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DIFF 510: Lesson plan template

Unit essential questions:
- How will the environment be affected, if one part of the rainforest is changed?
- How would a species be affected if something were changed?
Lesson question:
- What lives in the rainforest?
Common core or other appropriate standard(s) addressed:
- Lifestyles in world communities are influenced by environmental and geographic factors.
- The development of world communities is influenced by environmental and geographic
factors.
Lesson objective:
- The students will be able to identify the four layers of the Brazilian Rainforest:
emergent, canopy, understory and forest floor.
- The student will be able to give an example of at least two animals live in each layer.
Assessment:
- The students will create or describe the Brazilian Rainforest. They will label the four
layers and give at least two animals that live in that layer.
Opening: Ask the students what they know about the Brazil and its rainforest. The students will
write on their KWL Chart what they know and what they want to learn. After the students write
their own thoughts first, the teacher will go over a couple of the students responses and write it
on the board.

Procedure:
1. The teacher will have a giant picture of the rainforest on the front board. The teacher will
say There are four layers to Brazils Rainforest, today we will go over each of these
layers and what lives there.
2. The teacher will place the words Emergent Layer on the top of the picture and will say
The Emergent layer is at the top of the Rainforest, this is where the treetops join
together to form the roof of the forest.
3. Ask the students How much sun do you think reaches this part? What animals do you
think may live here? A: A lot of sun. Humming birds, Eagles, Bats, Butterflies and
Monkeys. The teacher will put pictures of each of these birds on that layer and the words
Lots of sun Tree tops
4. The teacher will place the word Canopy Layer on the second layer of the picture and
will say The Canopy Layer is a bright and colorful place. Its full of animals and plants.
Plants that grow on trees call epiphytes.
5. The teacher will ask the students Why do you think this layers is called the canopy
layer? A: The branches create a natural umbrella. What animals do you think may live
here? A: Home to birds, butterflies, monkeys, parrots, the sloth, tree frogs, toucans,
jaguars, and leopards. These animals love to eat sweet fruit that grows in the canopy.
The teacher will then place picture of animals, plants and the words less sun, umbrella

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6. The teacher will then put the words Understory Layer on the picture on the board. The
teacher will say The Understory Layer is full of vines, shrub and broadleaf trees.
7. The teacher will ask the students How much light do you think is able to reach this
layer? What animals do you think may live here? A: Not a lot of light, very dark. Tree
frogs, bats, owls, and many insect species.
8. The teacher will then say this layer provides camouflage (Ask: What is camouflage? A:
helps things look like theyre not there. Hunters wear camouflage to keep the animals
from seeing them. ) many species crossover between this layer and canopy layer to hide.
The trees in this section have large leafs to help them get some sun.
9. The teacher will then put pictures of animals, vines, shrub, the words large leaves, dark
and camouflage.
10. The teacher will then put the words Forest Floor on the board. The students will then
be asked What do you think makes up this layer? A: ground layer, plants, moss ferns,
vine roots. How much light do you think is at this layer? A: almost none. The teacher
will then say The soil is poor, few things can grow here, there is a quick decomposition
rate (Ask students What does decomposition mean? A: to break down, to rot.)
11. Ask the students What do you think lives at this layer? A: giant anteaters, frogs, lizards,
snakes, giant anaconda, termites, and insects.
12. The teacher will then place picture of animals on the board and the words ground, very
dark, decomposition
13. The teacher will then say You are going to work in groups to create your own Brazilian
Rainforest, each group will be doing something different so you can share what you
learned with the class.
Tiered by _product_____:
3 different tiers
Group A(visual/spatial): Students will draw a picture of the Brazilian Rainforest and will show
the four layers and at least two animals in each picture.
Group B (body/kinesthetic): Students will create a picture of Brazilian Rainforest using pictures
of trees, animals branches, vines. Students will label each of the four layers.
Group C (verbal/linguistic): Students will create a poem describing the four layers, in order, of
the Brazilian Rainforest and two animals that live in them.
Closure: The students will present their work to the rest of the class. The students will describe
what they did and where the four layers of the rainforest are.
Materials:
- Computer to show picture of the Brazilian Rainforest
- KWL Charts
- Pictures of Brazilian animals: humming bird, eagle, bat, butterfly, monkeys, tree frogs,
sloth, toucan, jaguars and leopards, owls, insects, anteater, beetle, lizard, snake, insects.
- Drawing paper
- Coloring items: crayons, colored pencils, markers
- Printed out pictures of rainforest and pieces of rainforest
- Writing paper.