Created by
Brandi Shipman, Sandy Roling, Dana Kickler

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources  | Lesson Plans | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

     Have you ever heard the sound of a jaguar?  Or a ringtailed lemur?  Or how about a gorilla?  Well, if we all don't act fast to help conserve the rainforests of the world, you may never hear their amazing voices in nature again.
     The rainforest is a vital resource on earth.  The rainforest provides much of the world's food crops, medicines, and oxygen and is shelter to more than half of the animal species on earth.  The rainforest is being depleted at an astounding rate and many of the world's plants and animals are becoming endangered or extinct. 
     In this Web Quest, you will examine the vital resources within the rainforests, learn their importance and inter relatedness, determine why they are being destroyed, how this is effecting you and wage a campaign to inform others about this important issue.

(back to top)

Task

 This is your task should you choose to accept it: become a rainforest conservationist and work together with other advocates to wage a campaign that informs the public about this vital resource and ways to protect it. You will create an informative brochure that highlights your research and persuades others to help save the rainforests.

(back to top)

Process

     Get into groups of 3 and using the Internet resources below, complete these tasks.  For each task, you will take on a primary role as a graphic designer, researcher, or writer.  Your role can change for each task.  If an activity within a task does not fall into a specific role, all of your group members can contribute equally to the completion of the product. 

Task #1
Start a Rainforest Journal in Word.  You will include an entry after each task to reflect on the information found and knowledge gained.  Each entry will include the date and time spent on the task.  The first entry should be about why you think the rainforests are important.

Task #2
Research how the rainforests are being destroyed and create a cause and effect diagram in Inspiration that points out the events that are causing this destruction and their effect on the rainforest.

Task #3
Locate the world's rainforests and identify why they are important.  Your group will complete a Word document that includes: a graphic from the Internet of a map of the world that shows the locations of the rainforests, labels to identify each rainforest's continent and country, and a list of resources that are found in the rainforests. 

Task #4
Examine why many rainforest animals have become endangered.  Research and record the following information:  what is an ecosystem and what is an adaptation?  Then, choose an endangered animal from the rainforest and find its habitat, diet, defenses, and why your animal is endangered.  Don't forget to record your sources.  Then answer the following questions: What other plants, animals, and cycles would be effected, and how, if your animal became extinct?  What kind of adaptation would your animal need to keep it from becoming extinct?  Create a web page using the information you uncovered.  Plan out your web page using story boards.  Include all the information found, at least one picture of your animal, background and graphics, and a bibliography with links.

Task #5
Investigate the plants' role in the rainforest and their ability to adapt.  Research to find the importance of the plants' role in the rainforest.  What do they do or provide for the environment, other plants and animals, and humans?  Then find out how plants are surviving in the rainforest.  Record a couple of adaptations that some plants use to help them survive.  Create a PowerPoint presentation that includes a title slide, a slide for each role the plant plays in the rainforest, and a bibliography slide, graphics from the web sites visited, transitions, animations, and appropriate background and fonts.  Use story boards to plan out the presentation first.

Task #6
Write a persuasive letter to a corporation or group advocating the importance of saving the rainforests.  Research how the rainforest resources are being used and depleted, the effect this has on the economy, and how it effects you.  Decide on a resource of importance to you, and compose a letter to an organization or group you find on the Internet persuading them to bring about a positive change to their use of that resource.

Task #7 - Culminating Project
You will research the Internet to find information about how you can save the rainforest and create an informative brochure that highlights your research and persuades others to help save the rainforests.  You can keep a list of your findings in the web quest journal.  You will use the products created from the previous tasks to choose the most valid information for the brochure.  The brochure should include:
  • a definition of the rainforest
  • location of various rainforests and why they are important
  • how the depletion of the resources is effecting the rainforest
  • information about an endangered animal and why they are endangered
  • the importance of plants in the rainforest
  • information about a group or company that is destroying the rainforest
  • what you can do to save the rainforest 

(back to top)

Resources

A Student Guide to Tropical Forest Conservation:
http://www.fs.fed.us/global/lzone/student/tropical.htm

Animals of the Rainforest:
http://www.animalsoftherainforest.com/frames.htm

Children’s Rainforest Information Page:
http://forests.org/ric/children/edsup.htm

Passport to the Rainforests (Ecosystems):
http://passporttoknowledge.com/rainforest/main.html

Rainforest Facts:
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

Rainforest Biomes (Plant/Animal Adaptations):
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/plants/index.htm

Tropical Rainforest Animals:
http://www.ran.org/info_center/factsheets/s2.html

What is a Tropical Rainforest?:
http://www.ran.org/info_center/factsheets/s1.html

Rainforest Live:
http://www.rainforestlive.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=189

Video of the Rainforest:
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/rainforest/index.weml

PBS Science in the Rainforest site:
http://www.pbs.org/tal/costa_rica/index.html

Endangered Species (Examples of Endangered Rainforest Animals):
http://library.thinkquest.org/27257/rainforest.html

Global Response (How can you save the rainforest?):
http://www.globalresponse.org/

Extra Resource
Rainforest Books:
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/marketplace/books/kids/index.html

(back to top)

Lesson Plans


Lesson Plan Task #1
Lesson Plan Task #2
Lesson Plan Task #3
Lesson Plan Task #4
Lesson Plan Task #5
Lesson Plan Task #6
Lesson Plan Task #7

(back to top)


Evaluation


Overall Project Rubric
(Task evaluations can be found on lesson plans.)

(back to top)

Conclusion

Now that you have had the opportunity to explore the many issues facing the conservation of rainforest in today's society, reflect upon what you can be doing to help conserve the rainforests in your everyday life. 

(back to top)

Credits

Animal Sounds.  Retrieved on November 7, 2001, from www.thewildones.org/Audio/audioIndex.html