Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
Unit 1/Week 4
Title: Saving the Rain Forests
Suggested Time: 5 days (45 minutes per day)
Common Core ELA Standards: RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.6, W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.9; SL.6.1; L.6.1,
L.6.2, L.6.5
Teacher Instructions
Refer to the Introduction for further details.
Before Teaching
1. Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for
teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.
Big Ideas and Key Understandings
The rain forests of the world are a valuable resource and people should work together to save them.
Synopsis
Saving the Rain Forests is an informational text. The author’s purpose in writing this article is to persuade readers to work
together to save the rain forests from destruction. The article begins with descriptions of the different types of rain forests
around the world, then proceeds to identify why they are at risk (i.e. forest fires, deforestation, erosion). Next, the author
discusses the rich resources found in the rain forests (i.e. varied plants and animals) and why they are important to people.
Finally, the author identifies actions people can take to preserve the rain forests and their valuable resources.
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
2. Read entire main selection text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.
3. Re-read the main selection text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Vocabulary.
During Teaching
1. Students read the entire main selection text independently.
2. Teacher reads the main selection text aloud with students following along. (Depending on how complex the text is and the
amount of support needed by students, the teacher may choose to reverse the order of steps 1 and 2.)
3. Students and teacher re-read the text while stopping to respond to and discuss the questions and returning to the text. A variety
of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e.: whole class discussion, think-pair-share, independent
written response, group work, etc.)
Text Dependent Questions
Text-dependent Questions
What are three different types of rain forests according to the
text? Identify a unique characteristic of each. (94-95)
According to the text on page 96, why does the author say
forests are important? Give 3 reasons.
What label should be added to the diagram on page 97 to
better illustrate the information on page 96?
Evidence-based Answers
Tropical rain forests grow near the equator and are hot and
rainy. Cloud forests cover mountains in tropical regions and
have deciduous trees. Temperate forests have distinct seasons.
Rain forests are important because they are home to nearly 2/3
of the world’s animal and plant species. The trees in rain
forests release water into the air which helps form rain clouds,
and they release oxygen into the air.
“Why We Need Rain Forests” is a label that could be added to
the diagram to explain why trees in the rain forests are
essential for the earth.
Water evaporates from the tree leaves.
According to the graphic on page 97, how does a tree lose
water?
From page 98, state two reasons why rain forests are destroyed The forests are destroyed to provide timber for building and for
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
by people.
How are the rain forests used by non-locals? Use page 99 to
find your answer.
How is the rain forest like a huge sponge? Explain the analogy
using page 100.
According to page 100, how does clearing a rain forest change
the climate?
How do loggers make it difficult for young trees to grow in the
rain forests? (102)
How are streams and rivers harmed by mining according to
page 103?
What type of information is found in the sidebar “Eco
Thought”? (95, 96, 103)
What are two “new finds” scientists believe can come from the
rain forests to help people be healthier? Use page 104 to find
your evidence.
Summarize what occurred at the Earth Summit in 1992 using
page 105.
What is the purpose of the headings and subheadings in this
article?
Grade 6
farmland.
Forests are cleared to grow cash crops like coffee, bananas, and
rubber. Mining, industrial development, and tourism are also
big businesses.
In the same way that a kitchen sponge soaks up water, the
plants soak up the water through their roots and then the
water evaporates form the leaves into the air. Clouds form and
rain falls back to the ground where the cycle begins again.
Fewer trees mean less water evaporates into the air, which
causes less rainfall, possibly causing droughts.
Loggers damage young trees with their equipment as they
move through the forests to get to the hardwood trees they
want to cut down. The equipment also damages the soil.
Mining produces a lot of waste material which is dumped on
the land. Water that runs off this waste can be polluted and
flows into the streams and rivers, harming the aquatic life.
Statistics about the rain forests can be found in the Eco
Thought sections.
Rain forest plants may help cure diseases, and our diets could
be far more varied and healthier eating edible plants from the
rain forests.
Politicians and experts from 150 countries designed a
biodiversity action plan to list plants and animals from their
regions, set up nature preserves, and manage rain forests in a
sustainable way.
The headings identify the main ideas of the article. The
subheadings identify the categories of information that are
given under each heading. In the sections identified as
“Disappearing Forests,” “Washed Away.” and “Rich Resources”,
there is a cause and effect relationship between the headings
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
According to page 105, in what ways can you help to protect
the rain forest?
Grade 6
and subheadings.
We can support charities who work to protect the rain forests.
We can educate others about the valuable natural resources of
the rain forests. We can find ways to help native people
sustain the rains forests in ways that also support their
livelihood.
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
Vocabulary
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
sufficient context clues are provided in
the text
TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
not enough contextual clues provided in
the text
KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING
Page 94 –basin
Page 104 – source
Page 105 – manage
Page 94 - climate, equator
Page 95 – region
Page 96 – affect, species, evaporates
Page 98 – timber
Page 99 – cash crops
Page 100 – erosion, downpours
Page 102 – resources, rich
Page 103 – mining
Page 105 - reserves
WORDS WORTH KNOWING
General teaching suggestions are provided in the Introduction
Page 95 – distinct
Page 96 – common
Page 99 – industrial
Page 100 – drains, reliable
Page 104 - varied
Page 96 – converts
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
Culminating Task

