Janel Bentley
This thematic unit covers the Rain Forest. There are two Rain Forest lessons for
each subject: English/language arts, math, social studies, science and fine arts. All ten
lesson plans include the objectives, standards, instructions, assessments and
accommodations for a variety of types of students. These lesson plans are geared toward
third grade students but can be modified for different grade levels.
1) Title of Lesson: Mini Rain Forest
Subject Area: Science
Objectives:


Students will observe the processes of transpiration, condensation, and
precipitation.
With a partner, students will make a mini rain forest.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.SL.3
CC.3.R.L.1
CC.3.W.2
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Read the book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests by Gail Gibbons.
2. Let each student choose a partner.
3. Every pair gets a 2 Liter soda bottle, stones or gravel, potting soil, plant cuttings,
a plastic bag and a bag tie.
4. Have them work together to create their own mini rain forest. Tell them their goal
is to make a rainforest with the given materials. Then give them some time to
create the rainforest and talk with the class about how they decided where to put
materials. Procedure for mini rain forest should be somewhat like this: Place a
layer of stones on the bottom of a 2 Liter soda bottle. Add a two to three inch
layer of potting soil on top of the rocks. Plant a few plant cuttings making sure all
roots are covered. Water the plants until the soil is moist.
5. Demonstrate to students how to cover one of their plant cuttings, from the base to
the top, with a plastic bag. Use a bag tie to secure the bag at the stem.
6. Place the bottles in a warm, sunlit area.
7. After several hours, have students make observations about their bottles.
8. Explain the processes of transpiration, condensation, and precipitation.
Transpiration is when the water returns to the air through the plants. Condensation
is the water droplets on the plastic bag.
9. Have the students write in their journals of the observation and explain in their
journals what condensation, transpiration, and precipitation is.
10. Observe what happens in the bottle everyday during the unit.
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Accommodations:
Demonstrate the directions before the students do it themselves so they can see what
needs to be done. Make sure the child with visual impairment is in front of the class so he
can see the demonstration. Give the blind student large lined paper for his journal.
Assessment:
From the experiment and their observations, students will have an understanding of how
the rain forest works in our environment. They will write about this in their journals.
Modified from: http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=12225&external=http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/units/rain.htm&origi
nal=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Amazon%20Rainforest
2) Title of Lesson: Pollution and Animals
Subject Area: English/Language Arts
Length of Lesson: 120 minutes
Objectives:




Students will use prior knowledge to learn about the rain forest and pollution.
Students will use resources effectively to research information about their animal.
Students will efficiently work with a partner.
Students will present their informational poster to the class.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.R.L.1
CC.3.R.I.1
CC.3.R.F.4.a
CC.3.W.2
CC.3.W.4
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Have music of the Rain forest playing in the background.
2. Show students the book Inside the Amazing Amazon by Don Lessem.
3. On the board have a KWL chart with What We Know, What We Want To Know,
What We Learned.
4. Ask students what they know about the rain forest. List responses under the first
column. Discuss student responses.
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5. Ask students what they want to know about the rain forest. List these responses
under the second column. Discuss responses.
6. Discuss how so many animals live in the rainforest and have a discussion on what
their favorite animals are/what kind of rainforest animals they know of.
7. On the board, have another KWL chart concerning pollution. Ask the KWL
questions concerning pollution and discuss the student’s answers.
8. Next, ask how would pollution affect animals in their environment/habitat? Ask
the students what they think a habitat is. See if there are multiple views on what a
habitat is. Then finally review that a habitat is a place where animals live, breed,
hunts, and survives.
9. Next, pair up the students.
10. Then give each pair one household trash item. For example, paper wrappers,
plastic milk containers, cellophane, Styrofoam, juice containers, etc. Also, give
each pair a piece of paper with an animal on it.
11. Next, have the students look up information about their animal in books,
computers, encyclopedias, etc. Find out where the animal lives, eats, how it gets
its food, describe its habitat, and find five interesting facts about the animal. Write
this on a piece of paper.
12. Then have them list on the same piece of paper three or four properties of their
trash item using describing words. Have the students make sure all the words are
spelled correctly. They can ask others if they need help or look up in
encyclopedia.
13. Then imagine that the animal they investigated found the piece of trash in their
environment. How would the piece of trash be harmful to your animal? Helpful?
14. Once they have their ideas, have them create a poster with all the information they
found on their animal and trash item. Also, write on the poster how the trash item
might affect their animal. Make the poster visually appealing with pictures.
15. Then have each pair share their poster and information to the class.
16. Hang the posters around the room.
17. Then have a whole class pollution discussion. What trash items are in their
environment around their home or school? What happens to trash that remains in
the environment for a long time? How does litter affect people? What can we do
to help clean up the environment? How can they help?
