Science - Grade 3
Standards
3.LS.3.b Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as ocean, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Objective
Students will be able to read, write and identify the different layers of the rainforest as well as understanding the different kinds of adaptations rainforest animals have.
Information
What is a Forest?
A forest is a biome with many trees. There are two different kinds of forest: tropical and temperate. Tropical rain forests are found near the equator. The soil in a tropical rain first is not very rich in plant nutrients because of the many roots of the many plants. A temperate forest has four seasons: winter, fall, spring, and summer. The soil in a temperate forest is very rich in humus. The forest have four layers: the emergent layer, canopy, under story, and forest floor.
What adaptations help forest plants survive?
Plants are adapted to grow toward the sunlight. Many tall trees in a tropical rain forest have shallow roots. Tall trees are supported by buttresses. Smaller plants that grow under tall trees have leaves with tips that allow them to lose extra water. Plants on the forest floor have very large leaves to soak in water. Some plants loses their leaves while some does not. Deciduous trees loses their leaves in fall as the temperatures gets cooler. Conifers are call evergreen because they are always green. Conifers also makes cones instead of flowers.
How to animals live in a tropical rain forest?
Animals have many different things that helps them survive in the rainforest. The bright colors of a poison arrow frog tell its enemies that is ready to attack. This is a warning sign and you should stay away. When living thing imitates another living thing it is called mimicry.
How do animals survive in a temperate forest?
Some animals eat extra food in the fall so they can store energy for the winter. Some animals hibernate or go into a deep sleep that lasts all winter.
Read the following question and answer in complete sentences.
How have adaptation help animals survive in the rainforest? What are some of the adaptations we learned about?
The Secret Life of the Rainforest part 1. YouTube.com. (2012). (Retrieved December 10, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTO_RxXNl8 .
Butler, R. (2012, July 31). THE ARTS OF DECEPTION: MIMICRY AND CAMOUFLAGE. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0306.htm.
Conifer Class. (2008). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.realtrees4kids.org/threefive/conifers.htm .
California Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. (2013). Sacramento, California: California Department of Education.
California Science: Reading and Writing in Science. MacMillan McGraw-Hill.
