1. Explore the Rain Forest!
By: Taylor Boyer
&
Chelsi Hummert

2. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to explore the rain forest? What kind of animals live there? What types of plants grow there? Do you know why rain forests are important?
Let’s Find Out!!
After you explore the rain forest you will create a poster and present your findings to the class. You will also write a paragraph explaining what you learned about the rain forest!

3. You will begin your rain forest journey with three of your classmates to find information about the 4 layers of the rain forest. Each person in your group will have a specific layer to explore during your journey.
Job 1: Emergent Layer
Job 2: Canopy
Job 3: Understory
Job 4: Forest Floor

4. Each student will be in charge of answering the following questions on a chart about their assigned layer:
What animals live in your layer?
What plants grow in your layer?
What are some characteristics of your layer?
When you return from your Rain Forest exploration you will work as a group to complete the chart and share information about the rain forest layers.
You will also begin creating your group rain forest poster displaying the layers.

5. Chart to be completed Emergent Canopy Understory Forest Floor
Name:
Emergent
Canopy
Understory
Forest Floor
What animals live in each layer of the Rain forest?
What plants grow in each layer?
What are some characteristics of each layer?
Answer the following questions together as a group:
1. Why are Rain forests important?
2. What are 3 popular Rain forests and where are they located?
3. Why are Rain forests being destroyed?

6. Use the chart your teacher has given you to collect information about your assigned layer of the rain forest. Use the following websites to get information!

7. Emergent Layer Learn about the animals on the website!
Find Characteristics here!
Learn about the animals on the website!
Click here to learn about the plants and animals!

8. Canopy Layer http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0401.htm
Click here to learn about the canopy layer!
More about the canopy!
Characteristics of the Canopy layer!
Follow this link to explore the plants!
Use this website to learn about the animals!

9. Understory Layer Learn all about the Understory here!
Click here to learn about plants and animals!
Characteristics of the Understory!
Find out more info about this layer here!

10. Forest Floor Characteristics can be found here!
Learn about the plants and animals here!
More about the Forest floor!

11. When you have finished exploring each layer, join together as a group and fill out the chart. Share your information with your group members.
As a group, look at the next 3 questions and follow the links to find the answers together!
Why are rain forests important?
What are three popular rain forests and where are they located?
Why are rain forests being destroyed?

12. Why are rain forests important?

13. Popular rain forests

14. Why are they being destroyed?

15. Create a Poster!
Gather your art supplies to begin working on your Rain forest poster. Each member will create a section of the poster reflecting their layer. Be sure to include plants, animals, and characteristics of your layer.

16. Conclusion
Present your poster to the class. Make sure each student participates and talks about the layer they researched.
Finally, write a paragraph telling me what you learned about the Rain forest!

17. Extension to this Lesson
Check out these cool books from the library to learn more about the Rain forest!

18. Congratulations!
Great work! You are now an expert on the Rain forest! We hope you are proud of all your research and hard work. Maybe one day we can save the rain forest!

19. Ideas for future study
Write 5 journal entries about plants and animals you encountered during your rain forest exploration.
Choose an animal from the rain forest and do a report about it.
Create a list of ideas and strategies on how to save the rain forest.
Compare and contrast the rain forest to another biome.
Read 5 books about the rain forest and share them with the class via a book talk.

20. Standards IL Science Standards
11.A.2c Construct charts and visualizations to display data.
11.A.2d Use data to produce reasonable explanations.
11.A.2e Report and display the results of individual and group investigations.
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

21. Evaluation
Students will be assessed based on the answers to 6 assigned questions. Correct information is expected.
Students are also required to work well both in their group and independently. Group collaboration is expected.
Students will be assessed on the creativity, effort, and accuracy of their poster work.
Students will be evaluated on the presentation of accurate rain forest information.

22. Group work and Collaboration Accuracy of Presentation
Grading Rubric
10 points
5 points
0 points
6 rain forest questions
Student answered all 6 questions on the handout about the rain forest. Content is accurate.
Student answered 3-5 of the questions on the handout about the rain forest. Content is mostly accurate.
Student answered 2 or less questions about the rain forest. Content is not accurate.
Group work and Collaboration
Student worked very well with other group members and provided information to the group. No group problems.
Student worked relatively fine with other group members. There were some group problems.
Student did not work well with other group members. Several group problems and unrest in the group.
Creativity and Effort
Student worked hard to create a nice and neat visual display to present to the class. Grammar is correct.
Student put in some work to create an average poster to present to the class. Some grammar errors.
Student lacked effort and creativity in creation of the visual display. Many grammar errors.
Accuracy of Presentation
Student presented accurate information about the rain forest to the class with confidence.
Student presented some false information to the class.
Student presented a lot of incorrect information to the class. Presentation skills were poor.