Rainforest Alliance

Step 1 -- Connect (The Concept to Prior Knowledge)

Challenge

Students will capture the essence of the landscape surrounding their school on a map that identifies sensory and landscape information.

Materials

- 8.5" x 11" outline/map of the area around the school (one per student; prepared by teacher)
- One larger replica of school area map
- Art supplies

Procedure

1. Students will be handed a rough outline of the area around their school. They will be oriented to the map by discussing experiences different students might have had walking or playing in those spaces.
2. Students will take the maps outside and add descriptive information to the rough outline. These observations should include plants (drawings), rocks, dirt areas, random items in the landscape, smells, sounds and temperature changes. Each child will fill in what they think is important.
3. Inside the classroom on a large replica of the map of the schoolyard, the teacher will collect and transfer the observations using symbols for common landscape elements, drawings cut from maps and words to describe sensory elements. The class will decorate this map so that it represents their school landscape.

Step 2 -- Literature/Discuss (Give Expert Information Book; Ask Questions)

Challenge

Students will begin to see their play space and school as a multi-textured landscape.

Materials

- Book: Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen

Procedure

Visualization: Ask the children to close their eyes and listen as you read Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen. Ask them to pay special attention to the sounds and visual pictures that are created in their minds by this book.

Step 3A -- Practice (Math and Learning Centers)

Challenge

Students will compare and contrast the map of their schoolyard with different maps that slowly move out in distance encompassing a greater area.

Materials

- Local, national and world maps

Procedure

1. As in the Powers of Ten, introduce students to maps that locate their schoolyard within different geographies that are local first and gradually geographically further away.
2. Students carry out a variety of interesting calculations in order to establish the area/dimensions of their playspace/schoolyard in relationship to the city/state they are in.
3. Looking at their own map of the schoolyard, ask students to guess at how to measure their schoolyard and relate how large it is in comparison to their neighborhood, city/town, state and/or country.

Step 3B -- Create (Performance Tasks Related to Standard Indicators)

Challenge

Students will write a short 'impression' poem. (This can be a haiku that captures the essence of the 'sitting' place.)

Materials

- Paper, pencils
- Maps from Step 1

Procedure

1. Students return to a place that interested them outside around the building. Students write a short poem about this place that uses sensory images, landmarks, weather observations, sounds, etc.
2. The poems will be transferred to the map corresponding to the location in the schoolyard.

Step 4 -- Present

Challenge

Students read their poetry aloud to the class.

The Rainforest Alliance curriculum is unique in that it teaches science, math, language arts and social studies essentials while addressing the United States National Standards for Learning. These are the standards addressed in the second grade lessons.

Writing

Standard 3 Level 1: K - 2
1. Generates questions about topics of personal interest.
2. Uses a variety of sources to gather information.

Reading

Standard 7 Level 1 Grade K - 2
1. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts.
4. Relates new information to prior knowledge and experiences.

Listening and Speaking

Standard 8 Level 1 Grade K - 2
8. Listens and responds to a variety of media.

Thinking and Reasoning

Standard 1 Level 1 Grade K - 2
Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument.

Standard 5 Level 1 Grade K - 2
Identifies simple problems and possible solutions.

Mathematics

Standard 1
Uses a variety of strategies in the problem-solving
Level 1 Grade K - 2
A) Draws pictures to represent problems.
B) 4. Makes organized lists or tables of information necessary for solving a problem.

Standard 3 Level 1 Grade K - 2
3. Understands basic estimation strategies.

Standard 4 Level 1 Grade K - 2
1. Understands the basic measures of length, width, height, weight, and temperature.

Life Sciences

Standard 6 Level 1 Grade K - 2
1. Knows that plants and animals need certain resources for energy and growth.
2. Knows that living things are found almost everywhere in the world and that distinct environmental support the life of different types of plants and animals.

Standard 13 Level 1 Grade K - 2
Understands that in science it is helpful to work with a team and share the findings with others.

Standard 12 Level 1 Grade K - 2
1. Knows that learning can come from careful observations and simple experiments.

Standard 5 Level 1 Grade K - 2
1. Knows the basic needs of plants and animals (air, water, nutrients, light or food, shelter).
2. Knows that plants and animals have features that help them live in different environments.

Standard 4 Level 1 Grade K - 2
3. Knows that differences exist among individuals of the same kind of plant or animal.

Standard 7 Level 1 Grade K - 2
2. Knows that there are similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals.