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People of the Rainforest Objectives Students will be able to: 1. Tell two things about people who live in the rainforest. 2. Explain that some tribes have lived in the rainforest for thousands of years. 3. Tell one kind of "work" tribal people do, such as, hunting, gathering, and cultivating food. 4. Draw pictures of the different kinds of dwellings tribal people build with materials found in the rainforest. 5. Describe some of the unique clothing tribal people wear and their use of body painting and decoration. Materials 1. Pictures of several different tribes showing people of the rainforest in different dress and doing different kinds of work 2. Books 3. Teacher Resources: videos/slides, pictures in books and magazines such as Ranger Rick and National Geographic Unit Background Information The people of the rainforests live together in many, many small groups. They have always taken only what they needed from the forest. Many of these people know a lot about the plants and animals in the rainforest they call home. In order to get certain fruits, animals, honey, and other kinds of food, some people climb very high into trees. This can be quite dangerous. The oldest way to make a living is called hunting and gathering. A newer way to make a living is by growing food, which is called cultivating. Rainforest people grow food in certain areas of their villages where they plant gardens. They only clear as much land as they need to grow food for their families. Some tribal groups hunt for animals with bows and arrows and blow pipes that shoot poison arrows. They hunt for animals, birds, and fish. Rainforest people also find certain plants that can be used for medicine. They make tools out of materials found in the forest. The forest people wear many different kinds of clothing and body decorations made from materials in the forest such as feather, skins, antlers and tusks. Different tribal people live in different kinds of dwellings. Some live in very large long-houses made out of native wood. Others live in much smaller huts made out of leaves, vines, and grasses. Because it is hot in the rainforest all year long, these dwellings do not have to be built in a way to keep the people warm. Procedure 1. Warm-up Ask: What do you know about the people who live in the rainforest? (Let students answer. Teacher writes responses on the board. Discuss.) Tell students: We are going to learn some more things about these people. (Have some pictures from books, magazines, and slides that show forest people.) Ask: What do you see that is alike and what is different about these people? Ask: Do you think they need warm clothes? Why? Ask: If you were a child living in the rainforest what do you think you would do to help the family? Would you go to school? Discuss answers. Ask: What is the most interesting thing you have learned about rainforest people? (Write responses on board. Have students write and draw something interesting about rainforest people in their booklets.) 2. Wrap Up Tell students: During the next session we will be learning about forest animals. Find out about an animal to share for the next lesson. Homework: 1. Look in a book about rainforests and find out at least three kinds of plants and three kinds of animals that the rainforest people eat. 2. Ask a friend or someone in your family if they know any important and interesting facts about the rainforest. |
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