Objectives: The students will learn about the Latin American cultures and rainforests through math, science, social studies, language arts, and music. Each student will participate in at least 95% of the activities.

Introduction: 8:45 -- 9:30 Language Arts

The students will read The Great Kapok Tree and will write a descriptive paragraph that tells what it would be life if there were no trees. Each student should be sure to include at least five detailed descriptions in their paragraph.

Development: The rest of the day will go as follows: 9:30 -- 10:15 Music

The students will learn the South American countries and capitals through a song, El rock de los capitales. The teacher will have the words written down in a handout or on a poster for the students to read. They will then sing the song as a class. As the period progresses the teacher can have them sing the song in rounds and can challenge the boys to out sing the girls and vice versa.

10:15 -- 10:30 Recess

10:30 -- 11:15 Science

The students will work in groups to make a bottled rain forest. Each group will need one 2-liter plastic bottle, sciessors, small pebbles, charcoal, potting soil, moss, water, and some small plants. The students will cut off the top of the bottle and pull the plastic bottom away from the top. Next, they will put 3 centimeters of each of the following materials in their bottle: pebbles, charcoal, potting soil, and moss. The students then place their plants into small holes and cover the roots with potting soil and water. The students finish their rain forests by placing the tops of the 2-liter bottles on upside down. Make sure that each bottle has sunlight, but not direct sunlight. Then make observations on the rain forests for the next week or two.

11:15 -- 12:00 Math

The students will imagine the situation: Conservationists are estimating how many trees are destroyed in the rain forest in an hour (6,000) and a day (144,000). They will be told that trees are destroyed at a rate of 100 acres per minute. The students will then figure how many trees are destroyed in an hour and day. They will compare and contrast a plot of land in the area with a plot of land in the rain forest. They will discuss the various types of plant and animal life.

12:00 -- 12:40 Lunch

12:40 -- 1:00 Silent Reading

1:00 -- 1:45 Art

Remind students that in "The Great Kapok Tree." The three-toed sloth asks the man, "If you destroy the beauty of the rain forest, on what would you feast your eyes?" Ask groups of students to work together to create a large-scale collage depicting the feast of beauty that is the rain forest. Students may want to limit the media used in their collage or include a variety of items such as feathers, nuts, and bark, to represent various aspects of the rain forest. Encourage students to write descriptions or poems about the rain forest to display with the collage.

1:45 -- 2:00 Recess

2:00 -- 2:45 Social Studies

Have students work in small groups to locate on a map the countries and capitals of South America. Have each group label these countries and capitals with tacks. Next have each group select a country. The students will then research their countries and write a brief paper on their countries including; people, culture, food, and monetary sources. Next, the students will prepare to present their country to the rest of the class. The students must all actively participate and help with the presentation of this paper.