New
New
Year 5

Features of the Amazon rainforest

You can use geographical and scientific vocabulary to describe key features of the rainforest.

New
New
Year 5

Features of the Amazon rainforest

You can use geographical and scientific vocabulary to describe key features of the rainforest.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The rainforest is a type of environment or biome, with a distinctive climate and ecosystem.
  2. The rainforest has four very different layers: forest floor, understory, canopy and emergent.
  3. The rainforest is a very important ecosystem and provides a habitat for millions of plant and animals, including humans.
  4. Different sources of information can be used to investigate the location and features of rainforests.

Keywords

  • Tropical rainforest - Tropical rainforests are areas of dense forest found close to the Equator where it is warm and there are high levels of rainfall.

  • Climate - Climate is an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more).

  • Biodiversity - Biodiversity means all the living things in an ecosystem or area.

Common misconception

Pupils think that our knowledge about the Amazon rainforest comes only from research.

Point out that Indigenous peoples have been living in the rainforest for thousands of years and have a lot of knowledge about it.

To support learning and discussion during this lesson, teachers may wish to source and share a video clip showing a virtual tour of the Amazon rainforest.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Select 2 answers. The Amazon rainforest is…
...a temperate rainforest.
...the smallest rainforest in the world.
Correct answer: ...a tropical rainforest.
Correct answer: ...the largest rainforest in the world.
Q2.
From the UK, which ocean would you have to travel over to get to the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
Indian
Pacific
Correct answer: Atlantic
Southern
Q3.
Select 2 answers. The Amazon rainforest is located in...
Correct answer: ...the northern and southern hemispheres.
Correct answer: ...South America.
...North America.
...only in the southern hemisphere.
Q4.
How many times would the area of the UK fit into the Amazon rainforest?
5
17
Correct answer: 28
51
Q5.
What is biodiversity? Select 1 answer.
the variety of landscapes on Earth
Correct answer: the variety of all living things in a particular area
the variety of fish in the oceans
the variety of trees in a forest
Q6.
Select 1 answer. The particular environment where species live is called their...
...shelter.
...home.
...ecosystem.
Correct answer: ...habitat.

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the climate of the Amazon rainforest like? Select 2 answers.
Correct answer: hot and humid
Correct answer: high rainfall
low rainfall
cool and dry
Q2.
Put the rainforest layers in order from top to bottom.
1 - emergent layer
2 - canopy
3 - understory
4 - forest floor
Q3.
Which of the following would not be useful for a trip to the Amazon rainforest? Select 2 answers.
sun cream
Correct answer: woolly hat
Correct answer: ice skates
torch
Q4.
For how long have people been living in the Amazon rainforest?
23 years
90 years
hundreds of years
Correct answer: thousands of years
Q5.
Match the rainforest layer with the correct description.
Correct Answer:emergent layer,made up of the very tallest trees in the rainforest

made up of the very tallest trees in the rainforest

Correct Answer:canopy,most biodiverse layer of the rainforest

most biodiverse layer of the rainforest

Correct Answer:understory,made up of smaller trees and shrubs

made up of smaller trees and shrubs

Correct Answer:forest floor,where most dead rainforest plants and animals decompose

where most dead rainforest plants and animals decompose

Q6.
Match the keywords with the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:ecosystem,a natural environment and all of the living things in it

a natural environment and all of the living things in it

Correct Answer:habitat,the particular place where species live

the particular place where species live

Correct Answer:biodiversity,the variety of living things in a particular area

the variety of living things in a particular area

Correct Answer:biome,region with similar climate, landscapes, plants and animals

region with similar climate, landscapes, plants and animals