PrimaryGeography

Rainforest KS2 – Imaginary Amazon adventure lesson

What's included?

PDF lesson plan and National Geographic fact sheets

Key Stage

KS2

Age

Years 3-6

Subjects

Use this rainforest KS2 geography lesson plan to take an imaginary class trip to the jungle. Pupils will study its unique environment, important weather patterns and environmental challenges.

In this lesson, written by Kate Snowdon from National Geographic Kids, children will have a chance to prepare for their jungle trek by learning about the conditions that await them. They’ll discover why the Amazon is so important – and why it needs protecting.

Use the accompanying fact sheets to help children undertake research, then consolidate findings by creating campaign posters that highlight the importance of protecting the rainforest.

Rainforest KS2 learning objectives

  • Understand key aspects of climate zones
  • Explore connections between rainforests and the water cycle
  • Identify similarities and differences with South America in terms of physical geography
  • Evaluate the importance of the rainforest and the threats it faces

Rainforest fact sheets

Use the included fact sheets to answer the following questions:

  • How much water does each of the big canopy trees release each year?
  • How does this contribute to the water cycle?
  • What happens to the rain clouds that the Amazon’s trees form?
  • Why is the Amazon rainforest called ‘the Earth’s lungs’?
  • Does the rainforest affect our weather here in the UK?

Starter activity

Show the children a rain gauge. Ask them to identify what it is and what we use it for. Show students 110cm on a tape measure and explain that this represents the average amount of rainfall that the UK experienced in total last year.

Ask students to imagine ten times this amount of rain. You can represent 1000cm as the length of a 10m long running track on the school field, or twice the height of a giraffe.

Can they guess where in the world might have this much rain? Give clues to help guide them to the answer of the Amazon rainforest.

Kate Snowdon is staff writer for National Geographic Kids and specialises in creating free, downloadable primary resources for teachers. Browse more resources for World Environment Day.

Rainforest KS2 lesson plan
DOWNLOAD A FREE RESOURCE!
Rainforest KS2 – Imaginary Amazon adventure lesson
PrimaryGeography

You'll also receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers, and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Which sectors are you interested in?




By signing up you agree to our Terms & Conditions and privacy policy

Explore teaching packs

Pie Corbett Ultimate KS2 Fiction Collection
Pie Corbett Ultimate KS2 Fiction Collection
Fire up KS2 pupils' imagination with this collection of 20+ fictional stories, written by literacy expert Pie Corbett. Each ... more
21 x resources
Pie Corbett KS2 Non-Fiction Collection
Use Pie Corbett’s non-fiction texts to inspire your KS2 pupils to get writing. Each resource contains an original text in ... more
7 x resources
Pie Corbett KS2 Poetry Collection
Inspire KS2 pupils to be creative and express themselves with this pack of Pie Corbett poetry. Each of these Pie Corbett Tal... more
7 x resources
WAGOLL classroom resources
WAGOLL Packs from Real Authors
Peer inside the mind of award-winning children's authors and help pupils understand how to create engaging characters, capti... more
14 x resources
Art KS2 inspiring medium term plans
Art KS2 Inspiring Medium Term Plans
Get pupils' creative juices flowing with these expert medium-term art plans for KS2. Each resource consists of a full half-t... more
6 x resources
Magical Harry Potter Teaching Ideas
Magical Harry Potter Teaching Ideas
Spark pupils' imaginations with these inventive and exciting teaching ideas, all themed around the wonderful world of Harry ... more
11 x resources