Social Studies

Geography – Amazon Rain Forest: Explain to your student that a tropical rain forest is an environment that has lots of tall trees and receives lots of rain (160 to 400 inches each year!). Show him on a globe that tropical rain forests exist in Africa, Australia, Asia, and Central and South America. (Source)
The Amazon Rain Forest is in South America. Show him the continent and the country of Brazil. The country of Brazil is slightly smaller than the entire USA. Point out the Amazon River. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, but has the most water flowing in it. Make a story disk and place on Brazil.

Flag of Brazil

Map of Brazil
 

Geography – Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, and the Equator: Discuss the imaginary lines that define the tropics. Have your child locate the three imaginary lines on the globe....help him to understand that the lines do not really exist (even though most globes will show them). Discuss why tropical forests are located within these lines. Because the earth’s axis is tilted, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres each spend part of the year tilted away from the sun. Because the Equator (and therefore the tropical forests) is around the middle of the earth, that area receives about the same amount of heat all year. So the climate is steady...rainy and warm.

Activity map showing Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn, Equator, and Rainforests

p. 147 Evan-Moor’s Giant Science Resource Book

Social Studies – Indigenous Tribes: Yanomamo Indigenous people means native peoples, ones who have lived in a place for so long it’s as if they’ve lived their forever. The Yanomamo tribe live in almost complete seclusion in the Amazon Rain Forests. They are perhaps the last culture to come in contact with the modern world. They were discovered only about 30 years ago. In 1988, there was a gold rush in the Yanomami area. The incoming people brought diseases to which the Yanomamo tribe have no resistance.....even the common cold is deadly to them. The Yanomamo tribe is a hunter-gatherer people. They live in small tribes. They use bow and arrows or blow guns to hunt. They also do some gardening. They are continually warring with other tribes or even among themselves.
(Source 1, Source 2, Source 3)  

Language Arts

Vocabulary: Senhor, the Brazilian spelling for the title of an adult man. Similar to when we say Mister or in Spanish it is Señor.

Writing/Narration: Have your student choose a topic: “If Animals Could Talk, What Would They Say?” or “A World Without Trees” or “A Feast for the Eyes” Or have your student research one of the animals from the story and have them present what they have learned about that animal. You might ask an older child to pretend the story had ended differently, with the man cutting down the tree, and have the student write a story about what has happened to each of the animals since the tree was cut down.

Speaker Tags: An author will use what is called a speaker tag to let the reader know who is talking. In the following sentence, “I’m going to the store,” said Mom, the speaker tag is “said Mom.” If the sentence is a question, for example “Do you want to go with me?” she asked, the speaker tag is “she asked.” A story would get pretty boring if we used the same speaker tags over and over. So an author will vary the speaker tags. Some examples might be “he shouted” or “she whispered” or “Ben yelled.” Speaker tags can not only tell us who is doing the talking, but also describe how the person is talking. This helps the reader to imagine the story more accurately and help them to properly read the story aloud. Notice in this story that author Lynne Cherry uses a variety of speaker tags, many of which match a characteristic of the animal speaking. Make a list of the animals who speak to the sleeping man. Beside each write the speaker tag. (Note: Keep this list handy and after the science lesson on the layers of a rain forest, add a third column to list which layer the animal lives in.)
 

boa constrictor.... hissed
bee...........................buzzed
monkeys...................chattered
toucan / macaw ........ squawked
jaguar ......................growled
porcupines ................whispered
anteater ...................said
child ........................ murmured

Your older writer may want to make a notebook page (writer's tools) of words to use instead of "said"; the next time you find too many "saids" in his writing, have him refer to his notebook and decide on some new words to use.
 

added	confessed	interrupted	parroted	taunted
answered	confided	jabbed	pronounced	teased
advised	complained	jived	protested	wailed
barked	demanded	jeered	quipped	whimpered
babbled	droned	leered	reported	yammered
blathered	gasped	moaned	retorted	yelled
blurted	growled	mumbled	scolded	yapped
begged	howled	muttered	scoffed
cajoled	interjected	objected	simpered

Art

Mural: A mural is a very large painting, often times taking up a whole wall or even the side of a building. Lynne Cherry’s drawings almost look like a mural....her scenes cover the entire two page spread. Provide your student with a very large sheet of paper. Ask him to fill it from edge to edge with a jungle scene. (And if you’re really brave, you could take on a wall in your house to paint a mural!)

