorer-programmes
The Tropical Rainforests Explorer Trail complements the Amazon Adventure Discovery
Workshop, taking pupils around some of the
other rainforest species that can be seen in the Zoo and focusing on
their diet and adaptations.
One of Chester Zoo’s best
known rainforest species –
the Jaguar!
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO LINK WITH YOUR
WORKSHOP
BEFORE VISIT (recommended prior learning - useful but not essential)
• An understanding of the word ‘habitat’ would be useful, as well as
familiarity with the tropical rainforest habitat and the various layers
of the rainforest.
DURING VISIT
PLANNING A ROUTE – ANIMALS DISCUSSED DURING WORKSHOP
• The following animals are discussed during the workshop and can be
seen in the Zoo: Jaguars (in Spirit of the Jaguar), caiman (in the
Tropical Realm), tapirs, capybara, macaws, Leafcutter Ants (in Spirit
of the Jaguar), Poison Dart Frogs (in Tropical Realm), lemurs, okapi,
orangutans (in Realm of the Red Ape), butterflies (in Butterfly
Journey) and various fish species (in the Aquarium and Spirit of the
Jaguar).
AFTER VISIT
• What comes from rainforests? Encourage pupils to look in the store
cupboard at home and collect food labels from products that may
have come from rainforests. Discuss how they were produced and
how they got here.
• Make a poster. Think about the threats that rainforests are facing
and then create a poster or leaflet to let people know what is
happening.
A Critically Endangered Bluethroated Macaw
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO LINK WITH YOUR
WORKSHOP
AFTER VISIT (CONTINUED):
•
•
•
Who lives in the rainforest? Explain that it’s not just exotic animals
that live in rainforests, people do too! Investigate their lifestyle what are their homes like? What do they eat? Where do they get
their food? What do the children learn at school? What do they
wear? This may give the opportunity for dressing up, making
jewellery, face painting and maybe even sampling new cuisine!
Rainforest collage. Use the pictures and photos from the visit to
create a rainforest collage, encouraging pupils to think about where
different animals are found i.e. underground, in the trees, around
water etc. You could also use these pictures to build a food chain
for a wall display.
Design a rainforest animal. Pupils could invent and draw a new
animal designed to live in the rainforest, adding notes to show how
it is adapted to its habitat.
A Lowland Tapir, native to
South America