Title – Kindergarten Rain Forest Unit

By – Tricia Bardillo

Subject – Social Studies, MultiDisciplinary

Grade Level – Kindergarten

Kindergarten Rainforest
Unit

There are several
pages that give background information that is very useful.  The more you learn
about the rainforest, the more you will want to learn and teach to your students. 
The first page talks about setting up the environment. This is probably the
best way to get the children excited about learning, and it really sets the
mood for the whole unit.  There are 3 weeks worth of rainforest/jungle here
– I think you will still have a hard time finishing it in that amount of time
as well, but we’ll go for it! 

In the getting started
file, there is a jungle journal cover – just add enough blank paper for three
weeks and each child will have a great journal to take home when they are finished.

Day 1

4 Layers of the Rainforest

Start by making a KWL chart using a
piece of poster board sectioned off:  What we know about the Rainforest, What
we want to learn about the Rainforest, and What we learned about the Rainforest.

Have the children brainstorm what they
already know about the rainforest.  Even if they say something incorrect, write
it down – you can always correct if after they learn more. 

Then sing the "Layers
of the Rainforest" song:

Tune:  “If you’re happy and you know
it”

There are four layers in the
rainforest.

4 LAYERS!

There are four layers in the
rainforest.

4 LAYERS!

Forest floor, understory,
canopy, emergent.

(as
you sing the names of the layers first crouch down, then stand up and bend over
a bit, then stand and put your arms over your head like an umbrella, then stand
on toes and reach up high)

There are four layers in the
rainforest.

4 LAYERS!

This song will be sung several times
a day for the next 3 weeks, so have them practice a few times.  The names of
the rainforest layers are new to the children, so really have them practice
pronouncing each word.  By the end of the lesson, each child should know the
layers.

After they know the song,
read Helen Cowcher’s book “Rainforest” .

Read, discuss, ask questions
about the book.

The activity for the day is the Layers
of the Rainforest layered book.  They color each layer and cut out – then the
teacher helps make sure they put them in the proper order ( I usually tape them,
but they can glue)

Day 2

Kapok Tree

Start by reviewing the four layers of
the rainforest. Sing the  4 layers song a few times.  I usually offer some kind
of reward for students who can say the 4 layers by themselves.  They all know
them by the 2

^nd

or 3

^rd

day. 

Read “The Great Kapok Tree”

Have the children pay close attention
to the size of the tree, how long it takes to grow that large, all the animals
that depend on it,etc.  Ask questions about the book, discuss.

Activity: 

Have each child make their own great
kapok tree with construction paper.  Hang the trees up on the rainforest wall. 
Encourage the children to add details such as vines hanging down off the tree
or a bird or other animal hiding in its branches, etc.

Day 3

Flowers and Leaves

Sing 4 layers song.  Show many pictures
of different flowers and plants of the rainforest.  Read “Rainforest” and “The
Great Kapok Tree” – these books show lots of flowers and plants.

Discuss the importance of trees and
plants giving us oxygen.  Teach the definition of oxygen (the air we breathe). 
Start talking about the more trees and plants we have, the more oxygen we have
and when they cut down the rainforest, we have less oxygen.  This will get them
thinking about the importance of saving the rainforest and not being wasteful. 
Talk about how much of the world is covered by rainforest, etc.

Activity:

Have each child create flowers and leaves
for the rainforest wall using construction paper.  Stress creativity.  If they
can imagine it, there is probably a flower that looks like that in the rainforest!  

Day 4

Sloth

Sing 4 Layers song. Review what they
have learned so far.  Read “Welcome to the Green House” by Jane Yolen.  When
you finish, point out the picture of the sloth.  Some facts about sloths are
included here.  Teach them some facts.

Activity:

Have each child make a sloth.  There
is an original enclosed – run on brown construction paper or have them color. 
Hang their sloths from the vines in the room and on the rainforest wall.

They really like this animal because
it is quite ugly and VERY slow! 

Day 5

Spider Monkey

Sing the 4 layers song.  Talk about
the different layers, and have the children talk about what layer they think
monkeys spend the majority of their time in (understory and canopy mostly because
of all the vines).

Read one of the rainforest books we
have read so far – they all have monkeys in them.  Also, “Nature’s Green Umbrells”
by Gail Gibbons has some good info and pictures about monkeys of the rainforest. 
I also have a funny monkey poem in a big book you can use.  Just let me know
when you need it. A spider monkey is different from other monkey’s they know
because they have such long legs.

Activity:

Have each child make a spider
monkey from brown construction paper, and hang them from the vines and on the
rainforest wall.

Day 6

Frogs

Sing the 4 layers song.  Talk about
where the frogs of the rainforest live.  Explain that many of the frogs of the
rainforest are as small as  a quarter, and there are many dangerous poisonous
frogs.  Rainforest natives rub the tips of their arrows on the skin of the poison
arrow frog and others to make their weapon deadly!  Concentrate on the red-eyed
tree frog.  Show pictures.  Read “Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs”.  I think
Mrs. Duwe has some others also.