Drawing Plants (Detail): First, talk about bodies (yes, as in human bodies!).  We each have a "trunk" area (tummy, hips, etc.).  Draw a trunk of a person on a piece of paper.  Now, note with your student that we have more than a trunk.  We have limbs-- arms, legs (draw some).  Our limbs branch down into even smaller parts-- fingers, toes (add these, too).   God made plants in the same way.  Trees start out biggest, bigger, big-- then move to small, smaller, smallest.  Show your student some of the illustrations of plants in The Great Kapok Tree and determine where the biggest part is...all the way down to the smallest.  Note the biggest part of a leaf and how it eventually comes to end points.  This is something students need to be aware of as they attempt drawing plants.   Once your student understands, let him try drawing a plant.  You can go outside and draw a tree or a leaf, or you can stay inside and draw a house plant.   When he is finished, you may want to give him some oil pastels to color in the sketch.   The pastels will create a nice bright colors.

Line: If you have young students, simply let them trace the different lines in the illustrations with their fingers as you look at the illustrations. You may want to read through the lesson beforehand and mention what types of lines they are tracing.  With your more advanced artist, discuss the following about line and types of line.

In drawing, line is a mark drawn with a pointed moving tool.  Your student can draw a line on a paper with a pen (marker, pencil, etc.) or scratch a line into the mud with a stick.  Discuss other ways to create lines in art (other mediums like carving, painting, etc.).  Artists use line to control the movement of the viewer's eye.  Lines lead the viewer's eyes around, and in-out of a work.  

Five basic types of lines exist: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zigzag.  (You may wish to draw each type of line with your fingers in the air as you discuss -- or get some paper and the medium of you choice and demonstrate each type of line allowing your student to mimic)
Vertical lines move straight up and down.  Tell your student to stand up straight-- he is now forming a vertical line. 
Horizontal lines are parallel to the horizon (no slanting).  Tell your student to lie down on the floor-- he is now forming a horizontal line. 
Diagonal lines are somewhere between horizontals and verticals.  Tell your student to stand up straight again (and to become very stiff).  Then, let him fall forward a bit (while you help hold him and his feet are still planted on the ground).  Now he is a diagonal. 
Curved lines change directions gradually.  Spirals, circles, and wiggly lines are curved. 
Zigzag lines are made from diagonal lines that form angles and rapidly change directions. 

Look through the illustrations in The Great Kapok Tree.  What examples of line can your student find?  Can he identify all five?

Math

Counting: Count the animals on each page. There are probably more than you think!

How Tall?! If a Kapok Tree grows 150 feet tall and Daddy is 6 ft. tall, how many daddies would it take to be that tall? (Answer: 25) Go outside. If your child can count by 25s, use a 25 ft. tape measure to measure out 150 feet. (Could also count by 5s or 10s.) Stand at one end of the 150 ft. length and the student at another end....explain to him that this is how long the tree would be if the man had cut it down.

Science

Rain Forests: Does your child know what a habitat is? It is an environment in which plant and animal life live together naturally, relying on each other for sustenance.
The rainforests, found in Africa, Australia, Asia, and Central and South America, receive 160 to 400 inches or rain each year! The rainforests are very special habitats and the world would not be the same without them.

Rainforests have four different layers (refer to picture inside cover of book), each layer being home to specific plants and animals. These plants and animals work together to create a livable environment, providing each other with the food and shelter. We will discuss each layer, and the plants and animals that live within each. As you discuss each layer with your child add the plants and animals to the appropriate pages in layer book.

The very top layer of the rainforest is called the Emergent layer, or Penthouse. This layer includes the tallest trees of the rainforest, such as the Kapok and Coco de Mono, which can grow over 150 feet tall, peaking up over all the other rainforest vegetation. The trees living in this top layer have very shallow root systems, and depend on the lower growth to support their massive trunks. The tops of Emergent trees are wide spreading (umbrella shaped), and have seeds that hang in  pods which explode and open when the time is right, scattering the seeds to the wind. The trees rely on the fruit bats to pollinate them.   Other animals living in the Emergent layer of the rainforest include the Morpho butterfly, hawk, Proboscis monkey, and the Harpy Eagle.

