#3415. Rainforests of the World

Art, level: Elementary
Posted Thu Feb 24 20:38:29 PST 2005 by Mrs. Mira Sarkar (mirasr_38@yahoo.com).
V.V.School, New Delhi, India
Materials Required: Construction Paper and White Glue
Activity Time: eight to ten hours
Concepts Taught: Differences between rain forests of each continent

Rainforests of the World
Claass 5

Multiple Intelligence: Linguistic/Verbal -- Learning about the characteristics of the rainforests
from viewing the National Geographic Video.
Visual/Spatial -- Creating three relief murals on the rainforests of South
America, Africa and Asia.
Interpersonal -- working on one mural per class will require cooperative
Skills.
Thinking skills: Knowledge -- based on the work in the class on the rainforest and from viewing
the video.
Analysis -- Examine the difference in the flora and fauna of the three regions of
Rainforests.
Synthesis -- Creating murals with names and characteristics of the varied fauna.
The students of class five are learning about the rainforest. Giving them information about the three continent's rainforests, their common factors and differences will extend this knowledge. Each section will then be given specific information on the flora and fauna of a continent and will create a mural on that region. The lesson will start by viewing a video on the rainforest of Costa Rica. Three lists will be created about the mammals, amphibians, insects, flowers and trees of the three areas of rainforests on the globe. The list will also contain the book and page number where there are illustrations or photographs and text on the listed items. The students will sign their names next to the item they plan to work on for the mural.

The murals will have a three dimensional quality to it. First the trees that reach the canopy and the middle height will be cutouts of colored paper and pasted flat on the mural paper. The trees in front will be three-dimensional cylinders. This work of making cylinders for the trunk and branches and the cutting out of the leaves will be done separately, while the other group is pasting the flat trees, later the 3D trees will be pasted. The plants on the floor level of the forest will be created and pasted last. The mammals, amphibians and insects will not be drawn in proportion to the trees for then they will be difficult to view. For each of these the students will create a cutout picture and a bubble with brief information about the fauna.

Colored chart paper will be used for all items, while the textures and markings will be done in crayons. Following the pasting of the 3D trees the animal life and the information bubbles will be pasted and lastly the flora of the floor level will be placed. This should lead to interesting discussions amongst this age group about what is in front and what is at the back.

All three murals will be displayed in the library for the students from the other classes to learn about the three rainforests of the world.

Mira Sarkar
October 24, 1998