Wonders of the Rain Forest

Written By: Janet Craig

Illustrated By: S.D. Schindler

4th Grade Appropriate

About the Book:

The book Wonders of the Rain Forest gives facts about the rain forests which are found around the equator of Earth. The book discusses the different layers of the rain forest, as well as the different types of plant life found there. There are many animals that live in the rain forest that are found in this book. When reading this book, you will find many informational facts about the rainforest that you may not have known.

Grading Rubric: You should print this off BEFORE you begin to read so that you know what is expected of you before you start to work on this project.

Make sure to print and complete all worksheets. After you complete this literacy project, staple all of the worksheets and activities together with the rubric on top and turn them into me.

Pre-Reading

Before you start reading the book, complete steps one and two. When you have completed these two steps, then you are ready to read.

Step One:

Print out the KWL chart. Fill it out the first two columns before you read the book. In the KWL chart below, fill in the first two columns of the chart. In the first column (K), write about what you know about the rainforest. In the second column (W), write any questions you would like to know about the rainforest. After you have completed the first two columns, go to

http://www.rainforestanimals.net/rainforest.html

to find out information to put in the third column (What I Learned).

Step Two:

Go to the website: http://www.thinkingfountain.org/s/strata/strata.html

While you are there, look through the different layers of the rainforest. When you have looked at all the layers and the animals within each layer, print and complete the worksheet.

Now you are ready to read the book!!!

During-Reading

Step 3:

While reading the story, create a list of words that you did not know the meaning of, that were new, or words that you have never seen before on the word list worksheet. Once you have completed reading the book, go back to your list of words and look them up in a dictionary. When you have located the word, write down a definition in your own words so that you can remember them later. These words will be part of your spelling word list.

Step 4:

As you read, complete the interesting facts worksheet. This worksheet is for you to write down interesting facts you learned about the rainforest by reading this book. You should write down different plants, animals, and other important information about the rainforest on your worksheet. Also on your worksheet, explain why you found them interesting.

After-Reading Activities

Now that you have read the story about the rainforest, complete the activities in steps five and six.

Step 5:

Choose ten animals that live in the rainforest from the following WebPages. You do not have to select animals from a single page. You can choose them from any page you wish.

http://www.pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/

http://www.rainforestanimals.net/

http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/animals.html

http://lsb.syr.edu/projects/cyberzoo/animrain.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/rainforest/index_flash-feature.html

Create a food web using the food web worksheet. Draw a picture to represent each animal that you are using. Indicate whether the animal is a carnivore, herbivore, or an omnivore next to each picture.

Step 6:

Pretend that you take a trip to the rainforest.

1. Write a letter to your friend explaining the things that you saw, heard, smelled, and felt while you were there. Make sure to include a large amount of detail for your friend so that he or she can enjoy what you experienced. Make your letter interesting.

2. Tell your friend, in the letter, what your favorite part of your visit to the rainforest was and why. Also tell them about something during your visit that you did not find enjoyable.

3. In your letter, tell your friend which rainforest you are in and where it is located.

4. Include a picture of your trip to the rainforest. You should draw this yourself so that it matches your letter.

You can make your trip realistic, funny, scary, or stressful. Make sure to make it an interesting letter that you may actually send to a friend. You want to use good writing skills so that your friend can understand what you are trying to share. Make sure to use complete words and sentences with good grammar.