Lesson Title: Construct a Rain Forest
Unit Title: Save the Rain Forest
Grade: 2/3
Discipline: Mathematics

Overview of Lesson: Students will construct a bulletin board rain forest. All the trees will be drawn to scale so that each layer of the rain forest is visibly identifiable.


Standards: Mathematics97 Geometry and Measurement PreK-4 4032
Use the process of measuring and the concepts related to units of measurement.

Student Outcomes: Students will each create three rain forest layer trees done to scale (1cm=2ft.). They will create an emergent, canopy, and an understory tree.

Length of Lesson: four half hour sessions

Instructional Mode: whole class, partner, and independent

Multiple Intelligences: Logical- Mathematical, Visual-Spatial

Essential Questions: What does a rain forest look like? If we construct a model will it help us understand the unique growth patterns of the rain forest?

Material / Resources Needed: measuring tapes, tubes, saw, construction paper, masking tape, glue, scissors

Instructional Strategies: hands on

Activity or Procedure: Discuss with the class the concept of building or drawing to scale. Determine that for our purposes the scale would be 1cm=2ft. Have students measure tubes for emergent layer, canopy and understory trees. Saw the tubes, cut out leaf tops from construction paper, color the tubes, glue the tops on and mount to the bulletin board.

Assessment: Determine if students have measured correctly and can state the layer for each tree.

Evidence that Student Learning Occurred: Students will have successfully created three trees, one for each layer of the rain forest.

Technology Skills Required or Developed: does not apply

Author: C. William Dunsay

Author e-mail: cwmd@earthlink.net

District/Organization: Southern Berkshire Regional School District

Date: Apr. 4, 2002