18. At the end of the lesson, revisit the KWL charts to fill in the last columns.
Accommodations:
Pair up the students, one higher-level student with a lower level student. Have the child
with visual impairment sit in front so easier to see the KWL charts. Provide animal text in
Japanese and Braille. Teacher says the things she writes on the board. Use the buddy
system for questions that need to be answered: ask two people if they know the answer
and if not, then ask the teacher. Let the blind student create a digital poster, assistant
helps (he still has a partner). Walk around and make sure everyone’s progressing and
answer questions that they may have.
Assessment:
Janel Bentley
Students will be evaluated at the end of the lesson by being able to tell what they learned
about the rain forest and pollution during the KWL chart and their poster they created.
Modified from: http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=12225&external=http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/units/rain.htm&origi
nal=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Amazon%20Rainforest
And: Kowalczyk, D. (2007). Trash or Treasure? Science & Children, 44(8), 32-36.
3) Title of Lesson: Weather
Subject Area: Math
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:
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
Students will understand that annual ranges of temperature and exposure to the
sun are factors in the complexity of a biological system.
Using resource materials, the students will work in pairs and interpret graph
information with reasonable accuracy.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.W.4
CC.3.R.I.10
CC.3.R.I.7
CC.3.O.4.E
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Ask the students if anyone knows where the Brazilian rainforest is located. If
someone does, see if they can locate it on a large map for the rest of the class.
If not, then the teacher locates the Brazilian rainforest on a large map. Move
from a large global map to show where the children live to a smaller map of
Brazil. Show the equator and how that influences the weather. As one moves
closer to the equator, the sun has a greater effect on rainfall and temperature.
2. The students will work in pairs. They will record data about the annual
temperatures and rainfall in their geographical area from the Weather Channel
Web site from last year. Temperatures from December, February, April, June,
August and October should be recorded.
3. Students record data about the annual temperatures and rainfall from Brazil’s
Amazon rainforest for the same months.
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4. Using the two graphs, the partners will analyze the differences in rainfall and
temperature and draw conclusions about growing seasons and lifecycles of
different animals and plants in the two locations. Each partner will write this in
his or her journal.
5. Discuss what would happen if the temperature levels for the two places were
reversed. Talk about this as a whole group discussion.
Accommodations:
The teacher uses hand gestures when possible. The girl from Japan will be partnered up
with someone who can help her, but not do all the work. The same is done with the girls
reading well below the reading level. The child with visual impairment will receive his
weather information in Braille. He will have a partner as well as the aid will be in his
group.
Assessment:
The partners created two complete graphs and they interpreted the graphs in their
journals.
Modified from:
http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=4531&external=http://rainforestalliance.org/&original=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Rainforest%20A
ctivity%20Ideas
4) Title of Lesson: Rain sticks
Subject Area: Fine Arts
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:
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
The students will create their own rain forest using their creativity.
The students will reflect on what they feel once they have listened to the sound of
the rain.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.W.4
CC.3.W.2.a
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Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Every student has brought in a cardboard tube, which could be from gift-wrap,
paper towels, or two toilet rolls together. They also brought in two cups of fill,
which can be a combination or just pebbles, dried beans, rice, beads etc. Also
needed is a box of round toothpicks. (I have extras if someone didn’t bring the
necessary materials). Get the materials out on their desks.
2. They can decorate their cardboard tube any way they would like. They can keep it
the brown color or cover it with construction paper. They can draw, paint, use
string, stickers, and any other items to decorate the outside of their tube.
3. Next, have them cover one end of the tube with construction paper using tape.
4. Drop the two cups fill or less if desired into the tube.
5. Cover the other end of the tube with construction paper using tape.
6. Last, poke the tube with toothpicks so the ends of the toothpicks are put through
to the other side of the tube.
7. When you turn the rainstick end to end, listen for the sound of the rain. What
stories do you hear? Imagine what it would be like to be in the rainforest. How
does the sound of the rain make you feel? Calm? Tired? Etc. Write this in their
journal. Also, write why they decorated the tube the way they did.
Accommodations:
For the child with visual impairment, let the aid help him decorate the tube and guide
him. Maybe the aide, another student, or the teacher can even draw the pictures that the
student wants on his rainstick or let the student use manipulatives to create his own
decorations. Maybe even provide him with stickers he can use to decorate with. Let him
write in his electronic journal.
Assessment:
They constructed a working rainstick and reflected about the experience in their journal.
