Know it! - Rainforests - Year 5

The educational resource for Year 5 students delves into the intricacies of rainforests, exploring the conditions that lead to their formation and the reasons for their specific geographic locations. To ensure a thorough understanding, the learning module includes retrieval tasks that encourage children to revisit the material even after the unit is completed. Students are tasked with identifying three different types of biomes, a foundational concept in ecology, and they are allocated 10 minutes to complete this task, with each correct answer earning them points. Additionally, they are asked to label the four distinct layers of a rainforest: the emergent layer, canopy layer, understory layer, and forest floor, which helps them visualise the complex structure of these ecosystems.

Understanding the environmental impact of human activities is also a critical part of the curriculum. Students are prompted to give three reasons why deforestation is detrimental to the environment, with plausible answers rewarded with points. The curriculum extends to include interactive activities such as 'Noughts and Crosses' and 'Cops and Robbers', designed to make the learning experience engaging and collaborative. In 'Noughts and Crosses', pairs of students answer questions about rainforests and biomes to play the game, while 'Cops and Robbers' allows students to share and 'steal' knowledge from one another, enhancing their collective understanding of rainforests. These activities not only solidify students' knowledge but also develop their critical thinking and teamwork skills.