Activity:

Run the enclosed frog on green paper
or let them color their own.  Have each child color, cut out their frog – looking
at pictures of real frogs of the rainforest to add good details.  Hang the frogs
on the rainforest wall.

Day 7

Boa Snakes

Sing the 4 Layers song.  Review animals
we have learned so far.  Say “boa chant” several times.  Talk about the difference
between a boa and other snakes (some inject poison and boas squeeze)  Read “Hide
and Snake” by Keith Baker.  Show pictures of a variety of boas from other books. 

Activity:

Give each child a piece of construction
paper and a pair of scissors. Have them round the corners of their paper so
it is an oval.  Teach them how to cut around the edge without stopping so they
can make 1 snake out of their paper.  Hang from vines and on rainforest wall. 

Day 8

Birds- especially Toucans

Sing 4 Layers song. Read “Rainforest”
and look through “Nature’s Green Umbrella”.  Talk about which layers of the
rainforest birds hang out in. Show pictures. Talk about what they eat, how loud
they are, etc.

Activity:

Have each child color and cut out the
toucan.  Pattern is included.  Hang from vines and on rainforest wall.

Eat fruit loops!

Day 9

Birds – especially Macaws

Sing 4 layers song.  Read “A Walk in
the Rainforest” by Kristin Joy Pratt.  Pay special attention to the various
types of birds and macaws (the very brightest parrots).  Show pictures. 

Activity:

Have each child color a macaw to take
home.  If you have time, have each child make their own macaw with construction
paper to add to your class rainforest. 

Writing activity:

Have each child write this sentence
prompt:  In the rainforest, I saw_________.  Then have them illustrate what
animal they saw in the rainforest and write the name of the animal themselves. 
Let them use inventive spelling to write the name of the rainforest animal. 
They can do it !

Day 10

Blue Morpho Butterfly

Sing 4 layers song.  Read “Rainforest”
– it has Morpho butterflies in it.  Discuss the book and how much you have learned
about the rainforest. 

Activity:

Ahead of time, make some patterns like
the ½ a butterfly I included.  Have each child fold a black sheet of construction
paper in half.  Have them place the ½ butterfly on the fold and trace around
it.  Then cut out the butterfly and open up.  Then have each child use blue
construction paper and tear small pieces and glue on the butterfly.  (This takes
a while if they do it right!  That’s o.k. – let them work on it during centers
if necessary.)  They look great when they are finished.  Add to your rainforest!

Day 11

Gorilla

Sing 4 Layers song.  Read “A Day in
the Jungle”  Talk about gorillas – what do the children think of them?  Are
they nice, mean, etc? 

Activity:

Read and sing the poem “Little Black
Gorilla” – included. Ahead of time, run the picture of the banana tree and gorillas
on card stock, and attach string  – I’ll put an example in the hall.  Have each
child color the tree and gorilla, then you attach the gorilla to the string. 
Sing the gorilla song as a large group!

Day 12

Jaguars and Tigers

Sing 4 layers song.  Explain a bit about
jaguars are the king of the rainforest, but that tigers also live in some, but
more in less dense areas.  Read “The Great Kapok Tree” and “Who is the Beast” 
Ask questions on “Who is the Beast”.  There are some other ideas to do with
the book included.

Activity:

Have each child create a jaguar with
construction paper to add to your rainforest.  If you have time, you can also
have each child cut out a tiger and then marble paint it. 

Day 13

Food from the Rainforest

Sing 4 layers song.  Talk about the
foods we get from the rainforest. Look over the book “Life in the Rainforest”.

Activity:

Cook a treat with “rain forest”
food, or just bring a variety and have the children name them, smell them, and
graph their favorite.

Day 14

Review Animals/Safari

Sing 4 layers song.  Review the different
animals we have learned about: spider monkey, howler monkey, morpho butterfly,
jaguar, tiger, gorilla, toucan, macaw, sloth, boa, frogs, etc.  Read any of
their favorite rainforest books.

Activity:

Have each child draw a picture of their
favorite rainforest animal.  Have them write the name of it.  Make a class graph. 
Also classify the animals based on where they live in the rainforest or how
they get around in the rainforest, etc.

Make a safari hat and binoculars out
of toilet paper rolls.  Listen to rainforest music and pretend to be on a safari
through the jungle. Talk about what you see in your classroom rainforest.

Day 15

Wrap up and KWL

Sing 4 layers song.  Introduce the word
EXTINCT. Read “Where the Forest Meets the Sea”  and “For the Love of our Earth”.  
Explain about the increasing rate at which animals of the rainforest are disappearing
.  For the rest of the day – every hour take down all of 1 kind of animal so
they can visually comprehend extinct.  Get out your KWL chart and finish the
last column – “What we learned”  Have them check “what we know” and using what
they now know, check for accuracy.  Write a class letter to the President asking
him to pass legislation to save the rainforest. 

E-Mail

Tricia

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