The Jeff Corwin Experience: South America
A Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: K-8
Curriculum Focus: Life Science
Lesson Duration: Three class periods
Program Description
Jeff explores the fabled Zancudo Coch (Mosquito Lake) region of this South American
republic. Largely unexplored rain forest, it is an area many naturalists believe to be one of the
most biologically rich in the world.
Video Index
Segment 1: The Journey Begins (8 min..)
Description
Journey with Jeff through the rain forest of Ecuador. Discover tapirs, an anaconda, and a giant river
turtle while traveling toward Zancudo Cocha, the caiman’s lair.
Pre-viewing question
Why would the rain forest in Ecuador be referred to as the “heart of darkness”?
Answer: Answers will vary, but students may know that it is a deserted, dense, and dark place.
Post-viewing question
Why are giant river turtles at risk of disappearing?
Answer: People hunt the turtles and cook their eggs. Fortunately, the indigenous people are
realizing the importance of protecting these animals.
Segment 2: Layers of Life (9 min.)
Description
Explore the layers of a rain forest ecosystem from the floor up. Find out which creatures live in the
trees and which make their home on the floor.
Pre-viewing question
What are the layers of the rain forest ecosystem?
Answer: Answers will vary, but some students may know names of the rain forest layers, including
the forest floor and the canopy.
South America: Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
Post-viewing question
In biological terms, what does “convergence” mean?
Answer: Convergence is when two species with no genetic or biological traits in common develop
similar adaptations because they live in similar environments.
Segment 3: Moving Upriver (13 min.)
Description
Witness the rain forest come alive at night. Meet the playful kinkajous, a large cricket, an Amazon
tree boa, and the colubrid, a nonvenomous snake that mimics a dangerous viper.
Pre-viewing question
Why do animals come out at night?
Answer: Answers will vary, but students may know that some animals hunt at night.
Post-viewing question
Why does the colubrid mimic a viper?
Answer: This snake wants its predators to think it is as dangerous as a viper.
Segment 4: Zancudo Cocha (12 min.)
Description
Watch as Jeff explores the Zancudo Cocha in search of caimans: a spectacled caiman and black
caimans that hide from predators by staying underwater.
Pre-viewing question
Why would Jeff be eager to see a black caiman?
Answer: Answers will vary, but students may point out that these animals are rare and hard to
spot.
Post-viewing question
Why are caimans impressive predators?
Answer: Many grow to be quite large, and they are capable of preying on other caimans as well as
fish, turtles, snakes, mammals, and birds.
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
•
Learn about the animals of the South American rain forest.
•
Develop a class mural showing these animals and where they live.
•
Write labels for each label, including a description and unique features.
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South America: Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
Materials
•
The Jeff Corwin Experience: South America: A Rain Forest Ecosystem video and VCR, DVD
and DVD player
•
Computer(s) with Internet access
•
Newsprint and markers
•
Large sheet of paper
•
Colored pencils, crayons, and markers
Procedures
1. Show students The Jeff Corwin Experience: South America: A Rain Forest Ecosystem. If time is
limited, focus on segments 2 and 3.
2. Make a list on a sheet of newsprint of the different animals that live in the rain forest. The
following animals are among those that should be included on your list:
• Tapir
• Anaconda
• Giant river turtle
• Ant eater
• Bufonidae toad
• Social spiders
• Kinkajou
• Crickets
• Tree boa
• Black caiman
3. Explain that the class is going to create a mural illustrating the rain forest and the different
animals that live there. Then set up a large piece of paper in a place where students can visit
periodically throughout the day to work on the mural.
4. Divide students into groups of three or four. Assign each group one part of the rain forest to
focus on. For example, you could divide the tasks as follows:
Group 1: Draws the rain forest
Group 2: Draws the animals living in the canopy of the rain forest
Group 3: Draws the animals that live in the rain forest at night
Group 4: Draws insects
Group 5: Draws the water and the black caimans
5. Have the first group begin the project by drawing the rain forest. Throughout the day, during
“down” times, have the other groups work on their part of the mural.
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South America: Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
6. If students would like additional information about the rain forest and the animals that live
there, have them check out the following Web sites:
•
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/animals/Rfbiomeanimals.shtml
•
http://www.abcteach.com/RainforestFacts/Rainforestfacts.htm
•
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
7. After students have completed their part of the mural, ask each group to develop labels. For
those students who drew the rain forest, have them explain what the rain forest is and its
different layers. For those students who drew animals, have them identify the animal, describe
what it looks like, and include one or two unique facts about the animal. Students should tape
the labels onto the mural.
8. When students have completed the mural, display it in the room for all to enjoy.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students were highly engaged in class and group discussions; created a visually
interesting and accurate section of the mural; developed accurate and informative labels,
including all of the requested information.
•
2 points: Students participated in class and group discussions; created a satisfactory and
mostly accurate section of the mural; developed satisfactory labels, including most of the
requested information.
•
1 point: Students participated min.imally in class and group discussions; did not complete
their section of the mural; did not complete the labels for their part of the mural.
Vocabulary
anaconda
Definition: The largest snake in the world; lives mostly in South America and is related to the water
boa
Context: Anacondas can grow to be as large as 37.3 feet, or about 11.5 meters.
caiman
Definition: A reptile that is closely related to the alligator
Context: Caimans can swim almost completely submerged in the water, with only their eyes
showing.
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South America: Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
canopy
Definition: The upper level of the rain forest; the leaves of the trees
Context: The giant frog and a snake called Hyla boans are both designed to live in the canopy of the
rain forest.
kinkajou
Definition: A mammal that is a relative of raccoons and is a nocturnal animal of the rain forest
Context: The kinkajou has a prehensile tail, designed for easy climbing in the canopy of the rain
forest.
nocturnal animal
Definition: An animal that sleeps during the day and is active and hunts for food at night
Context: The rain forest of South America comes alive at night, with nocturnal animals such as
kinkajous and crickets hunting for food.
rain forest
Definition: A dense, warm forest, with frequent rains; rain forests are located in a band around the
equator
Context: Many of the world’s unique species of animals live in the rain forest.
Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K–12 to
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
Grades K-4
• Life Science: Organisms and environments
Grades 5-8
• Life Science: Populations and ecosystems, Diversity and adaptations of organisms
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
Language Arts—Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual
media; Writing: Gathers and uses information for research purposes
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South America: Rain Forest Ecosystem
Teacher’s Guide
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Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.