Rainforests story unit · KS1 (Year 2)
Up, Up, Up!
Learning objective: Name the layers of a rainforest and describe what lives in each one.
Suggested story settings: Genre: Adventure · Length: 2 chapters · Time: 10–15 minutes · Story world: Canopy Forest
Talk questions
- Which animals did Pip meet on the way up? Which layer did each one live in?
- Why do you think the rainforest floor is so dark?
Writing task
Draw the rainforest layers. Label them and write one sentence: 'In the canopy, there are ___.'
Word bank
- canopy
- the high, leafy roof of the rainforest
- understorey
- the shady layer below the canopy
- habitat
- the natural home of an animal or plant
- humid
- warm and damp
- species
- one kind of animal or plant
Success criteria (information report)
Reception to Year 2: I can write facts. I can use a heading. I can label a picture.
National Curriculum statements
- “being introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways” (Year 2, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
- “expanded noun phrases to describe and specify [for example, the blue butterfly]” (Year 2, Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (statutory))
- “writing about real events” (Year 2, Writing – composition (statutory))
- “identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other” (Year 2, Science (statutory))
Sample opening (written for litsee.com, to read aloud)
Drip, drip, drip. The rainforest floor was dark and damp, and the air was warm like a bath.
Under a big green leaf sat a tiny frog. He was bright green with red eyes.
“I’m Pip,” said the frog. “I fell down from the canopy. My family live right at the top!”
Our hero looked up. The trees went up and up and up, so high that the sky was just a tiny green and gold window.
“Then we will climb,” said our hero. “Up, up, up we climb!”
First they passed a shiny beetle, busy in the fallen leaves. Then they reached the shady understorey, where a big spotted cat was snoozing on a branch.
Notes
Rainforests story unit · KS2 (Years 3 to 6)
The Canopy Rescue
Learning objective: Explain how rainforest layers provide different habitats, and why rainforests are worth protecting.
Suggested story settings: Genre: Adventure · Length: 2 chapters · Time: 10–15 minutes · Story world: Canopy Forest
Talk questions
- How did each layer of the rainforest give different animals what they needed?
- Why do you think people work to conserve rainforests?
Writing task
Write an information report about the rainforest layers for a nature guide, with an introduction, a paragraph for each layer and a conclusion about why rainforests matter.
Word bank
- canopy
- the high, leafy roof of the rainforest
- understorey
- the shady layer below the canopy
- emergent
- the tallest trees, poking out above the canopy
- habitat
- the natural home of an animal or plant
- conserve
- to look after something so it is not lost
Success criteria (information report)
Years 3 and 4: I can write an introduction. I can use headings and paragraphs. I can use technical words.
Years 5 and 6: I can group facts in paragraphs. I can use layout devices. I can write in a formal voice.
National Curriculum statements
- “retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction” (Years 5 and 6, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
- “using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader [for example, headings, bullet points, underlining]” (Years 5 and 6, Writing – composition (statutory))
- “in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices [for example, headings and sub-headings]” (Years 3 and 4, Writing – composition (statutory))
- “describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle” (Key stage 2, Geography (statutory))
Sample opening (written for litsee.com, to read aloud)
At six in the morning, the research station was already loud. Insects buzzed, birds called, and somewhere far above, a howler monkey let out a long, rolling roar.
“That’s the family I told you about,” said Ana, clipping a notebook to her belt. “The storm last week brought down their tallest tree. They’ve been stuck on one side of the gap ever since.”
She handed our hero a harness and a pencil. “We’ll climb through every layer and record what we see. If we understand how they live, we might be able to help.”
On the forest floor, the light was dim and green. Fungi grew on fallen logs, and a line of leafcutter ants marched past, each carrying a piece of leaf like a tiny sail.
By the understorey, the air was even more humid. Our hero’s shirt stuck to their back, and every leaf dripped.
Notes
