Title – The equatorial rainforest and its diverse cultures

By – Paula Lamb

Primary Subject – Social Studies

Grade Level – 6th

Time – One Week – block or period

TEKS/TAKS Objectives: 3a, 3c, 4b, 7a, 7c, 22 a-e

Lesson Objective:   Learning about the equator, the rainforest, and the diverse cultures

Anticipatory Set:   (Overhead) “Did you know that the rainforest along the equator is home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species?” Ask students to write a list of plants or animals they believe come from the rainforest.

Input Procedures:   Review chapter in text with class, use PowerPoint presentation to identity key terms, or points of interest to the objectives.

Watch short video to reinforce the information reviewed in the power point presentation.

Checking for Understanding:   Feedback from class, ask and answer topic related questions. Open dialogue format.

Guided Practice:   Break into groups, Each group will become an “expert” on one of the countries that pass through the equator. Students will use the internet or encyclopedias to perform the following assignment:

The equator passes through 13 countries. Have each group drawn / pick a country and complete the following items:

• draw a picture of the country’s flag.
• on the back of the flag, name the country,
• average rainfall,
• Official language,
• and population.

The group will then present this information to the rest of the class.

Independent Practice:  

Equator Map Hunt — Challenges students to find several equatorial cities on the map. Then find the answer to the question of what mystery object to take with them on a trip to the equator pulling identified letters from each city identified by the longitude and latitude hints.

Closure:   Identification of all 13 countries that pass through the equator. Presentation of the countries by the students. Display of the Flags and the animal / plant pictures of the rainforest.

Assessment:   Quiz grade for the map hunt worksheet. Completion grade for the group Flag presentation. Chapter quiz at the end of the lesson.

Re-teach:   Identify the 13 countries and list the important categories for each. Identify various plants and animals in the rainforest. Give pictures to color and word search handouts to complete.

Enrichment/Extension:   Ask students to plan a trip around the equator. Write a small journal of what they might find in each country.

Modification(s):   20% modification on all quizzes and handouts.

Materials:   Paper, map colors, text, pencil or pen, access to the internet or class set of encyclopedias.

E-Mail

Paula Lamb

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