Fly, leap and swim along on an adventure through the Amazon Rainforest to explore the sights and sounds of plants and animals living in this unique ecosystem.
This virtual school program is part of Conservation Classroom, a collection of monthly lessons for K-5 students. Each lesson has four elements: wonder (video), engage (live virtual program), act (activities), and connect (video). Follow along with all four parts or pick and choose the videos and activities you want to explore.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Amazon, rainforest, biodiversity, rainforest layers, animals
Patterns, cause and effect, scale proportion and quantity, and systems and system models
Free
Wonder
I wonder... what are the layers of a rainforest? Discover the layers of the Amazon Rainforest and the animals that call it home as we explore the Zoo's Amazonia exhibit.
Me pregunto... ¿cuáles son las capas de una selva tropical? Descubra las capas de la selva amazónica y los animales que la habitan mientras exploramos la exhibición Amazonia del zoológico.
Engage
March 12, 2025 at 11am Eastern
In this free, live virtual program, explore the sights and sounds of plants and animals living in this Amazon Rainforest.
Program is hosted in Zoom webinar. Please note: audio and video are disabled for participants, but students can still engage via polls, chat, Q&A and emojis. The program recording will be made available approximately 48 hours after the live program. Need to watch sooner? Check out last year's recording.
Language & Access: English, Spanish (simulcast), American Sign Language interpretation, and live English captions.
Act
During the live program, follow along with rainforest bingo. After the program, create a rainforest layers comic strip. Share your comics with us at nzp-education@si.edu.
Hojas de actividades disponibles en español: Bingo de la selva tropical. Comparta sus dibujos con nosotros en nzp-education@si.edu.
Connect
Meet Craig, Curator of Horticulture at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Learn more about horticulture and how Craig cares for plants at the Zoo.
For Educators
Educator's Materials
Conservation Classroom: Explore the Rainforest is best suited for grades K-5. The full lesson consists of two videos, a live program, and two activities. Refer to the Smithsonian Learning Lab collection to help teach this lesson.
Letter to Guardians
After participating in the live program, print or send the following letter to guardians, explaining what their student learned in this lesson and how they can continue to engage from home.
Carta para el tutor
Después de participar en el programa en vivo, imprima o envíe la siguiente carta a los tutores, explicando lo que su estudiante aprendió en esta lección y cómo pueden continuar participando desde casa.
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