Tropical rainforest
by Terri Schmackle and Melissa Meyer
Grade level: pre-K
Rationale
To provide preschool age children with a basic knowledge of the rainforest.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
Identify the different animals of the
rainforest and their habitat within the rainforest.
Describe the sounds they might encounter
when visiting a rainforest.
Materials
Clip art of rainforest animals, corresponding sheet to glue clip art on, cassette tape of rainforest sounds, a blank cassette tape, crayons, and a cassette player.
Procedure
Anticipatory sets
A transition will be made by talking about the field trip to the museum and all of the exciting displays we are going to see.
Pre-activity
The teacher will use a poster of the tropical rainforest to help the children visualize what types of animals live in the tropical rainforest. The teacher will also create a rainforest learning center which will include items such as storybooks, plush rainforest animal toys, and teacher-made trees and plants to decorate the center to make it more effective for the students.
During field trip
Teacher will provide children with photocopy of tropical rainforest animals and make sure the children have crayons on the field trip.
Post-activity
Teacher will demonstrate the sounds of the tropical rainforest and record the children on a cassette tape, and provide any other materials the children feel that should be added to the tropical rainforest learning center.
Modes of instruction
Questioning, brainstorming, discussion
Pre-activity
Time estimate: 20 minutes to an hour
Students will brainstorm to learn about the tropical rainforest.
On-site activity
Time estimate: Half-day field trip with a picnic.
Children will color in their coloring page with the appropriate colors when they see the animal in the museum.
Post-activity
Time estimate: 20 minutes to an hour.
Children will cut out their colored animals and put them in the appropriate part of the rainforest which will be displayed on the classroom bulletin board. Then the children will form a circle and teacher will play the cassette with the rainforest sounds for a couple of minutes. Then the teacher will explain that they are going to create a symphony of rainforest sounds. Students will imitate teacher. Teacher will perform the following motions and sounds in order:
 | Rub palms together back and forth (wind) |
| Snap fingers slowly, then quickly (first raindrops) |
| Clap hands, not all in the same rhythm (steady, light rain) |
| Slap thighs (heavy rain) |
| Stamp feet rapidly on the ground while sitting down (down pour) |
| Slap thighs |
| Clap hands |
| Snap fingers quickly, then slower and slower |
| Rub palms |
Divide class into three sections: rainmakers, birds, and insects. Teacher will direct the children by raising his/her hand up and down indicating how loud that section should be. Have the symphony start out soft, get louder, and get soft again until there is no sound at all. Practice this once and then make a recording of the children.
Closure
Have children close their eyes and listen to their tape and have each child share what they imagined or how it made them feel.
Assessment/evaluation
| In a group setting display a poster displaying the different levels of the tropical rainforest. Teacher will point to a level and children will tell which animals live there. |
| Have students bring in a stuffed animal and tell where the animal lives in the rainforest. |
| Have children make their favorite sounds from the rainforest. |
Extension activities
| Children will choose their favorite animal of the tropical rainforest and learn one interesting fact about it. |
| Children will make up a story about what they think life would be like if we were to live in the rainforest. What would we eat? What would we do for fun? |
| Take the children on an imaginary field trip to the museum after you have already taken your class to the museum and focus on parts of the trip that the children really enjoyed to see how much they remember. |