Further research on Emergent layer:

Kapok Tree – Kapok Tree Printout

Fruit Bat - Fruit Bat Coloring

The next layer is the Canopy, or the Umbrella. This layer is almost a continuous sheet of green, with sunlight above and near darkness below. In addition to the tall trees, climbers and vines such as moss, lichen, and hundreds of different flowering plants, harmlessly attach themselves to the canopy trees, creating the canopy layer. The animals making this canopy layer their home include the three-toed sloth, toucan, spider monkey, and porcupine.

Further research on Canopy layer:

Birds (Toucan, Macaw, Cock-of-the-rock)  - Macaw Print-out, Toucan Coloring Sheet

Three-toed Sloth - Sloth Print-out 

Tree Porcupines

Underneath the Canopy layer you will find the Understory. The Understory receives sunlight that has filtered down through the Emergent and Canopy layers. The wind and temperature in the Understory stay consistent due to the protection of the upper layers. In the Understory live small trees such as the fig and palm, and shrubs, bushes, and climbers such as orchids and bromeliads. They give shelter and food to the jaguar, ocelot, boa, and various tree frogs.

Further research on Understory layer:

Boa Constrictors - Boa Constrictor Fact Sheet, Information at Zoom School

Tree Frogs - Red Eyed Tree Frog Print-out, Red-Eyed Tree Frog Information, Blue Poison Arrow Frog

Jaguar - Jaguar Info and Coloring page

Bees - Bee Info and Coloring Page
 

At the very bottom of the rainforest is the Floor. The Floor is always wet and dark. Very little grows on the rainforest Floor, except for some shade loving ferns and flowers. Mostly, the Floor is comprised of leaves and debris that have fallen from the upper layers. Tarantulas, tapirs, crocodiles, anteaters, armadillos, and many species of insects that work at decomposing the debris inhabit it.

Further research on Floor layer:

Anteaters - Giant Anteater Print-out

Rain forests are fascinating places and you could probably spend weeks discussing it. Choose some topics of interest and discuss with your child. In addition to the basic information here, you may wish to research and discuss seed dispersal, strangler plants, prehensile tails, deforestation, nature conservancy, endangered animals, indigenous people, medicines, etc. Here are some additional links/resources that may help in your exploration of the rainforest:

Rain Forest Information at Enchanted Learning  
Label the Rain Forest Layers    
p. 122 (Tropical Forest Birds) DK’s Big Book of Knowledge
p. 146-149 Evan-Moor’s Giant Science Resource Book (p. 146 is a page that has animals to cut out and glue in the correct rainforest layer.)
 

To help your child learn more about the layers, try singing this song to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

There are layers in the forest, yes indeed.
Yes indeed!
There are layers in the forest, yes indeed.
Yes indeed!
Emergent, canopy, and the understory.
There are layers in the forest, yes indeed.
Yes indeed!

The emergent's home to birds, and butterflies.
Butterflies!
The emergent's home to birds and butterflies.
Butterflies!
The trees are so high that they almost touch the sky.
The emergent's home to birds and butterflies.
Butterflies!

The canopy is like a big umbrella.
Big umbrella!
The canopy is like a big umbrella.
Big umbrella!
Monkeys, sloths, orangutans, eat all the fruit they can.
The canopy is like a big umbrella.
Big umbrella!

The understory's home to many snakes.
Many snakes!
The understory's home to many snakes.
Many snakes!
They eat cats and bats and rats,
And they like the gnats for snacks.
The understory's home to many snakes.
Many snakes!

The forest floor is dim and dark and wet.
Dark and wet!
The forest floor is dim and dark and wet.
Dark and wet!
Oh, the ants go marching by,
As they watch the birds up high.
The forest floor is dim and dark and wet.
Dark and wet!   

        Source: Fun in the Rainforest by D. DePauw (1993)

Science-- Camouflage: The Jaguar says, "Because his spotted coat blended into the dappled light and shadows of the understory, no one had noticed him." He is on two previous pages. Can you find him?

The body color and markings of some animals (especially smaller animals that need to hide from larger animals so they don't get eaten) helps the animal to blend in with the world in which they live. This is called camouflage. There are insects that look like the leaves or sticks they walk among. There are frogs that blend into bark of a the tree. (If you have the book Lost in the Woods by Sams/Stoick, find the page with the tree and the tree frog....he blends in quite well!) Even the stripes of a tiger or zebra help them blend into the grasses. These are just a few examples of how God wonderfully designed animals for their environments! (If you have hunters in your family, you may wish to discuss the use of camouflaged clothing.)

