Rainforests is a very broad topic and can allow for much project work in the senior classes.

Resources:

• Ask the class if they know what a rainforest is. Explain to the class that

Tropical/Equatorial rainforests are found in a belt around the equator of the Earth. There are tropical rainforests across South America, Central America, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. These have very high temperatures and are also very wet. The climate here allows them to grow all year.
Temperate rainforests are further away from the equator. They are less abundant than tropical rainforests as they have lower temperatures and lower rainfall.

• Explain the importance of rainforests.
• Tropical rainforests cover about 6% of the Earth's surface and are extremely important to the Earth's ecosystem however they are the most endangered habitat on earth.
• Trees of the rainforest absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce oxygen. For this reason they have been called the "lungs of the world".

 
• 1/4 of our medical chemicals have origins in rainforests. It is believed that many more are still undiscovered.

• With the aid of diagrams – (one available at All about Rainforests at http://www.panda.org/kids/wildlife/mntropic.htm )

• Canopy: The upper parts of the trees reaching up to 60m in height. There is an abundance of life in this environment including insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more. Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height are called emergents.
• Understory: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground. This contains ferns, shrubs and trees, which can live with little light.
• Forestfloor: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live here. The ground is covered with a carpet of leaves.
• Explain to the class the incredible number of animals that live in rainforests. Millions of insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals call them home. It is believed that many more are still undiscovered. Creatures range from apes, monkeys, gorillas, orang-utan, jaguar, leopards, macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, flying frogs, flying lizards, flying snake. It is believed that plants and animals are becoming extinct due to deforestation.

Many acres of rainforest are being destroyed each year to make way for new roads cattle ranching and housing developments. Valuable trees like mahogany and teak are cut to make furniture. Many are destroyed by a slash and burn technique – i.e. everything is cut down and anything that is left is burnt. Every minute an area of rainforest the size of 20 football pitches is destroyed. They are being destroyed rapidly.

The heavy rains wash away the rich soil with its nutrients. The land becomes unsuitable for farming as it become infertile. It becomes barren land where nothing can grow.

Discussion

• What makes a rain forest different than any other forest?
• Name several kinds of rain forests?
• What location are most rain forests found?
• What are the three main areas of rain forest?
• Why do you think the rain forest areas are shrinking?

Activities
Since the topic rainforest allows for project work let the pupils use their CD Encyclopaedia to locate extra information on Rainforest. They could also do some research by linking to the above sites.

Divide the class into various groups, i.e. Climate, Animals, Plants, Location, People of the Rainforest, Deforestation. Let them research their topic to learn. Then have children write and illustrate a story, poem, or report to show their knowledge of the chosen topic. Children will present these to the class and present the finished product on a chart. Provide children with blank maps and ask them to colour or shade in the areas of the world that have rainforests.

Allow children to work on Word Search on Page 3 entitled Rainforests.

Word Search