Download Temperate Rainforest Journey Through the

Journey Through the
Temperate Rainforest
PRE-PROGRAM PACKAGE
The following information is designed to introduce you to Sierra Club BC’s Journey through the Temperate
Rainforest Program. This Pre-Program Package includes:
Program Description and Objectives
Curriculum Connections
Program Format
Program
Description
Visit Preparation Checklist
Key Words
Warm-up Activities
In Journey through the Temperate Rainforest students will learn what’s
over their heads and under their feet- and will discover all about the amazing
plants and animals that live right along the coast of BC!
After the program, students should be able to:
Program
Objectives
•
•
•
•
Prescribed
Learning
Outcomes
Name their 5 senses, and things they smelled, saw, heard and felt from the
temperate rainforest;
Name a few species (plant & animal) from the TRF, what they eat and where
they live;
Name 2 Stewardship actions they can do to help the TRF and its animals
Describe what and where the TRF is.
This program is linked to meet the Ministry of Education’s K-12 Prescribed
Learning Outcomes. After participating in the program students will be able to:
English and Language Arts
• listen for a variety of purposes and demonstrate comprehension, by
• retelling or restating
• following two-step instructions
• asking questions for clarification and understanding
• sharing connections made
• use speaking and listening to interact with others for the purposes of
• contributing to a class goal
• exchanging ideas on a topic
• making connections
• completing tasks
• engaging in play
• use speaking to explore, express, and present ideas, information, and feelings, by
• staying on topic in a focused discussion
• recounting experiences in a logical sequence
• retelling stories, including characters, setting, and plot
• reporting on a topic with a few supporting facts and details
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
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Prescribed Learning
Outcomes Continued
Science:
• use the five senses to make and interpret observations
• communicate their observations, experiences, and thinking in a variety of
ways (e.g., verbally, pictorially, graphically)
• classify objects, events, and organisms
• describe the basic needs of local plants and animals (e.g., food, water,
light)
• describe some changes that affect animals (e.g., hibernation, migration,
decline in population)
• describe ways in which animals are important to other living things and
the environment
• describe features of their immediate environment
• explain why air, water, and soil are important for living things
Social Sciences:
• identify groups and places that are part of their lives
• identify characteristics of different environments
• demonstrate responsible behaviour in caring for their immediate environment
• describe their responsibility to the local environment
• describe how the physical environment influences human activities
Physical Education:
• Identify safety guidelines for participating in physical activity (follow instructions, stay within boundaries, use equipment only with supervision)
• Work cooperatively with peers during physical activity (respecting others’
personal space, not pushing or shoving)
Program format
A note about going outside
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Journey Through the Temperate Rainforest is designed to gently introduce
your students to this special ecosystem. Through song, story, visual
representation and a sensory-station approach, our staff will share with your
students’ key ecological concepts and information, and will help students
identify everyday stewardship actions that we all can do. Specific activities will
include participating in our ‘Rainforest Song’, listening to an interactive
‘Rainforest Story’, and visiting each of our specially prepared ‘Rainforest
Sensory Stations’.
If you are enrolled in a two-part program, part of the program will involve
taking students out-of-doors for a special activity during the second visit.
Please ensure that your students are prepared for this (refer to the Visit Preparation Checklist for more information).
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
Visit preparation
checklist:
Please have the following ready PRIOR our arrival in order to ensure that
our program runs smoothly:
Please do not bring other classes
into your room to share the program. Our
activities are based on a single class
configuration (30 students max).
Nametags: Please make sure each of
your students is wearing a
nametag.
Classroom space for activities: Part
of this program involves a story. You will need
to have a cleared (desk-free) section of the
classroom where students may sit comfortably,
on the floor, in a semi-circle, while listening to the story.
Groups: During the program, your students may be divided into
3 groups. It is helpful to have these groups identified prior to
beginning the program.
Prepare your students: If your class has signed up for a
two-part visit, please ensure that your students will be prepared to
go outside for the second visit. This includes having warm, waterproof clothes and footwear on hand, as
well as sunscreen and hats in sunny weather.
Teacher assistance: During some program activities, the delivery staff might require the
assistance of the teacher. Information on these activities will be provided at the start of the program.
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
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Key Words
Banana Slug: an important decomposer of the Mushroom: also called fungi, mushrooms play an
important role in the temperate rainforest web of life,
forest floor, these invertebrates (animals without
acting as decomposers, helping to both convert dead
backbones) are often found munching on plants, leaf
trees back into rainforest soil as well as helping live
litter, carcasses and animal wastes. Named because
trees obtain nutrients from the earth and protecting
they are often bright yellow, banana slugs can grow
them from diseases.
to be over 26 cm in length.