Here's an experiment to try:

Hide and Seek Experiment

Items needed:
Green toothpicks (exactly 25)
Red toothpicks (exactly 25)
Watch or Stopwatch
Your lawn or a park
Note: This experiment works best if the lawn *needs* mowed instead of having just been mowed. You also don't want to do this experiment when drought has made your grass brown instead of green.

Stake out a large area of the grass, like a 10 ft. square. Mix up the toothpicks and spread them over the marked area. Ask the child to find as many toothpicks as he or she can find in one minute.

Ask your child which color was easier to find? Why? The green toothpicks more closely matched their surroundings than did the red ones. Being able to match their environment helps animals to survive....they are harder to find.

Math: Sort the found toothpicks by color and count the number found of each color. Make a graph of the findings.

[Be sure to collect all 50 of the toothpicks from the grass so no one in bare feet steps on any!!!]

This idea was adapted from Anthony D. Fredericks' book Exploring the Rainforest: Science Activities for Kids and can be found in some of his other books as well. (This particular book is highly recommended for your rain forest units!!! There are experiments for each layer and lots of great info!)


Erosion:
“A troupe of monkeys...chattered...The roots of these great trees will wither and die, and there will be nothing left to hold the earth in place. When the heavy rains come, the soil will be washed away....” Water causes erosion. In the rain forest, when the rain comes down it hits the trees and then some of it makes its way down to the forest floor. If there were no trees, the rain would directly fall onto the forest floor and this would gradually move the soil.


Oxygen:
 “Four tree porcupines...whispered...do you know what we animals and humans need in order to live....Oxygen!”

Experiment:  Watching a plant release oxygen

Supplies Needed: A clear, glass bowl of water (or a small aquarium), a glass jar, a few water plants such as pondweed (purchase at your local pet store)

Procedure:

1. Place the pondweed in a deep bowl of water
2. Fill the glass jar with water by lowering it on its side into the bowl, letting all the trapped air bubbles escape.
3. Turn the glass upside down to cover the plant
4. Leave the plants in a sunny place and watch what happens.  Oxygen bubbles from the plant will start rising toward the surface of the water!  Eventually, a pocket of oxygen will collect at the top of the jar. 
5.  Explain to your student that plants and trees release oxygen into the air (we can't see it like we can with the water, but they really do!).  During the process of making food from carbon dioxide and water, trees and plants release oxygen.  Energy from the sun is used to change the carbon dioxide and water into food and release oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis.

Conclusion:  The porcupines are right!  We need oxygen to live and cutting down too many trees could leave us breathless.

--idea adapted from www.tnrcc.state.tx.us

Your older student may want to delve into further lessons on the respiratory system and learn why the rainforest has been called the "lungs of the planet"

Ecology:
Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate.  Discuss this quote with your student, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~Native American Proverb.

Why is it important to preserve the rain forests? 

"Rain forests are essential to recycling water.  Did you know that almost half of all the world's rain falls on rain forests? Plants trap water in the soil and then slowly release it into the air, where it evaporates. Clouds form and rain falls, filling rivers and streams. That water is later used for drinking and irrigating crops.  When rain forests are cleared from the land, less rain falls.  As a result, the land becomes hard and dry.  The animals can not survive and many become extinct every year."

The plant and animal life found in the rain forest is important!   Plants from the rain forest provide us with food, spices, and many other important things. The rubber in tires comes from the rubber tree. Rope and baskets are made from rain-forest products. Some of the chemicals from rain-forest leaves, flowers, and seeds are used to make perfumes, soaps, polishes, and chewing gum. Other chemicals of the rain forests kill germs and fight diseases such as cancer.

Here is a list of rainforest products.  Read it over with your student and check-off items you use/have in your home.

Food Products

avocado
banana
grapefruit
guava
lemon
lime
mango
orange
papaya
pineapple
plantain
sweet potato
allspice
black pepper (whole and ground)
cardamom
cayenne (red pepper)
chili pepper
chocolate / cocoa (products)
cinnamon
cloves
ginger (fresh and ground)
mace
nutmeg (whole and ground)
paprika
turmeric
vanilla (liquid and whole bean)
Brazil nuts
cashew nuts
coconut (whole and shredded)
coffee (beans and ground)
macadamia nuts
tapioca
tea

Household Products (including house plants)

African violet
Begonia
bird's-nest-fern
bromeliads
Christmas cactus
Rosy Periwinkle
rubber (balloons, erasers, balls, rubber bands, gloves, tires)
chicle (chewing gum)
copal (varnish, printing ink)
dammar (varnish, lacquer)

Medicines

ipecac
quinine

So much would be lost if we lost the rainforests.  Discuss practical ways that you can help save the rainforests.

