Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 5

Researching deforestation in the Amazon rainforest

I can make notes about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and its links to climate change to answer an essay question.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 5

Researching deforestation in the Amazon rainforest

I can make notes about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and its links to climate change to answer an essay question.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Before we write an essay, we need to research the subject, making notes that include subject-specific vocabulary.
  2. The Amazon rainforest is a vast and special habitat with huge biodiversity.
  3. The Amazon rainforest is being subject to deforestation driven by agriculture.
  4. This deforestation contributes to climate change because trees are carbon stores.

Keywords

  • Deforestation - the process of removing forested areas, usually to create farmland

  • Subject-specific vocabulary - vocabulary that relates to a particular subject

  • Climate change - a long-term change to global temperatures and weather

  • Greenhouse effect - the natural process where greenhouse gases trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, warming the Earth

Common misconception

Pupils may think that deforestation is unique to the Amazon, or that it is purely done for destructive reasons.

Emphasise that many countries (including the UK) have been heavily deforested over history; usually, this has been a result of increasing agricultural production.


To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Researching deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use additional videos and resources to show the deforestation of the Amazon basin over time. You may wish to have a 'scribe' note down some of the key statistics as you go through the lesson to support pupils with their notes. Ensure notes are kept for future lessons.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
An essay is a non-fiction text that explores __________ on an issue.
questions
Correct answer: arguments
beliefs
feelings
Q2.
Which of these essay titles could suggest an essay that gives both sides of the argument?
Correct answer: Should teachers wear a uniform too?
Explain why it would be best if teachers wore smart clothes to work.
Why should teachers get to wear their own clothes?
Correct answer: Would it be better if teachers also wore a uniform?
Q3.
A logical argument gives a __________ explanation of why something is true.
descriptive
beautiful
Correct answer: step-by-step
thrilling
Q4.
Match the forms of evidence to the examples.
Correct Answer:statistic,70% of greenhouse gas emissions are from fossil fuels.
tick

70% of greenhouse gas emissions are from fossil fuels.

Correct Answer:fact,Climate change is driven by greenhouse gases.
tick

Climate change is driven by greenhouse gases.

Correct Answer:reference to an official report,A United Nations study said that poorer countries would suffer most.
tick

A United Nations study said that poorer countries would suffer most.

Correct Answer:expert opinion,Climate scientists say that the Earth is getting warmer.
tick

Climate scientists say that the Earth is getting warmer.

Q5.
Which cohesive device has been used in this sentence? 'Fossil fuels (including natural gas) are usually found deep underground.'
Correct answer: parenthesis within brackets
relative complex sentence
adverbial complex sentence
fronted adverbial of cause
Q6.
Which type of fronted adverbial is used in this sentence 'In addition, coal was very high in energy.'
fronted adverbial of time
Correct answer: formal fronted adverbial
fronted adverbial of cause

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are features of the Amazon rainforest?
Correct answer: It is on both sides of the Equator.
Correct answer: It is hot and wet.
Correct answer: It is 28 times the size of the UK.
It is growing in size.
Q2.
What is the main cause of deforestation?
making forests into cities
making forests into deserts
Correct answer: making forests into farmland
making forests into theme parks
Q3.
Which of the products below are linked to deforestation in the Amazon?
pineapples
Correct answer: beef
Correct answer: leather
Correct answer: soybeans
wool
Q4.
What does the greenhouse effect do?
cools the Earth
protects the Earth
Correct answer: warms the Earth
shields the Earth
Q5.
Tick the words needed to complete this sentence: 'Trees and plants __________ carbon from the air and __________ it so that it doesn't contribute to the greenhouse effect.'
Correct answer: remove
multiply
Correct answer: store
emit
Q6.
Which of the following are ways of reducing the impact of deforestation on climate change?
Correct answer: planting more trees
Correct answer: preventing illegal forest burning
buying more leather products
Correct answer: protecting forests from logging using the law