Date:
Day
Weekly
Standards &
Elements:
Vocabulary
Weekly Planner –TAG
MondayS1L1. Students will
investigate the
characteristics and basic
needs of plants and
animals.
S2L1. Students will
investigate the life cycles of
different living organisms.
S2CS7. Students will
understand important
features of the process of
scientific inquiry.
S1L1.d. Compare and
describe various animals—
appearance, motion,
growth, basic needs.
S1CS7.d. Much can be
learned about plants and
animals by observing them
closely, but care must be
taken to know the needs of
living things and how to
provide for them.
Advantage can be taken of
classroom pets.
SS1G3 The student will
locate major topographical
features of the earth’s
surface.
Rainforests
Disappearing
Biodiversity
Species
Animals
Flora and fauna
Coffee
Chocolate
Environment
Energy
Tuesday-
Subject: What is happening to the Rainforests? 1st-2nd grade
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
food
Hook:
You are a farmer who
lives in the rainforest.
Much of your land and
many of your living
things are being
destroyed. We know the
rainforest is home to a
diverse amount of plants
and animals that are
helpful and provide
many important
resources. You have
been chosen to sit on a
Special Environmental
River Eves panel to help
provide ways to protect
the biodiversity and
resources of the
rainforest.
-Mystery Box- put an
animal or product from
the rainforest in a box or
bag. Say, mystery box,
mystery box, open it up,
open it up. Give the
students 3 clues. Have
them ask yes or no
questions that would
lead to the right guess.
Materials:
Pencil
Paper
Computer
Ipad
Books
Post
The Great Kapok Tree
http://www.rainforestalliance.org/curriculum/third/
lesson1
http://struletzclass.pbwo
rks.com/w/page/577286
96/First%20Grade%20R
ain%20Forest
https://app.discoveryedu
cation.com/learn/videos/
13C250C1-1AAC4AF0-AA8DE1C8F2F98B40
graphic organizer-KWLN
Essential
Question:
Why is there a need to
protect the biodiversity
and resources of the
rainforest?
How can we keep our
forests intact and have our
chocolate too?
Lesson Focus:
Lesson
Why are the rainforest
plants and animals
important? What is
happening to them?
1.KWLN- Have
students fill out a
KWLN- What do you
know? What do you
want to know? What did
Weekly Lesson
Procedure/
Technology/
Grouping
WG –Whole Group
G – Guided
I – Independent
Stations
you learn? Now What?
After completed, have
students share out their
ideas and create a class
poster. Students will fill
out what they learn as
they go along.
Play hangman with the
word interdependence.
Ask: What is
interdependence?
Explain that plants and
animals are dependent
upon each other for
survival.
2. Read: the Great
Kapok Tree and discuss.
Why was the Kapok tree
so important? What
were plants and animals
that were interdependent
upon each other? *You
can have students work
in pairs to create a
concept map of the
plants and animals and
how they are
interdependent.
What would have
happened if they cut it
down?
Show video on the
rainforest
http://www.pbslearning
media.org/resource/tdc0
2.sci.life.oate.rainforest/
amazon-rainforest/
Costa Rican rainforests
https://app.discoveryedu
cation.com/learn/videos/
90840981-AD3F-4CF5AA61-94834090BBB7#
Many video clips on the
rainforest.
http://www.neok12.com
/Forests.htm
3. Break students into
groups. Each group will
use technology to
research important
plants or animals of the
rainforest and create a
product. They will
answer the question:
Why are these
animals/plants
important? What is
happening to them?
Have each group share
out their findings.
http://struletzclass.pbwo
rks.com/w/page/577286
96/First%20Grade%20R
ain%20Forest
Ask: What are some
products that we get
from the rainforest?
Discuss 2 major
products of the
rainforest is coffee and
chocolate.
Show pictures from
Costa Rica trip of the
rainforest.
Review
interdependence:
Cacao/Chocolate bean is
pollinated by midges
(gnat-like insects) and
occasionally by bats.
Pollination usually occurs
in the morning and the
flowers die in 24 hrs if not
pollinated!
Ask: what do you think
would happen if you
removed a plant or
animal species from the
rainforest.
Watch: Magic
Schoolbus in the
Rainforest. Discuss the
problem.
https://app.discoveryedu
cation.com/learn/videos/
13C250C1-1AAC4AF0-AA8DE1C8F2F98B40
How can we keep the
rainforest and its
biodiversity intact?
4. In groups, students
create a plan to protect
the biodiversity and
resources by first
researching the
environmental efforts
that are presently being
done.
5. Groups will make a
video/prezi, etc. to share
their plan. They must
include a rationale as to
how they made the
decision/plan and how
they will put this into
action.
6. Students will present
their plans.
Show picture of the
Sapodilla tree.
7.Make gum:
http://gleegum.com/mak
e-your-own-gumkit.htm
Make chewing gum
with chicle, the sap of
the Sapodilla tree that
grows in the rainforests
of Central America.
Optional_
http://www.rainforestalliance.org/education.cf
m?id=third_l4
Learn about the people
of the Ghana rainforest
and its importance.
Higher Order
Thinking:
Assessment
Homework
Differentiation
Remediate
Extend