Re-Read, Think, Discuss, Write

Write a formal persuasive letter to a national political leader like a U.S. senator, Congress person, or the President explaining how
the rain forests are being destroyed and why the United States should work to save them. Write your letter using a formal letter
format and include 3-4 body paragraphs, using evidence from the text to support your points. Each paragraph should discuss a
main point from the article. Please identify the name of the article in your first paragraph. Revise for clear, concise ideas and
vocabulary. Edit for proper spelling, grammar and mechanics.

Sample Answer:
Dear Senator ___________________,
I am writing to implore you and your fellow senators to take action now to save our world’s rain forests. According to Sally
Morgan’s article, “Saving the Rain Forests,” rain forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate, and we need to act soon to
preserve the wealth of resources they hold, as well as prevent drastic climate change.
The rain forests of the world are being destroyed by human activity. The rain forests contain many hardwoods like
mahogany that people use to build furniture and throw-away objects like shipping crates. Loggers destroy surrounding trees and
plants with their large equipment as they try to get to the hardwood trees.
The rain forests are also cleared to grow cash crops. Bananas, coffee, and rubber are grown in these cleared areas to be sold
around the world. The local farmers do not grow fruits and vegetables to feed their families because they can’t make money
doing this.
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
Mining also destroys the rain forests, changing the ecosystem. Mining produces a lot of waste that is dumped onto the land.
Many times, this waste is polluted, so when it rains, the water runs through this waste bringing polluted water to the rivers and
streams. This kills the aquatic life.
The most dramatic effect of deforestation is the change to the climate. When forests are cleared, there is nothing to hold
the soil in place so it washes away. Trees no longer give off water vapor into the air, which means fewer rain clouds form and
there is less rainfall. The lack of rain leads to droughts. This permanently changes the climate in our tropical regions. As you can
see, the destruction of our rain forests can have lasting, devastating consequences.
However, there are steps we can take to save our rain forests. We can teach local residents of the rain forests how to
manage the forests in a sustainable way. They can use different methods for cutting down trees, they can limit how many trees
they remove, and they can replant fast growing trees to replace those that were cut down. We can also support scientific
research that examines rain forest plants to find cures for diseases. We could pay the local people for harvesting the valuable
plants so they can make a living. There are many food sources in the rain forests that we are unaware of. Again, local people
can help us find these and harvest them to sell. The people of the world need to rethink how we use the valuable resources of
the rain forests to preserve them for future generations. I ask you to take action now, before it is too late to save our rain
forests.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
Pearson
Reading Street - 2008
Grade 6
Additional Tasks

Create a magazine advertisement or poster designed to get people to help the rain forests survive and thrive. Use vocabulary
from the story in your advertisement.
o Answer: Advertisements should include key points about why the rain forests are important: biodiversity of plants and
animals, undiscovered medical cures and foods, the forests are necessary to maintain climates in tropic regions of the
world.
o Below are websites for students to find additional information about rain forests:
http://kidssavingtherainforest.org/
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/rainforests/
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/sla/5/rainforest.html
Note to Teacher

Identify the names and addresses of your political leaders before assigning the culminating task.