Years 3 and 4 – Home Learning

Discover the Rainforest

English Reading – The Rainforest Poem

Read or listen to the poem “The Rainforest” below.

What is this poem all about?

Highlight/Shade in parts of the poem to show what different things it

mentions. Categories could include: plants, animals, light levels, height. You

may add categories of your own to this list.

Spellings - ous suffix

Some animals in the rainforest are dangerous and some may be

poisonous. Make a list of at least 15 words that contain the -ous

suffix.

Practise spelling each word and then use them to create some super

sentences!

SPaG- Fronted adverbials

A fronted adverbial goes at the beginning of the sentence to describe the

verb. It describes where, when or how and is followed by a comma.

Copy and underline the fronted adverbial in each of these sentences:

Under the shade of the tree, the monkey started to howl as it saw a

jaguar strolling through the forest.

Earlier in the morning, the parrots sat preening their feathers.

Delicately, the butterfly flapped its brightly coloured-wings as it flew

from flower to flower.

At the end of each sentence, write down whether the fronted adverbial

describes where, when or how.

Use these fronted adverbials to write some rainforest sentences of your

own.

In the shade of the emergent layer,

Hanging in the tree,

Without warning,

Gracefully,

OWI – Look carefully at the picture.

Write down your observations, thoughts and ideas about this

picture. Use these sentence starters to help you.

Writing – Diary Entry

After reading “The Rainforest” poem, imagine you have climbed all the way to the top of one of the emergent trees. Write a diary entry of your

climb through each of the layers right to the very top. Try to include as many wonderful descriptions as you can. Think about how you can include

all five of your senses in the diary. And don’t forget to entertain the reader! Did anything funny or scary happen?

Try to use fronted adverbials in your writing.

Science Art Rainforest Habitat Animal Research

The rainforest is split into four layers. The emergent layer is the top

layer in which the trees can grow up to 50m tall. It is home to animals

such as eagles, butterflies, bats and some monkeys. Below is the canopy

layer which contains most of the life that is found in the rainforest.

Monkeys, frogs, sloths, lizards, snakes and many insects live here. Next

there is the understory layer. Not much sun reaches this area so the

plants have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight. Birds,

butterflies, frogs and snakes live here. Finally, the forest floor is the

ground. It is very dark, damp and full of many dead plants, leaves and

twigs. No plants grow here. Jaguars in South America, gorillas and

leopards in Africa and tapirs and tigers and elephants in Asia live on the

forest floor.

Research animals which live in each layer of the rainforest.

Choose one of the animals to research in greater detail and make a fact

file about it. Write about its appearance, diet, young, habitat and other

interesting facts. Don’t forget to include a picture of your animal. You

can use non-fiction books and the internet to help you.

Once complete why not make up a mini quiz about your animal. You could

make it on paper or even on the computer using word or powerpoint.

.

This website will help you learn a bit more about the rainforest.

https://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/rainforest-habitats

Sketching

Sketch a rainforet animal of your choice. You may need to look at some

pictures to help you. Look carefully at the shape of the animal as well as

the texture of the fur, skin or feathers.

Can you use different tones or pencil techniques to add texture?

Perhaps you could create a montage of different rainforest animals!

Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29qaN0M0o0s

Watch and listen to the choir making the sounds of a rain storm using

body percussion. Can you join in with them?

With your family try and create your own rainforest music. You could

use body percussion and other objects from around your home.

Can you add some animal noises to your piece? Maybe the sound of

animal movements through the trees or the sounds of them calling to

one another?

Geography Design Technology – Task 1 The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world. It covers

6 million square kilometres and is home to 10 percent of the world’s

known animal species.

On the map of South America (see below):

Label each of the different countries;

- Peru

- Ecuador

- Columbia

- Venezuela

- Bolivia

- Guyana

- Suriname

- French Guiana

- Brazil

Colour the Amazon rainforest in green.

Label the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

How many countries does the Amazon rainforest

cover completely? ______________________

How many countries does the Amazon rainforest

partly cover? ______________________

Which ocean is touched by the rainforest?

____________________________________

Create a model of the layers of the rainforest. You could use a shoe

box or a cereal box to create your rainforest in.

When you have created your rainforest, think about the different

animals that you could put in each of the layers.

Design Technology – Task 2

Many of the foods we eat originated in rainforests. Here are just a

few.

Use some of the food from the rainforest to make a tasty recipe. You

could make Banana muffins using the recipe below or find your own

rainforest recipe to make.

Have fun!

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Appearance:

Diet:

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Habitat:

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Young:

_______________________________________________________________

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Other interesting facts:

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Amazon Rainforest

The Rainforest

The rainforest is like the layers of a sandwich (The biggest sandwich around).

If you go to the very top of the trees The emergent layer can be found. Sunlight is plentiful up at the top, The emergents dash for the light.

They’re head and shoulders above the rest Having won the competitive fight.

There’s a warning for those who don’t like heights; Here is a definite NO.

The emergents can be sixty meters in height. Perhaps we should head down below?

The section beneath – the canopy,

Is a green, umbrella-like skin. Two-thirds of the forest life lives here,

It’s a noisy, lively din. Birds, monkeys, frogs and sloths

In a maze of branches found there. I’ll warn you now – it’s getting darker As we travel downwards – beware.

The understory has smaller trees

In gaps where old ones have died. The trees just grow as quickly as they can.

They have no time to decide.

Perhaps only fifteen metres in height But all around the trees (and entwined) Are the twisting, turning, green lianas

(Or what you might call a vine).

The final layer is very dark But I’ll try to spread some light.

Dark through the day, perhaps light for minutes And obviously dark through the night.

Because of the thick green layer above

The sunlight has little say. Down in this layer – the forest floor

Things quickly, abruptly decay.

Remains are quickly recycled From the ground and into the roots.

Rainforest life continues In the form of new green shoots.