A Visit to the Rain Forest

The National Zoological Park
Smithsonian Institution
3001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
(202) 673-4800 (Recorded Info)
(202) 673-4989 (Group Tours)

Instructional Unit:
A team of 8th grade students go to the National Zoo to tour the Amazonia exhibit. This is a self-guided tour whereby students may work alone or in pairs to view the many displays and complete a worksheet on the human and environmental interaction in the rain forest.

Curriculum Unit:
Grade 8
Science, Social Studies

Objectives:
1. Students will broaden their study of South America by concentrating on the rain forest.
2. Students will gain background knowledge of the tropical rain forest, realizing that it is one of the world's most precious resources.
3. Students will gain an appreciation of the Brazilian rain forest in the following areas--environmental, mineral/energy resources, diversity of all kinds of life, ie. plants, animals, people.
4. Students will be able to research a group that has an interest in the rain forest (either pro or con) during 2 days of library research.
5. Students will participate in a mock trial and will be able to role-play their part.
6. Students will gain an appreciation of the fact that many points of view exist on one topic.

Pre-Visit Activities:
Note: Teacher should request worksheet for Amazonia Exhibit provided by the museum.
1. "The Rain Forest" is at least a 3-4 week unit. The classroom teacher introduces the unit with background information on the tropical rain forest of Brazil. Several videos or excerpts from videos are viewed over several days. The videos are: "Diversity Endangered," "Amazon: Paradise Lost," and "Spirits of the Rain forest."
2. Two entire class activities are used. They were created by Kay Sandmeier, the Geography Education Program Liaison for the National Geographic Society.

a. The first is titled, "Putting the Squeeze on the Rain forest" and requires active participation. The class stands in a circle surrounded by a clothes line. As the teacher calls out different human actions that deplete the rain forest, the clothesline gets tighter, reducing the circle and squeezing the group together. Students crowd together and compete for space and several are squeezed out.
b. The second activity is titled, "A Recipe for a Rain Forest" and uses visual imagery. Students imagine that they are in their bathrooms after a steamy shower. The teacher introduces all kinds of plants, trees, birds, insects, reptiles, etc... to the small room giving the students an idea of the diversity of life in a small area.

3. The students are introduced to the concept of role-playing in a trial simulation. The previous month they had researched NAFTA from the point of view of a certain role. This was an excellent introduction. They should feel more comfortable with role-playing in a mock trial.

a. For 2 days, the students will research information based on their assigned roles. Some of their roles are: rubber tapper, tourist, dam builder, logger, professional hunter, etc...Each student is assigned one of these occupations and will gather as much information as possible for his/her testimony in the Economic/Environmental Task Force Hearing.
b . The students will then have at least a day of class time for preparing their questions and testimony. They will develop their roles from the perspective of the individual they are representing. For 2-3 days the hearing will be conducted. Students will come dressed in their role and will have prepared a visual. Witnesses will testify for 2 minutes and be questioned for one. The task force will discuss and make recommendations and then the entire class will debrief.
c. After the mock trial has been completed the students will spend several days evaluating the different points of view. They step out of their roles and write a position paper on Rain forest Deforestation. An important objective to this lesson is that students must realize that there are many points of view on a topic. Hopefully, this will transfer to other issues the Geography classes will study throughout the year. Excerpts from videos listed above will be shown and discussed.

4. The culminating activity will be the field trip to the National Zoo with follow-up activities and discussion the day after the trip.

On-Site Activities:
The purpose of visiting this exhibit is to give students first-hand experience and knowledge of a tropical Rain forest. The success of the field trip can be determined by observation of the students on task at the exhibit and the completion and discussion of the worksheet. (see appendix).

Follow-Up Activities:
Upon completion of the field trip, several activities will take place: students will write a journal entry about the experience and report to the class. They will also choose a topic for further research and hand in a written report.

Appendices:
None

Bibliography:
None

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