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People's use of the rainforest
I can describe different ways people use tropical rainforests and explain the impacts of deforestation.
Lesson 3 of 12
New
New
- Year 7
People's use of the rainforest
I can describe different ways people use tropical rainforests and explain the impacts of deforestation.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Indigenous peoples have been living in tropical rainforests for thousands of years.
- People use rainforests in a variety of ways including farming, mining, medicine and homes.
- Deforestation is rapidly reducing the size of rainforests to make way for human activity.
- Deforestation has negative impacts: loss of carbon sinks, loss of habitats, soil erosion and the displacement of people.
Keywords
Indigenous - People who are the original inhabitants of a place, rather than people who moved there from elsewhere.
Commercial - Related to the making of money from buying or selling things.
Economy - The way money in a particular area is made and spent.
Erosion - The process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site.
Common misconception
Only people that live in/near the rainforest use it.
Many products grown/extracted from the rainforest are exported and used by people all over the world.
There is the potential to discuss what jobs students would want in the rainforest.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a tropical rainforest?
What is a tropical rainforest?
a deciduous forest found in temperate zones
a forest located in cold regions
Q2.Why are rainforests important?
Why are rainforests important?
they are only found in South America
they are the only source of timber on Earth
Q3.What is deforestation?
What is deforestation?
planting trees
protecting forest areas
Q4. people are the original inhabitants of a place, rather than people who moved there from elsewhere.
people are the original inhabitants of a place, rather than people who moved there from elsewhere.
Q5.How do people use tropical rainforest? order the sentence below
How do people use tropical rainforest? order the sentence below
Q6. has many negative impacts, for example: loss of carbon sinks, loss of habitats, soil erosion and the displacement of people.
has many negative impacts, for example: loss of carbon sinks, loss of habitats, soil erosion and the displacement of people.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the key word with its definition.
Match the key word with its definition.
Q2.How do indigenous people use rainforests?
How do indigenous people use rainforests?
for industrial waste disposal
to clear land for cities
Q3.The process of affects rainforest by removing soil and nutrients.
The process of affects rainforest by removing soil and nutrients.
Q4. and cattle farming are two examples of commercial farming in the rainforest
and cattle farming are two examples of commercial farming in the rainforest
