Rainforest Life
Distance Learning
Summary and Goals
Students will learn to identify and map animal species and the layers of the rain forest in
which they live.
Grade Levels
Grades K-2
Engage
This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as researchers and
thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery
and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please
feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. Some of your students may be
early readers, in which case you may find it more successful to lead activities and
discussions as a whole group rather than using individual Research Plan sheets. Certain
scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of
understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a
greater chance at success.
Which rainforest layer contains the animals most favored by the students in our class?
1. Begin this lesson by telling students that they will be investigating animals and layers of
the rain forest.
2. If your students are familiar with brainstorming and recording their ideas, break them
into small groups. If your students need more guidance, work with them as a large
group. Engage your students in a discussion of what they predict the answer to the
question to be. More importantly, why do they think this?
3. Do different classifications of animals live in different layers? How might you gather
data about which animals are favored more? Is there one classification that is favored
more than another?
Explore
4. Continue with the above discussion and encourage the group to come up with ways
they could investigate the question and test their predictions scientifically (all
suggestions are welcomed). What tools might they need to carry out their suggested
explorations? Are there materials that would help them find the answer? Should they be
making observations? What kinds of records will they need to keep? What will they do
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Rainforest life
Suggested search terms: Rainforest,
Amphibian, Bird, Mammal, Reptile
with the information once they have it? And how will they know that they’ve
successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage
conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas.
5. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their
own answers or you can record ideas as a group.
6. A Rain Forest Animal
a. Have student’s research characteristics of a tropical rain forest habitat. See list of
related books that include information about rain forest habitats and animals.
b. Divide class into small groups and have each group design an animal based on
the tropical rainforest habitat characteristics.
Explain
7. Explain to the group that they will be participating in our Distance Learning program
“Rain Forest Life” that might help to give them some insight into the situation.
8. This program covers the topics of where in the world are the rain forests, animals in the
rain forest and the layers of the rain forest.
Expand
9. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned and review their ideas of how to get
the information they would need to answer the original research question.
10. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do
they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research
question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities
they have just completed?
11. Have each student identify their favorite tropical rainforest animal and have them draw
or print out a picture of each. Build a rain forest mural with each layer identified, then
place each animal in the layer they belong in to see which layer contains the most.
12. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways.
Assess
13. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for
communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on the
rainforest habitat. Have your students share their results with the rest of the class.
Allow time for student critique and comments.
14. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Were there differences and
similarities between the different layers of the rain forest? Is there any layer that
contains the more favored animals?
15. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they
are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan
together.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Rainforest life
Suggested search terms: Rainforest,
Amphibian, Bird, Mammal, Reptile
Standards
Ohio Academic Content Standards
Grades K-2
Life Science Topic: Physical and Behavioral Traits of Living Things
Living things are different from nonliving things.
Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival
Life Science Topic: Basic Needs of Living Things
Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment
Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs
National Science Education Standards
Grades K-4
Science as Inquiry
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Physical Science
Properties of objects and materials
Position and motion of objects
Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
Life Science
Characteristics of organisms
Life cycles of organisms
Organisms and environment
Earth and Space Science
Properties of earth materials
Objects in the sky
Changes in earth and sky
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Personal health
Characteristics and changes in populations
Types of resources
Changes in environments
Science and technology in local challenges
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Rainforest life
Suggested search terms: Rainforest,
Amphibian, Bird, Mammal, Reptile
Rain Forest Life
Supplemental Materials
My Research Plan
1. What is my research
question?
Is it a good question?
Which rainforest layer contains the animals most
favored by the students in our class?
2. How can I get my
information?
3. What will I do with this
information?
4. How will I know I did my job
well?
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Rainforest life
Suggested search terms: Rainforest,
Amphibian, Bird, Mammal, Reptile
Rain Forest Life
Supplemental Materials
Related Books
Journey of the Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Martin and Tanis Jordan
Panther Dream by Bob and Wendy Weir
Rain Forest Secrets by Arthur Dorros
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Life in the Rainforests by Lucy Baker
Our Endangered Planet: Tropical Rain Forests by Cornelia Mutel
Making Your Own Rain Forest by Damian Johnston
Inside the Amazing Amazon by Don Lesse
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Rainforest life
Suggested search terms: Rainforest,
Amphibian, Bird, Mammal, Reptile