Bracket Fungus: a species of fungus (i.e. Nurse log: a fallen tree that supplies nutrients to the
sprouts and seedlings of new trees that grow on it.
mushroom) often found growing on standing or
fallen dead trees; often referred to as ‘shelf fungus’,
it resembles large, wooden semi-circular shelves Old-Growth Forest: a forest that has undergone at
growing out of the tree.
least two centuries of natural succession. They are
identified by trees of at least two species, including
several large, living Sitka Spruce or other coniferous
Canopy: the upper part of the forest where a cover
trees that are at least 200 years old or more than 32
of branches and leaves is formed collectively by
inches in diameter; a multi-layered canopy; standing
the crowns of adjacent trees. There may be several
dead trees and large fallen trees on land and in
canopy layers.
streams.
Endangered: in danger of becoming extinct.
Pileated woodpecker: a species of woodpecker
that lives in the temperate rainforest. With a bright red,
Fern: a type of plant that grows in the temperate
pointed crest on its head and a large black and white
rainforest. There are several species of fern found
body, this woodpecker is often found driving its beak
there, including sword ferns and licorice ferns. Ferns
into dead trees in search of insects for food.
are very old plants, being some of the earliest plants
to appear on earth. Ferns reproduce through spores
Roots: the lowest part of a plant that collects water and
rather than flowers or seeds.
nutrients and transports them to the stem. Roots anchor
the plant to the ground.
Forest Floor: the lowest part of the forest where
fallen leaves and branches are recycled as soil; the
part of the forest where shade tolerant plants grow Salmon: a type of fish that relies on the temperate
rainforest for critical habitat. Although salmon spend the
.
greater part of their lifecycle at sea, eventually they will
Leaves: parts of the plant that help in the process of
return to the rivers that they were born in, to spawn and
photosynthesis, whereby the plant obtains energy
die. They rely on the temperate rainforest to keep the
from the sun. Leaves are usually, but not always,
river waters cool, clear and full of downed logs, which
green because they contain chlorophyll, which helps
provide spawning and resting habitat.
in the photosynthesis process.
M a r b l e d M u r r e l e t : a small seabird that
relies on the wide, moss-covered branches and
protective surroundings of old-growth temperate
rainforests for essential nesting habitat. Murrelets
commute great distances from the ocean to their
ideal nesting habitat, often flying over 50 kilometres
– every day! As old-growth forests disappear,
so too does their nesting habitat.
Moss: a class of spore-bearing plants that grow
in tufts or mats in damp habitats.
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Soil: the top layer of the earth’s surface in which
plants will grow. It contains organic matter, inorganic
matter and living organisms.
Temperate Rainforest: a forest that grows in areas of high rainfall and moderate temperates, presently covering less that 0.1% of the earth’s land surface.
See Old-Growth Forest.
Understory: the middle layer of the forest
above the forest floor and below the canopy of
leaves.
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
Warm Up
Activities
The following activities are designed to prepare your class for our rainforest
program visit. These are suggested activities, which, while not mandatory, will
enhance our classroom visit.
ACTIVITY ONE
Adopt-a-Tree
Purpose
Students see changes in their trees throughout the
seasons.
Key Concepts
• Things in nature change through the seasons.
• Habitats are made up of living and non-living things
of all sizes.
Measurable Outcomes
• Students will describe, using their observations, the
effects of the seasons on plants.
• Students will identify the major parts of the plants.
• Students will record relevant observations, findings,
and measurements.
• Students will identify some functions of different
plants.
Key Words
fry, fungus, nurse log, temperate, wildlife tree
students to a tree or shrub. Deciduous trees or shrubs
will show the most variation throughout the year.
Location
2. Some possible activities:
This activity can be conducted in the schoolyard or a
nearby park.
• Choosing a tree or shrub they wish to “adopt” for the
year
Materials
• Giving the tree an appropriate nickname (e.g.
Woody)
Paper and pencils, colouring pencils, measuring tape
or rulers.
• Recording the species (older children may be able to
do this based on leaf characteristics)
Time
• Estimating or directly measuring the height of the
tree
40 minutes for the first visit, less for subsequent
visits.
Skills
Analysis, communication, description, discussion, identification, reporting, small group work.
