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Year 5

Debating the future of the Amazon rainforest

You can explain factors which inform the deforestation debate and recognise that some people have more opportunity than others to influence decision making.

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New
New
Year 5

Debating the future of the Amazon rainforest

You can explain factors which inform the deforestation debate and recognise that some people have more opportunity than others to influence decision making.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are potential costs and benefits to deforestation.
  2. Different stakeholders have different perspectives about whether to clear the rainforest.
  3. A wide range of local and global factors influence decision making.
  4. Debates are a useful strategy for recognising and articulating different and conflicting points of view.

Common misconception

Pupils think that deforestation only has negative impacts.

Trees and the deforested land can provide many benefits for humans.

Keywords

  • Stakeholder - A stakeholder is a person who has an interest in a given resource.

  • Debate - A debate is a formal discussion between two or more people in which they give their views for or against something.

  • Deforestation - Deforestation is the complete removal of trees.

Pupils could further investigate the causes of deforestation. The stakeholder discussion in Task 2 could be approached in a different way, for example as a whole-class or group activity. Task 3 could be completed as an optional homework activity.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Scissors are needed for Task 1.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
How many times would the area of the UK fit into the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
12
Correct answer: 26
28
54
Q2.
Approximately how many people live in the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
2 million
Correct answer: 30 million
65 million
124 million
Q3.
Select 1 answer. Indigenous is used to describe people who...
...have migrated to another country.
Correct answer: ...are the original inhabitants of a place.
...move around rather than staying in one place for a long time.
...speak the official language of their country.
Q4.
Which of the following describe ways in which the Awa people living a traditional lifestyle depend on the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
use rainforest plants to make medicines
collect honey
build homes
Correct answer: all of the above
Q5.
Why is Portuguese the official language of Brazil? Select 1 answer.
Portugal used to be a colony of Brazil.
Many Brazilians go to Portugal each year on holiday.
Correct answer: Brazil used to be a Portuguese colony.
Q6.
Select 1 answer. Deforestation is...
Correct answer: ...the complete removal of trees.
...the planting of trees.
...when a tree loses its leaves.
...when a tree grows new leaves.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
An area of tropical rainforest the size of 11 football pitches is lost...
...every second.
Correct answer: ...every minute.
...every day.
...every week.
Q2.
Which of the following is not a cause of deforestation of the Amazon rainforest?
cattle ranching
Correct answer: snow storms
soybean plantations
illegal logging
Q3.
Select 1 answer. A stakeholder is...
...an unconnected person or group.
...a person who manages a group of people.
Correct answer: ...a person or group that has an interest in a given resource.
...a person who works for someone else.
Q4.
Which of the following are key stakeholders of the Amazon rainforest? Select 1 answer.
Indigenous peoples
plantation owners
conservation groups
Correct answer: all of the above
Q5.
Which of the following are possible arguments for clearing the Amazon rainforest? Select 2 answers.
Correct answer: iron and copper mines are an important source of jobs for local people
Correct answer: soybeans planted on the cleared land can be processed for many uses
the rainforest is an important tourist attraction
the trees of the rainforest absorb and store carbon dioxide
Q6.
Which of the following are possible arguments against clearing the Amazon rainforest? Select 2 answers.
global meat consumption is rising and more land is needed for cattle ranching
Correct answer: deforestation may result in some rainforest plants and animals going extinct
new homes can be built on the cleared land
Correct answer: Brazil nuts provide jobs and money for local communities