Teacher Information Page
~ The rainforest is one of the Earth's biomes.
~ Tropical rainforests are located in the tropics and receive a large amount of annual rainfall.
~ The rainforests are home to a variety of plant and animal life.
~ Living things can be classified into groups including mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, fungi, and plants.
In addition, the students should be able to follow links to other websites, search for and save pictures that they find on the Internet, and use PowerPoint to create basic presentations.
The practice of science and the development of technology are critical pursuits of our society. These pursuits have involved diverse people throughout history and have led to continuous improvement in the quality of life and in our understanding of nature. Students will study the processes of scientific inquiry and technology development and the history and context within which these have been carried out.
In this lesson, students are working as young scientists to answer the driving questions. Students collect data, collaborate with their peers to analyze their findings, and organize and present their data to a classroom community.
Standard Eight � Ecology
Organisms are linked to one another in an ecosystem by the flow of energy and the cycling of materials. Humans are an integral part of the natural system and human activities can alter the stability of ecosystems. Students will acquire a basic understanding of the structure of ecosystems and how they function and change. They will also study how humans can apply scientific and technological knowledge about ecosystems in making informed decisions about the use of natural resources.
In this lesson, students are examining the structure and function of the rainforest biome. After gathering data on the four layers of the rainforest, the students make developing conclusions about how each layer affects or is affected by living things and natural causes.
~ Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
~ Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
In this lesson, the students collaborate with their peers and use the Internet to gather information about the layers of the rainforest. The students display their learning by creating a rainforest guidebook using Microsoft PowerPoint.
2) Each pair of students should have one computer. Direct them to go to the Layers of Life website located at the following URL: http://www.geocities.com/jennls2004/
3) Students will make note of the driving questions and read the introduction. They will encounter that their task is to find out about the distinct structure of the rainforest and how this structure affects the ecosystem of the rainforest.
4) Students will continue reading to find that there are four layers of the rainforest and will follow the Ecologist Activity #1 link.
5) Students will print out the Layers of Life Data Sheet and follow the directions to read the specified sections of the three websites designated to enhance knowledge of the four layers of the rainforest. While at each website, students will record data about the animal life, the plant life, the amount of light, and special information concerning each layer.
6) Students will access the Ecologist Activity #2 linked from either the Layers of Life homepage or the Ecologist Activity #1 page.
7) At the Ecologist Activity #2 page, students will encounter a series of questions regarding the data they gathered that are to be answered through a discussion with their partner. The discussion will help the students clarify their understandings and make connections. Possible discoveries consist of the following: insects are mainly found at the forest floor; the canopy contains the most life; the emergent layer receives the most sunlight; the amount of sunlight considerably lessons at the lower layers etc. Discussion can continue outside of the computer lab if time constraints are faced.
8) Students will access the link to go �home� to the Layers of Life website. Students will conclude their study of the structure and function of the rainforest by completing the Layers of Life Ecology Project. After reading about the purpose of the project, the students will print out and carefully read the Expectations Document so that they are clearly aware of what is expected of their presentation.
9) Students should be given adequate time (one and a half to two class periods) to complete their mini-guidebooks using Microsoft PowerPoint. The Expectations Document should be kept handy so that the students can make sure their projects are progressing as expected.
10) Upon completion, all of the students� presentations should be saved on discs or a CD and brought back to the classroom to be presented to the rest of the class.
11) Grades should be given as the teacher sees fit for his or her own classroom.