Modified from: Beverly Bentley
5) Title of Lesson: Rain forest fruits
Subject Area: Math
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:
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

Students will create various graphs to determine favorite foods of the rain forest.
Students will become familiar with different fruits from the rain forest.
Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.O.4.E
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Bring in rain forest fruits such as mango, guava, papaya, and coconut.
2. Have each student try each of the different fruits.
3. Give each student a piece of construction paper. Ask each student to draw a
picture of his or her favorite one using crayons or markers.
4. On the board, make rows of the different fruits.
5. Tell students to put their picture in the respective row, using tape.
6. After all students have finished, discuss the different qualities of the picture
graph.
7. Ask students: Which was the favorite fruit? Which was the least favorite? And so
on.
8. Then have partners use the same information to create a bar graph and line graph.
9. Then as a class discuss the answers.
Accommodations:
Partner a high student with a low student. For the Japanese girl, provide a list of the fruits
in English and in Japanese. Enlist help of an aide or language learner for the worksheet.
Have the aid read the word problems to the child with visual impairment and also change
the text into Braille. Keep a special eye on the student with a learning disability.
Frequently walk by her to see if she needs help.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated by being able to read the picture graph of rain forest fruits.
They will be able to recognize fruits of the rain forest. The class will also be evaluated on
the different graphs they create. This lesson is a review of different types of graphs.
Modified from: http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=12225&external=http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/units/rain.htm&origi
nal=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Amazon%20Rainforest
6) Title of Lesson: Habitats
Subject Area: Science
Janel Bentley
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:

After watching the Magic School Bus Habitat video, the students will complete
two worksheets relating to the same topic with 90% accuracy.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.R.L.1
CC.3.R.I.10
CC.3.R.F.3
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Watch the video Ms. Frizzles Magic School Bus: Home is where the Habitat Is.
2. Then ask them questions concerning the movie. Ex: What is a habitat? Can they
describe their own habitat?
3. Hand each student two worksheets about animals and their habitats. One handout
describes a habitat. On the other side are four different habitats: desert, ocean, rain
forest, and city park. Then there are places to list some of the animals that live in
that habitat. The second worksheet has the students using the pictures and words
to fill in the missing blanks in the paragraphs. The paragraphs describe three
different animals and their habitat. The other side of that worksheet has the
students number the different stages of a butterfly, mosquito, and a frog.
4. Have them turn it in the mailbox.
Accommodations:
Provide the girl from Japan with a list of some of the words on the worksheets translated
in Japanese. For the child with visual impairment, give him worksheets in Braille. Let
him sit close to the TV. Walk around providing assistance and pay special attention to the
struggling students.
Assessment:
The students will complete two worksheets that concern animals and their habitats.
Modified from: Beverly Bentley
7) Title of Lesson: Plants and Animals and their Necessities
Subject Area: Fine Arts
Janel Bentley
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:
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
Given an assortment of resource materials, the students will research their plant or
animal and display its necessities on a poster with at least five materials their
researched item needs.
After the presentations, the students will compare how the pictures are alike and
different in a group discussion with full participation.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.R.I.10
CC.3.R.F.3.c
CC.3.W.7
CC.3.SL.4
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Using The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry as a model, other rainforest books,
and resources including the species profiles provided on the Rainforest Alliance
Web site at http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/resources/forest
facts/speciesprofiles/index.html, students will research one of the species (plant or
animal) mentioned in Lynne Cherry’s book.
2. Students will draw a picture that begins with their species in the middle of
construction paper.
3. Students fill out the page with all of the plants and animals that are important to
that animal for shelter, food, water, safety, friendship, survival and health.
4. The teacher provides the children with several different types of coloring
materials for the students to color their picture. Ex: markers, paint, chalk, etc.
5. The students will share their animal or plant to the class and explain why they
included what they drew.
5. Children will display pictures in a gallery and make observations about how other
pictures are the same or different than their own. Which animals are repeated in
different pictures, which only appear once, etc. They will discuss this as a class
once the students have had the opportunity to observe.
6. The pictures and the student observations are collected and bound into a book
once the gallery is eventually taken down off the wall.
Accommodations:
Have easy reading books for the two girls reading well below grade level. For the child
with a visual impairment, have Braille resources. Let him create his poster digitally. The
aid and teacher offers extra support while walking around.
Janel Bentley
Assessment:
The students will create a poster of the necessary materials their animal or plant needs to
survive and present it to the class.
Modified from:
http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=4531&external=http://rainforestalliance.org/&original=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Rainforest%20A
ctivity%20Ideas
8) Title of Lesson: Differences of Places
Subject Area: Social Studies
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:




Using The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, students will actively think
throughout the book while answering questions and making predictions with
active participation.
