Protecting our rainforests
You can explain why rainforests are important, identify some of the threats to rainforests, and describe some ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests.
Protecting our rainforests
You can explain why rainforests are important, identify some of the threats to rainforests, and describe some ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rainforests regulate Earth’s climate and are important for life on Earth in many different ways.
- Rainforests face a variety of threats.
- People are taking action to protect rainforests in different ways.
Keywords
Climate - Climate is an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more).
Carbon dioxide - Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat.
Water cycle - The continuous movement of water on, above and below Earth's surface is known as the water cycle.
Common misconception
Pupils think that nobody is taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Many people around the world are taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.
To help you plan your year 5 geography lesson on: Protecting our rainforests, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 geography lesson on: Protecting our rainforests, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 geography lessons from the South America: why does the Amazon matter? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Scissors, coloured paper for cutting out leaves (optional)
Licence
Lesson video
Starter quiz
6 Questions
a change in Earth's usual weather conditions over many years
the process by which water is recycled again and again
complete removal of trees
wearing away of land by forces such as wind and water