1. ‘Insert name’
‘Insert date’

2. Hello!
A quick quiz to get started.
Question for assembly / class:
Can you tell your furry fact from your fuzzy false?
If you think the answer is true, stand up.
If you think the answer is false, stay sat down.
In between each question, please sit back down.

3. Question for assembly / class: True or False - Orangutan means ‘orange man’

4. FALSE!
Orangutan actually means ‘person of the forest’ in the local Malay language. Why do you think they might be called this?
Because they live in the forest – orangutans are the largest tree dwelling mammals on Earth, and they spend 90% of their time in the tree tops eating ripe fruit, young leaves and the occasional termite or vine
Orangutans are now found in the wild in forests in Borneo and Sumatra (Indonesia) but they used to also live in forests in China and South East Asia before they became extinct

5. Question for assembly / class: True or False - Orangutans can use a saw to make things

6. TRUE!
In extraordinary footage broadcast last year as part of the BBC’s Spy in the Wild series, a wild female orangutan is seen using a saw she has found outside a hut to cut through a log – even pausing to blow away sawdust before continuing.

7. Question for assembly / class: True or False - Orangutans use umbrellas

8. TRUE!
In the wild, orangutans shelter from the rain by making umbrellas out of leaves.

9. Question for assembly / class: True of False - Orangutans have exactly the same DNA as humans

10. FALSE! – well, it’s almost true!
Orangutans don’t have exactly the same DNA but they do share 97% of the same DNA as humans, with their last common ancestor having lived an estimated 12-16m years ago. Only gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees have more DNA in common with humans.

11. Question for assembly / class: True or False - Orangutans can live to 45

12. TRUE!
Orangutans in Borneo can live until they are 45, and if orangutans are in captivity, they can sometimes live to 60!

13. HOWEVER
Orangutans are now critically endangered.
Question for assembly / class:
Does anyone know what this means? (ask children to give their answers)
Critically endangered = extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
This means that without serious action now, orangutans could no longer exist in the wild. Orangutans are so important they are called a ‘keystone species’, which means that they are an essential part of the way we think and talk about a rainforest.
It’s a bit like the game Jenga. If you take one brick out, the whole thing falls. And it’s the same with a rainforest: without orangutans, the rainforest is changed forever.
Extension question for class:
Does anyone else know any other animals that are endangered of critically endangered?

14. Question for assembly / class: has anyone heard of Greenpeace?
Introduce yourself and what you do for Greenpeace!
Greenpeace protects the environment by telling people like you about things that are damaging the environment, and we use that to put pressure on those responsible to change it
We have three main ships that travel round the world to spread the word, just like the one above.
Explain that you’ve come to talk to them about what is happening to the rainforests that these lovely orangutans and other animals live in, and what Greenpeace is doing to prevent orangutans from becoming extinct.

15. I’d like to introduce you to a very special orangutan called Rang-tan.
Rang-tan lives in a rainforest in Indonesia.
Question for assembly / class:
Has anybody ever heard of Indonesia?
What might the weather / climate be like in a rainforest in Indonesia compared to the weather in the UK? (prompt that it is very close to the equator, probe if they know what this means)
Extension for class:
Use ‘Think, Pair, Share’ for pupils to share their answers to the question.
Pupils could be encouraged to find UK and Indonesia on a map / globe in their classroom

16. Rainforests are special places because:
They provide the area with lots of rain – everything needs water to survive! - Rainforests get between cm of rain each year
They provide food and shelter for lots of animals and humans – Millions of people living in communities in and around the forest rely on the forest for their food, their shelter, their work and even their medicines.
They prevent flooding - without trees, rain runs off soil and into rivers and streams, raising the water level. Trees help keep soil in place, and their roots soak up water. Even trees' leaves help prevent flooding - when raindrops bounce off them, the water doesn't hit the ground as hard
They help us breathe - they use sunlight and absorb the carbon dioxide produced by humans and transport and turn it into oxygen,
Question for assembly / class:
Rang-tan shares the forest with lots of other amazing animals – does anyone know of any?

17. In fact, between 10-15% (for younger age groups use 1 out of 10) of all known species of plants, mammals and birds are found there, including tigers, rhinos and elephants (On a landmass less than 1% of the Earth!)
Species that no one has ever heard of that are even new to science are being discovered there on a regular basis.
Here are some of the animals Rang-tan shares the forest with:
Top left: Sumatran tiger
Middle left: Cassowary
Bottom left: Hornbill
Top right: Sumatran Rhino
Middle Right: Babirusa
Bottom Right: Flying Fox Bat
Millions of people also share the forest with these amazing animals, making their livelihood from the forest and depending on it for their food and shelter.
Question for class:
In a moment, we’re going to watch a story about Rang-tan and his life in the rainforest, but first I’d like you to imagine what Rang-tan might see around him when he wakes up in the morning (for example lush rainforest, trees, rain, Sumatran tiger)
Can anyone use this sentence starter to help you describe how Rang-tan woke up?
I woke up in the morning and ….
(for older students, encourage them to use adjectives to describe what Rang-tan saw and felt)

18. Unfortunately something is happening in the rainforests that means that life is changing for all of these animals and humans sharing the forest.
Let’s watch Rang-tan’s story – while you’re watching, think about what is happening, as we’ll be discussing what happened
(NB some schools may not be able to watch You Tube content on their systems, so it would be good if presenters have the video saved on their USB drive? We could embed the video but it will make the file huge)

19. Question for assembly / class:
What was happening to the rainforest?
Humans were coming in cutting down the trees
They were burning the land
They were destroying the habitat of the orangutans (‘taking Rang-tan’s mother’) by burning the land
Deforestation means clearing a wide area of trees, with the land no longer being used for as a forest
Shockingly, an area the size of a football pitch is lost in Indonesia every 25 seconds
And 25 orangutans are lost everyday
Extension question for assembly / class:
How do you think Rang-tan and the other animals and humans might have felt? Why?
Scared, frightened, helpless, full of grief
Why were the companies destroying the forest?
They wanted to use the palm oil found in the rainforests

20. So what is Palm oil?
It can be produced from both the red flesh of the fruit and the nut inside (to produce palm kernel oil)
It is the worlds’ most popular vegetable oil
And unlike many other crops, you can harvest it all year round
(If asked by someone, it’s turned into oil by:
It’s then transported to the company making the final product)
Which is transported to refineries. Once it arrives, it may be processed further still at another refinery.
They are crushed and turned into crude palm oil.
Fruit bunches harvested on the plantations and delivered by truck to nearby mills.
Question for assembly / class:
Who did the following this morning – put your hands up:
Brushed your teeth?
Had peanut butter on your toast?
Washed your hands with soap/handwash?
Ate a biscuit?

21. Well, even though you’re unlikely to have used palm oil to cook with this morning, it is likely that some of those products you used to clean your teeth, eat for breakfast and wash your hands contained palm oil. In fact, 50% of everything supermarkets sell contain it.

22. So what have Greenpeace being doing about this?
We can’t expect people to stop using products that contain palm oil, as it is found in so many products. But what Greenpeace can do is campaign for companies to:
Reuse land that’s already been used for palm oil
Not use virgin rainforest, which means rainforest that hasn’t yet been touched
Some companies such as Nestle and Mars have listened to our campaigns and have made promises to stop deforestation. Sadly though, not a lot has changed., partly because these brands aren’t doing what they promised.

23. What can you do?
Like the little girl in the animation, you could:
Create a poster that raises awareness of palm oil production and deforestation, and its impact on orangutans and others living in the forest.
If you’d like to share your posters with us, we’ll display your posters on our website to help share your message.