Biodiversity and Beauty in the Classroom: Rainforest Installations

In learning about the rich and complex abundance of plant and animal life in the rainforest, students embark on an inquiry-based investigation using a variety of source materials, including books, lecture, the Internet, and film. Students investigate how weather and geographic features affect and create the four distinct levels of the rainforest (emergent, canopy, understory, and undergrowth), how flora and fauna are influenced by light, and the medicines and materials that are unique to this region. Equally important, students explore the animals that thrive in the rainforest: their habitats, biological design, predator-prey relationships, adaption, and camouflage. Students design, evaluate, and engineer a three-dimensional classroom installation. Collage, rubbings, illustration, sculpture, expository writing, and verbal presentation are utilized.