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Overview:
Your students have probably heard stories or fairy tales about the forest, and they may have spent time in the woods. This is their chance to learn about different types of forests—temperate deciduous forests, temperate evergreen forests, and tropical rain forests. Students will concentrate on the tropical rain forest and learn about explorer Michael Fay's Congo Trek through the African rain forest.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Writing and drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss their experiences in the forest;
- learn about temperate deciduous forests, temperate evergreen forests, and tropical rain forests, and where they are located in the United States and the world;
- discuss some of the special characteristics of these three types of forests, including tree adaptations;
- listen to Fay's field reports and see pictures from his Congo Trek project;
- discuss what they think they would learn if they were to go on a Congo Trek;
- draw pictures of the things Fay has seen on the trek; and
- write a letter to Fay describing their thoughts on his expedition.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students if they have ever been for a walk in the forest. What was it like? What did the trees look like? Did they see any animals? Did they enjoy themselves? What did they think of the forest—was it interesting, peaceful, frightening?
Development:
Define the word "deciduous," and ask students if there are many deciduous trees near their homes. Tell students that some regions have more deciduous trees than others and that many parts of the world tend to have more evergreen trees that keep their leaves or needles year-round.
Have students look at this Biome Map and ask them to point out the United States. Also have them point out South America and Africa, or show them where these continents are. Tell them that there are several types of forest in the United States and that South America and Africa are home to the world's largest tropical rain forests. Show them the range of the temperate deciduous forest and the temperate evergreen forest (temperate rain forest) in the U.S. and the tropical rain forest in the U.S., South America, and Africa. Tell them that they will be looking at some pictures of these different types of forest and learning about the trees that live there.
Have students explore the "What's It Like Where You Live?" Web site and look at pictures of the temperate deciduous forest and the temperate and tropical rain forest. Ask them to describe what the trees and other plants look like. Help them figure out some of the differences between these three types of forest and the special features the trees in each forest possess to help cope with their environment and climate. For example, trees in the temperate deciduous forest lose their leaves in the fall so they don't have to consume as much water during the winter. Pay particular attention to the tropical plants section, which provides a definition of adaptation. After you have discussed some of these special adaptations, ask students which type of forest looks most like the forest in their region.
Return to the Biome Map, and show students the Congo River region of Africa. Tell students that Michael Fay is a scientist who is particularly interested in the trees and animals of the tropical rain forest. He has taken a year-long, 1,200-mile (2,000-kilometer) walk through the extremely dense West African rain forest in an attempt to learn all about its animals, plants, and terrain, and to help convince people that it should be preserved.
Read to the class a few of Fay's field reports from Congo Trek, and ask them to pay close attention to the interesting things that the trip members encounter (insects, thorny plants, gorillas, etc.). They can also see some of Michael "Nick" Nichols's photos from "Congo Encounter" in National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Ask students what they think they would learn on a trip like this. What words can they think of to describe the journey and Fay's work in the rain forest? What do they think it would be like to go along with Fay on part of this trip? Have they ever been anywhere that reminds them of a rain forest?
Ask students to explain why it is important to learn about the forest and why Fay is taking this trip. Can the forest be protected if we don't know anything about it? Ask them to think about a place with which they are familiar, such as their favorite park or playground. Would they be able to really talk about this place and tell others about it if they hadn't been there themselves to see what it was like? Probably not. Now that they have learned some things about forests, do they feel more confident talking about them? They probably do. It's the same with the rain forest. Fay is spending so much time in this forest because he wants to educate other people about how special it is and why it deserves to be protected.
Closing:
Have students think of things they would like to tell or ask Fay about his Congo Trek journey and his efforts to protect the rain forest. Help them compile these ideas into a class letter that they would read to Fay if he were to come to their school. (Of course, you will need to tell them that since Fay is often in the field exploring, he won't really be able to visit).
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to think about what it would have been like to travel through the African rain forest with Fay and his team. Have them draw pictures illustrating some of the things they would have encountered and learned on the trip, and write captions for their illustrations. They should include ideas from their lesson on tree adaptations and from Fay's field reports. Display the pictures at the front of the classroom so everyone can see them.
Extending the Lesson:
- Ask older students to write paragraphs explaining the things they would like and dislike about having a job like Fay's someday. What would they see during their work? What would they find the most interesting? What would be the most important things about their work?
- Have students contribute lines for a class poem about the African rain forest. They should think of words, phrases, and lines to describe what they have seen in the trek pictures and what they've learned about the journey. Help them put these ideas together into a complete poem. Write the poem on the board, and have students read the finished product together as a class.
- Have students work with a parent or caretaker to visit the National Geographic magazine feature Africa MegaFlyover to learn about efforts being made to spur conservation of the wildlife and ecosystems in Africa.
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