Brief Description

This lesson is designed to accompany a study of rainforests and was created for use with fourth and fifth grade students. The activity is based on information located on the Rainforest Connection website. Students navigate the site to collect factual information about the rainforest located on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. They then use this information to complete an activity sheet. Students conclude the activity by posting their own message to the Rainforest Connection Guest Book. Students are evaluated based on the activity sheet and successful posting to the website.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 5T-E1. Locate information from electronic resources.

• R-R3. Identify facts in nonfiction material.
• W-E6 Write formal communications, such as personal or business letters, messages, directions and applications in an appropriate format and for a specific audience and purpose.

Academic

• Students will use nonfiction material from the Rainforest Connection website to complete the comprehension activity with eighty percent accuracy.
• Students will successfully post a communication (name, location, and comment) to the Guest Book for the Rainforest Connection.

• Students will locate specific information from the Rainforest Connection website and use the information to complete the Rainforest Connection activity sheet with eighty percent accuracy.

• Students must have parental permission to access and publish on the Internet as documented by the teacher or school district through the Acceptable Use Policy.
• Students must have a basic knowledge of Internet usage, including how to open and close several windows, use a launch page to open websites, and how to type a message in a given field.

• A copy of the Rainforest Connection Activity Sheet and a pencil for each student.
• Rainforest Connection Answer Key.
• A computer with Internet access for each child to use.
• A computer hooked up to a computer-television converter for classroom use and/or a computer hooked up to a projector for use in the computer lab.
• Access to the website http://rainforest.montclair.edu/pwebrf/rainforest.jsp.

• Gifted Students – Gifted students will be challenged to include specific details and expand their ideas as they post to the Guest Book. They may also be challenged to continue to research after completion of the lesson to create their own questions based on the website. Students may also be given the option to post questions to the Guest Book or email the one of the two scientists (Jackie Giacaolone Willis or Gregory E. Willis) with questions about their exploration/website.
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Students – SEI students will be partnered up with a stronger student to assist in the location of facts and recording them on the worksheet. Students may be provided with extra time or assistance from the teacher or other classroom volunteers as needed. These students may work with their partner to post a joint message to the Rainforest Connection Guest Book.
• Special Education Students – Special Education students may also be paired with a stronger student to assist in locating needed information. These students may have the assignment broken down into smaller sections and be given feedback after each separate section. A parent volunteer or the Special Education teacher may also assist the students in a smaller group. Students may also work with another student or a volunteer to complete the Guest Book posting.

Prior to the lesson:

• Prior to the start of this lesson, post the Rainforest Connection Activity Sheet to your web page for easy student access.
• Check the connections to verify that none of the pages have been moved.
• If not using the activity sheet posted to your web page, then bookmark the Rainforest Connection website: http://rainforest.montclair.edu/pwebrf/rainforest.jsp.

• Briefly model navigation through the Rainforest Connection Activity Sheet using the classroom computer-television converter or the projector in the lab.
• Model the procedure for how to post a message to the Guest Book. Click/tab in each field to post a message yourself based on your exploration of the site.
• Provide students with the following web address for the Rainforest Connection: http://rainforest.montclair.edu/pwebrf/rainforest.jsp
• Remind students that they may navigate the site by using several methods. They may return to the homepage after each section by closing the current window (if several are open) or using the mouse to click on the Rainforest Home button at the top of the page. Students may also access the Rainforest Connection Activity that is posted on the your website to navigate using the links.
• Allow students two lab sessions of an hour each to model and complete the worksheet and post a message to the Guest Book for the Rainforest Connection.
• Monitor and assist students as needed during the lab sessions.

• Completed Rainforest Connection worksheet with eighty percent accuracy Grading recommendation – one point for each fill-in and two points for each short answer.
• Students will be assessed on posting to the Guest Book for the Rainforest Connection. They must include all required items  (their name, location, and a comment about the site or how it relates to classroom curriculum) to receive a passing score. Grading recommendation – 16 points for comment relating to the theme and using correct grammar/mechanics, 2 for name, 2 for location. The teacher will assess successful postings by accessing the Guest Book after the lesson.