New
New
Year 5

Protecting our rainforests

You can explain why rainforests are important, identify some of the threats to rainforests, and describe some ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests.

New
New
Year 5

Protecting our rainforests

You can explain why rainforests are important, identify some of the threats to rainforests, and describe some ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Rainforests regulate Earth’s climate and are important for life on Earth in many different ways.
  2. Rainforests face a variety of threats.
  3. People are taking action to protect rainforests in different ways.

Keywords

  • 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).

  • Carbon dioxide - Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat.

  • Water cycle - The continuous movement of water on, above and below Earth's surface is known as the water cycle.

Common misconception

Pupils think that nobody is taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.

Many people around the world are taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.

Task 1: If possible, pupils should complete their consequence wheels in small groups. Task 2: Pupils could create and display a class "positive action tree" to share their learning with others in the school.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Scissors, coloured paper for cutting out leaves (optional)

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.
Which of the following come from plants that grow in the Amazon rainforest? Select 2 answers.
Correct answer: Brazil nuts
apples
Correct answer: bananas
blackberries
Q2.
Which of the following are major causes of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest? Select 2 answers.
Correct answer: cattle ranching
offshore wind farms
tree planting
Correct answer: wildfires
Q3.
Climate describes ________________. Select 1 answer.
what the weather is like today.
what the weather will be like tomorrow.
Correct answer: what the weather is like over a long period of time, typically 30 years or more.
Q4.
The major cause of climate change is ________________. Select 1 answer.
volcanic eruptions
Correct answer: the burning of fossil fuels
changes in the earth's orbit
changes in the amount of solar radiation
Q5.
Which of the following are ways people can take action against climate change? Select 2 answers.
flying
eating more meat
Correct answer: walking and cycling rather than using a car
Correct answer: insulating their homes
Q6.
Match each keyword with its correct definition.
Correct Answer:climate change,a change in Earth's usual weather conditions over many years

a change in Earth's usual weather conditions over many years

Correct Answer:water cycle,the process by which water is recycled again and again

the process by which water is recycled again and again

Correct Answer:deforestation,complete removal of trees

complete removal of trees

Correct Answer:erosion,wearing away of land by forces such as wind and water

wearing away of land by forces such as wind and water

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? It’s too late to take action to protect the Amazon rainforest.
true
Correct answer: false
Q2.
How much of the Amazon rainforest has already been lost?
5%
11%
Correct answer: 17%
34%
Q3.
Which of the following are reasons why the Amazon rainforest is important? Select 2 answers.
Correct answer: provides a habitat for millions of plants and animal species
provides land that could be used for growing wheat
home to one billion people
Correct answer: trees absorb and store carbon dioxide
Q4.
Which of the following is not an impact of deforestation of the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
people may lose their homes and livelihoods
burning and cutting down trees releases carbon dioxide
Correct answer: more tourists will visit the rainforest on holiday
plant and animal species may go extinct
Q5.
Who can take action to protect the rainforests? Select 1 answer.
governments
businesses
individuals
Correct answer: all of the above
Q6.
Which of the following are ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests? Select 2 answers.
cutting down trees
Correct answer: campaigning for governments to take more action
Correct answer: choosing responsibly sourced rainforest products
building roads