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Plants of the Rainforest Objectives Students will be able to: 1. Describe one of the plants that can be found in the rainforest. 2. List three products that come from rainforest plants. 3. Relate what happens when trees of the rainforest are cut or burned. Materials 1. Pictures of plants—books, video, or slides 2. Rubber bands, nuts, spices, and other rainforest products 3. Rainforest Resources Unit Background Information Thousands of different plants grow in rainforests. Scientists think that more than half of them have not been identified yet. Some of these plants have become endangered as the rainforests continue to be destroyed. Plants are used by the people of the rainforest in a lot of different ways. They eat rainforest fruits and vegetables and build their homes out of trees, vines, and leaves. A few of the foods that come from rainforest plants are rice, chocolate, tea, coffee, lemons, oranges, bananas, vanilla, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts and peanuts. More than 2,000 plants that we can eat grow in the rainforest. Some of these plants are used for medical purposes. Scientists around the earth have found many plants in the forest that are being used to cure diseases. Many other plants are waiting to be discovered and used for illnesses such as cancer. Ferns, mosses, air plants, fungi, lichens, and algae grow in trees and among the dead leaves—called leaf litter—on the rainforest floor. Procedure 1. Warm-up Tell Students: Today we will be learning more about the trees and other plants of the rainforest. We have already learned some interesting facts about the rainforest and now we will learn some more. Ask: Who would like to tell one thing they have learned today about the rainforest? (Let students respond and write key words on the board. Have a brief discussion.) Next, read a book or section of a book that tells about trees and other plants. Show them some pictures of plants. After reading the book and displaying the pictures, ask students to tell the class the most interesting fact they learned from the book. Talk to them about some of the products that grow on the plants. Ask: Name some foods from the rainforest that can be bought in the stores in our country that you have eaten. (List foods on the board.) 2. Wrap-up: Tell Students: We have learned some new and interesting things about the plants that live in the rainforest. Our next session about the rainforest will be our last. During that session we will discuss the facts we have learned about the tropical rainforest and then we will have a rainforest party. Homework: 1. Bring a piece of fruit with you to our last session and we will share the fruit with each other at the rainforest party. 2. Make an animal or native mask to wear. 3. Bring change—that you have earned or from your allowance—with you to the last lesson to donate to Earth's Birthday Project's BIG GIFT program. The money will help do something to protect our valuable rainforests. |
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