Procedure
• Measuring the circumference at the base
• Making a bark rubbing and gluing it in their notebook
or journal
• Making an accurate colour drawing of the entire
tree
• Making an accurate colour drawing of the leaf
1. In the selected area, assign each student or pair of
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
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•
Measuring the length and width of an average leaf
•
Recording whether the leaves are opposite or alternate, simple
or compound
•
Taking a leaf, pressing it in the pages of a book and allowing it to
dry; covering with Mactac, putting it in a notebook or on a bulletin
board
•
Photographing the tree with children standing in front (may be done
several times during the year)
•
In the late winter, choosing a specific bud to observe over the
spring. Place a piece of masking tape adjacent to the bud so as
to remember which it is. Record, measure, draw the growth (leaf,
stem, flower) that comes from the bud
•
Record signs of insect activity in the
Follow Up
Students can tell the class about their trees.
Adapted with appreciation from Evergreen’s Teacher’s Corner www.evergreen.ca
ACTIVITY TWO
Purpose
Students will use senses other than eyesight to recognize a tree
Key Concepts
• The forest can be explored by using all senses
Activity Overview
In pairs, students will take turns being blindfolded
and guiding one another to a tree. They must then
recognize the tree again later on without the blindfold.
Key Words
abiotic, bark, biotic, scat, senses, temperate.
Location
Any forested area will work. Before the activity begins, boundaries and rules should be established and
clearly communicated to the group.
Materials
Worksheets/paper, pencils, clipboards, rope (approx.
30 m.).
Procedure
1. Before leaving the classroom, discuss with the
student that you will be going on a “senses” walk to
in the temperate rainforest. Discuss the five senses.
Consider how each sense is used to discover
information and create perceptions.
2. Try to “waken the senses”. Stand outside in a circle
and ask the class what they can see, hear, smell, and
touch. Explain that it is not a good idea to go around
tasting everything in nature.
3. Break into partners. Each pair needs a blindfold.
The students should be spread out. One student
puts on the blindfold and the other will be guiding
them. Explain that this is also a trust activity and
the importance of properly leading their partners.
The ‘seeing’ partner will lead the blindfolded student
through the forest to a particular tree. At the tree
the blindfolded student may take a minute to feel the
tree, smell it, listen to sounds near it, etc. Then the
‘seeing’ student will guide them back to their starting
spot. After the blindfold is removed, the student must
try to find the exact same tree again. They can then
switch roles.
Time
Discussion Questions:
1 hour, plus
1. Were you easily able to find the same tree?
Skills
2. Which senses were most useful in helping to figure
out which tree was yours?
Communication, comparing, description, discussion,
drawing, identification, interpretation, observation,
reporting, small group work, writing.
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Hug-A-Tree
3. Which senses do you think are most important for
different animals trying to find their way around the
forest? An owl? A slug? A bear? A mouse?
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
Exciting Action challenges to look forward to...
Get ready for this year’s new set of Action Challenges for you and your class
to participate in! Various opportunities to take action will be presented to
the class after each visit. Simple challenges introduced at the end of the
first visit are designed to interest students and motivate them for the more
engaging Action Challenges yet to come in the second visit.
visit Below are
some examples of students who took action to help the earth!
First visit Action Challenges...
Students revisit the 4 R’s and the many simple actions presented in the Action Challenge Chart - a
series of challenges that will engage students throughout the day. Reduce your classroom impact
by rethinking your consumption. Students are encouraged to bring their learning home!
Second visit Action Challenges...
Engage your class in projects designed to motivate and empower students to Take Action! on the
environment. Waste Reduction at your school! Compost food waste and recycle all manner of
materials. Eco-Art and Green Science Fairs! Challenge your class and others around you. Or
create your own classroom project!
Take Action! Contest
Every class that participates in an Action Challenge will be entered into the Take Action! Contest.
This is a chance for your class to win fun, environmentally friendly prizes, as well as have your
students’ achievements recognized on our Education Program website, in our monthly E-newsletter
and other Sierra Club BC publications.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
Sierra Club BC
#304-733 Johnson Street,
Victoria, BC, V8W 3C7
Email: [email protected]
Email
Phone: (250) 386-5255 ext. 245 Fax: (250) 386-4453
For more information on Sierra Club BC and our Education Programs, please check us out at:
www.sierraclub.bc.ca/education
The Ecoprovince Map
Ecoprovinces are areas with similar weather, landscapes, animals and plants;
in BC we have nine different ecoprovinces.
The ecoprovinces map, an online resource, was created to help you find out
about the animals, plants and people that live in specific ecoprovinces. It’s
a great resource for your class to use, both before and after a program visit.
The plants and animals are categorized by ecoprovince, with descriptions
including characteristics, habitat, life cycles, and threats.
Visit the ecoprovince map at www.sierraclub.bc.ca/education and click on
the Ecoprovince Map picture in the right side bar.
Sierra Club BC’s Pre-Program Package: Journey through the Temperate Rainforest
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