Sources:
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/sla/5/rainforest_act.html
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/AEF/1994/milani_rain.html

Bible

God told Adam to rule over all the animals.  Read Genesis 1:26-30 with your student.  If God gave man responsibilities regarding His creation, how should we then live to fulfill that responsibility?  You may want to read the entire creation account as you study so many of God's wondrous creations as you read The Great Kapok Tree.

Just for Fun and Resources

Rabbit Trails:
Circle/Web of Life: “....all living things depend on one another.”
The story of the the Web of Life as told by a garden spider. 30 webpages, but with only a few sentences per page and simple graphics/animation

Pollination: Bees and Fruit Bats. “A bee buzzed.....I fly from tree to tree and flower to flower....in this way I pollinate the trees and flowers throughout the rain forest.”
DK’s Big Book of Knowledge p. 74-75 (Flowers and their pollinators) and p. 124-125 (Bees) 

Field Trip: A greenhouse that grows tropical plants, a zoo or pet store that has tropical birds, fish, animals. A trip to the Cleveland Rain Forest is a real-to-life experience! Hot, humid, steamy...colorful birds flying, sloths hanging, anteaters searching, etc.


Rain Forest go-alongs:

Books

If I Ran the Rain Forest (The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Bonnie Worth (Using classic Cat in the Hat style, the book describes the 3 kinds of Rain Forests and the 4 layers (“floors”) and discusses transpiration, camouflage, plants and animals, and deforestation. )
Exploring the Rain Forest by Mattias Klum
How Monkeys Make Chocolate: Foods and Medicines from the Rain Forest by Adrian Forsyth
Journey Through a Tropical Jungle by Adrian Forsyth
Life in the Rainforests: Animals, People, Plants by Lucy Baker
Living in a Rainforest (several titles by different authors. The Rookie Read About series one is by Allan Fowler)
Nature’s Green Umbrella–Tropical Rain Forests by Gail Gibbons
Nature Search: Rain Forest by Paul Sterry
Rain Forest (DK’s Look Closer series) by Barbara Taylor
Chico Mendes: Defender of the Rain Forest by Joann Burch (Lynne Cherry dedicates The Great Kapok Tree to Chico Mendes. You may wish to learn more about the man.)
Jaguar in the Rain Forest (Just for a Day Series) by Joanne Ryder – the author invites the reader to imagine you’re climbing a tree and then changing into a jaguar, and then spending a day as a jaguar would spend his day in the jungle. Author’s note includes info on jaguars.
Jaguar by Roland Smith (older reader, 149 pgs.)
Jungle Drum by Deanna Wundrow
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George. Small chapter book– great for the child who has been wanting to read or is just starting to read chapter books.
The Umbrella by Jan Brett. Enter the jungle as only Jan Brett can allow! And be sure to extend your lesson on speaker tags!
A Walk in the Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt
Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen – you can almost feel the steamy mists of the jungle come off the pages!

Videos

The Great Kapok Tree (Reading Rainbow)
The Shaman’s Apprentice (Reading Rainbow)
National Geographic’s Totally Tropical Rain Forests

TV

Nova Nature Series: Jungle (Canopyworld, Underworld, Waterworld)
Nova: Warriors of the Amazon (suitable for parental viewing only, or older children with their parents) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/2309_shaman.html  

http://passporttoknowledge.com/rainforest/main.html 
http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Information/ 
http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Information/Sites_for_Kids/ 

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/education/teachers/curriculum/index.html 
http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/greatkapoktree.html 
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/it/projects/Museums/Teacher_Guide/Science/Amazonia.html 
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/kapok/kapoktg.htm 
http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/337.shtml  (Plans to be used in a co-op)
http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/rbtboxes/rforest/unit/kapok_rt.pdf  (A play of the book!)
p. 74-81 More Science through Children's Literature by Carol M. Butzow
p. 37 - 40 From Butterflies to Thunderbolts : Discovering Science with books Kids Love by Anthony D. Fredericks