Learning Site

Belize -- First Grade

Units Additional Resources Standards

Learn about the mystical forests of the Maya and the second largest barrier reef in the world! The Rainforest Alliance's partner in Belize, TIDE, is working with communities in southern Belize to protect a huge swath of the Selva Maya (or Maya forest) and the coastal ecosystems downstream. Students will learn about the jaguars, manatees, howler monkeys and loggerhead turtles that call this amazing place home.

Units Download all 1st grade units [PDF ~119K]

Knowing the essential elements of a habitat

Key Concept: Children will become acquainted with the landscape characteristics of their play space, their neighborhood and their classroom in order to better relate to the Belize landscape.

Essential Question: What sounds does your neighborhood make?

Download in PDF [PDF ~47K] View On Screen

Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and the

Loggerhead Turtle

Key Concept: Regardless of the natural surroundings or the day-to-day conditions in any given place, plants and animals rely on their environment to provide them with the raw materials they need for life and the conditions to live safely and without stress. To protect manatees and loggerheads, we need to protect their homes.

Essential Question: What do manatees and loggerhead turtles have in common with you and your neighborhood?

Download in PDF [PDF ~46K] View On Screen

How Do the Jaguar and Howler Monkeys in Belize Depend on Us?

Key Concept: Forests that line the rivers along a watershed play an important role in keeping waterways healthy, safe and comfortable for animals and people.

Essential Question: How does the weather (particularly the amount of rain) link the jaguar and howler monkey with the manatee and the loggerhead turtle?

Download in PDF [PDF ~49K] View On Screen

Who Takes Care of the Maya Forest Corridor?

Key Concept: The work of conservationists is tireless. It demands a knowledge of the ecological dynamics and the relationship that humans have in each region. A ranger is responsible for balancing human use with the health of the environment.

Essential Question: Making sure animals and people are safe in their habitats is a big job. Who makes sure we are safe, healthy and comfortable?

Download in PDF [PDF ~47K] View On Screen

Additional Resources

Don't forget to check out our Great Resources page for easy access to the many supplemental materials tailored to complement these units.

• Slideshow – Click below for a slideshow and script about Belize that includes

background information about the animals, people and landscape of this

region. The slideshow can be downloaded for viewing in the classroom, printed

out and read as a story, or viewed online with the students.

Download [PDF ~3.9M] View On-Screen

Download Script [PDF ~13K]

• Unit-Specific Stories - The Rainforest Alliance has developed two original

stories for use with these units. The stories are available to download and print

or can be viewed on-screen.

Manny Manatee and the Mystery of the Murky Water
English:        View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~398K]
Spanish:        View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~262K]
Portuguese:    View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~264K]

My Dad the Ranger
English:        View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~1.5M]
Spanish:       View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~578K]
Portuguese:   View On-Screen       Download [PDF ~578K]

• Species Profiles – Profiles include: photos, habitat, foraging behavior, group

relationships, threats, etc.

− Ocellated turkey         View on Screen      Download [PDF ~39K]

− Jaguar                 View on Screen      Download [PDF ~81K]

− Howler monkey         View on Screen      Download [PDF ~58K]

− Manatee               View on Screen      Download [PDF ~34K]

− Scarlet macaw           View on Screen      Download [PDF ~39K]

• Ranger Rick Article: Click here to download “Rick and the Gang Visit Costa

Rica and Go Bananas,” a colorful article about bananas and coastal wildlife from

the National Wildlife Federation's Ranger Rick magazine.

• Rainforest Poster: A colorful two-page poster is available for you to use in

explaining the layers of the rainforest, its products and the environmental

threats facing many rainforests around the world.

Inside the Canopy – Structure and species of the rainforest

Download 8.5x14 (legal size)



Status Report – What is happening to the rainforest

Download 8.5x14 (legal size)

• Rainforest Products – Click here for a summary of products found in our

homes and supermarkets that either originated in tropical forests or are

currently produced there.

• Profiles in Sustainability – Click here for case studies on companies who

work closely with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that their practices protect

wildlife, workers and communities.

• Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment (TIDE) -

Check out these online resources for more information about the Rainforest

Alliance’s partner group in Belize:

www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/aar/belize.html

www.tidebelize.org

• Certificate of Accomplishment – Click here for a colorful rainforest

certificate you can download and print out for your students to commemorate

their completion of these units.

• Great Resources – Check out this page for easy access to additional

supplemental materials that complement these dynamic units.

Standards

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

Draws pictures to represent problems.
4. Makes organized lists or tables of information necessary for solving a problem.

Standard 3 Level 1 Grade K-2

3. Understand basic estimation strategies

Standard 4 Level 1 Grade K-2

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

Know 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

Knows that learning can come from careful observations and simple experiments.

Standard 5 Level 1 Grade K-2

Knows the basic needs of plants and animals (air, water, nutrients, light or food, shelter)
Knows that plants and animals have features that help them live in different environments.

Standard 4 Level 1 Grade K-2

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.