Using The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, students will visually see the
locations of rain forests and the different parts and communicate what animals
they think live in what section with full participation.
Given a worksheet, the students will be able to compare and contrast their life
with the life of a child who lives in the rainforest with 100% accuracy.
Using Tika Tiger Learns First Words by Jamie Elder, the struggling readers will
actively participate in guided reading with 100% participation.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.SL.1.d
CC.3.SL.6
CC.3.L.1
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Read aloud The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. Guide them through the
reading by asking several questions throughout the book. What do you think is
going to happen when the man falls asleep? How do you think the atmosphere or
temperature feels like? Warm? Cool? How would you feel if you were the
animals? What animal would you want to be? What’s going to happen on the next
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page? Would you be scared waking up to all those animals? Would you cut down
the tree? Notice the different rainforest animals in the story.
2. Go back to the beginning of the book where there is a map of rainforests in the
world. Point out where rain forests actually are. Also, notice on the map it shows
the original extent of the rain forest or where it used to be but is disappearing. Try
to find the areas on a globe. Use the book as a guide to find the rainforests on the
continents. Also, notice the different layers of the rainforest: herb layer, shrub
layer, and middle layer are all in what’s called the understory. The tops of the
trees in the rain forest are called the canopy. Ask the students what sort of animals
you think live in each layer. Discuss some possible answers.
3. Then give the students a worksheet that compares the life in the rain forest with
their own lives. It asks questions like: how do you get around, have fun, what do
you eat, and what kind of animals do you live near? Then it explains what
children in the rain forest do. It also asks if you were in the rain forest, what
would you like to do most? Turn into mailbox.
4. While other students are working on the worksheet, grab the two girls that are
reading well below grade level, the girl from Japan, and a couple other struggling
readers. Do a guided reading activity with them. Have them read Tika Tiger
Learns First Words by Jamie Elder. But beforehand go over some words that they
might have trouble with. What might they do I they come to a hard word? Look at
the beginning, middle, and end sounds. At the end, reflect on what was read. Who
had trouble? Did they like the book? etc.
Accommodations:
Enlarge the font on the worksheet for the child with visual impairment. Photocopy the
map in the book so he can have the picture right in front of him. Also, give him a copy of
the book so he can follow along while the teacher is reading the story. Use hand gestures
when all possible. Walk around and provide extra help where needed.
Assessment:
Each student needs to be actively engaged in the conversations about the story and
listening quietly and attentively. Alike and different worksheet needs to be completed.
The struggling readers will be observed to how well they can read Tika Tiger Learns First
Words by Jamie Elder.
Modified from: Beverly Bentley
9) Title of Lesson: Importance and Saving of the Rainforest
Subject Area: English/language arts
Length of Lesson: 120 minutes
Janel Bentley
Objectives:




Students will work cooperatively in groups and get an understanding of where
certain items originate.
In their small groups, the students will work together to create a story of the
journey an item makes to get to their homes.
Students will be able to explain why the rain forest is in danger.
Students will do various activities to help others become aware of the importance
of saving the rain forest.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.SL.1.c
CC.3.SL.3
CC.3.R.I.10
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Students are divided into groups of five.
2. Each group has 12 items that are common to everyday life including but not
exclusively, balsa, bamboo, raffia, coconut, plantains, tangerine, sesame seeds,
vanilla, chocolate, chewing gum and rubber balls. These items are mixed with locally
(United States) grown foods and products. Remind the students not to taste the items.
3. Students sort the items into ‘local’ or ‘exotic’ foods.
4. Students search the Internet for the countries that produce these items. A good website:
http://www.rainforestalliance.org/resources/forest-facts/lives.html.
5. Once the country of origin is found, each group produces a chart of where the items
originated. Students begin to understand how many items they use individually come
from the rainforest and how the amount of resources may impact the integrity of a
landscape.
6. Teacher reads the Rain Forest Plants, by Pamela Dell to the class. There is a section in
this book that describes products we commonly use that come from rainforests. This book
demonstrates our reliance on rainforests. Use this book to introduce how
indigenous people live in the rainforest and how they depend on its healthy
existence. This text will open the opportunity to discuss the importance of
conservation of these resources and how we still may be able to harvest products
while keeping the rainforest safe.
7. Each group takes two items from their ‘exotic’ column that are from the rainforest.
Using the Web sites below, students find out where their items are from and how
they are harvested or farmed. Good websites:
• www.mrdowling.com/712-brazil.html: This site provides teacher
background information.
• www.amanakaa.org: This site has information on the destruction of the
rainforest and the injustices inflicted upon the Yanomami. It has a link to
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Yanomami children's art projects.
• www.socioambiental.org/website/pib/epienglish/yanomami/yanom
ami.shtm: This site provides background information on the Yanomami with
photos.
• www.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil.html: This site provides a
background for the lands of Brazil.
8. Each group writes a story of the journey one item must make to get to their homes
and some of the experiences they might have along the way. This should be
role-modeled by the teacher so that each different type of transportation and
their possible routes is talked about with children. This gives the students a chance to
work cooperatively together.
9. Read the book It Zwibble and the Hunt for the Rain Forest Treasure by WereRoss and
WerEnko. Discuss what has happened to the rain forest and to the animals in the rain
forest.
10. Ask students how they think we could help to save the rain forest. Write suggestions
on the board for students to see. Maybe do one of their suggestions at a later date.
11. Hand out a post card to each student.
12. Explain that we are going to write a post card to our senator to help save the rain
forest.
13. Students can design the front of their post cards by drawing pictures of trees, animals,
or something else that represents the rain forest.
14. They will then write their messages. They could write it from their own perspective
or from the perspective of a tree or animal in the rain forest.
15. Have students share their post cards with the class.
16. Mail them to the senator.
Accommodations:
Put the Japanese girl into a group where there’s a few students who might not mind
helping her along the way. Also, put the two girls who are reading well below grade level
into a group who has students reading at a higher level. Provide text in Braille about a
couple pieces of fruit so he can do his part in investigating of the rainforest items. Put the
student with the learning disability in the same group as the visually impaired student so
his aid can also watch over the other student. While reading the books to the class, have
the child with visual impairment sit in the front. Also, provide hand gestures when
possible. Say things when I write them on the board. Have the visually impaired child
create his postcard digitally with the help of an aid. Walk around and provide help where
needed.
Assessment:
Each group produces a chart of where their items originated. Each group writes a story of
the journey one item must make to get to their homes and some of the experiences they
might have along the way. Students will be able to use ideas learned from the rain forest
unit to write a post card to our senator. They will be able to tell their senator how and
why we can save the rain forest.
Janel Bentley
Modified from: http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=12225&external=http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/units/rain.htm&origi
nal=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Amazon%20Rainforest
And:
http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=4531&external=http://rainforestalliance.org/&original=http://www.proteacher.com/110058.shtml&title=Rainforest%20A
ctivity%20Ideas
10) Title of Lesson: Rain Forest Brochure
Subject Area: Social Studies
Length of Lesson: 40 minutes
Objectives:


Using information learned from the past two weeks and various resources, each
student will create a brochure with at least twenty characteristics of the rain forest.
Using their completed brochure, each student will discuss and share their
information with a first grader with 100% participation.
Common Core Standards:
CC.3.SL.1
CC.3.R.I.10
CC.3.R.F.3
CC.3.W.2
CC.3.W.4
Instructional Strategies/Plan:
1. Ask the students if there is anything else about the rain forest that they would like
to know. How are ways we can help save the rainforest? Where are rainforests
located? Have a brief whole class discussion.
2. Then let the students use various resources and materials to find out anything else
about the rainforest that they might want to share with the class. It can be about
animals, people, temperature, materials or anything else concerning the rainforest.
3. Discuss some of the facts that were discovered. List some ways on the board of
ways to help save the rainforest. Ex: use less paper, use less gasoline and plastic,
eat less red meat, fundraise for the rainforest, etc. Also, discuss with the class if
they would like to do a fundraiser and how they would go about doing that.
4. Have them each create a brochure about the rainforest. Create the brochures as if
they are educating someone else on the rain forest who has never heard of such a
thing before. They can fold their brochures anyway they want. It can be multiple
pages if needed. Teacher displays some examples. Some things that need to be
included in the brochure is where rain forests are located (draw map), what it’s
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like there, what materials are found there (including food), what kinds of animals,
temperature, what would happen if the rain forest was gone, how to help save the
environment, and other facts they want to include that they have learned. Students
use coloring materials that are provided by the teacher to make their brochure neat
and visually appealing.
5. The next day, have each student share their brochure with a student from first
grade.
Accommodations:
Have a word wall with various rainforest words that might be included in some of their
brochures that they can look at as a guide to spelling. Let the child with visual
impairment create his brochure digitally. The teacher and aid are always open for
questions and responsible for keeping students on task. Might even need to extent the
time period for everyone to complete or have some students finish it at home and bring it
back.
Assessment:
Each student will create a visually appealing brochure about the rainforest with at least
twenty characteristics of the rain forest. Some topics that need to be included are listed
above in the instructional strategies. They will also share their brochure and education a
first grader.