Protecting Biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest

1. Activate students’ prior knowledge about the environmental effects of biodiversity loss.

Activate students’ prior understanding about human impacts on the environment by showing a photograph of clear-cutting in Brazil. Define the vocabulary terms clear-cutting and deforestation and then read aloud the photo caption. Have students discuss what the photo shows and brainstorm potential consequences to the ecosystem. Ask: What did this area look like before clear-cutting happened? What organisms might live in an area like this? What are some reasons people cut down trees in a rainforest? Who benefits from cutting down the trees? If possible, elicit local examples of forest or biodiversity loss (e.g., for new development) to illustrate the fact that this is also happening locally, not just in faraway countries. Have students answer the same questions for the local example. Ask: What living things are affected by clearing areas for development? How are they affected? Then have students return to thinking about the effects of deforestation on the Amazon rainforest ecosystem and answer the same questions. Ask: What living things are affected by deforestation? How are they affected? Invite volunteers to share their thinking with the class. The focus of this discussion is to get students thinking about what organisms inhabit the tropical rainforest and how habitat destruction affects where they live, how they live, and possibly the survival of their species. Introduce the term biodiversity and explain that the Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse place on Earth. But, this biodiversity is threatened due to human activity. Explain to students that they will explore biodiversity in the Amazon to try to understand why it is so important to protect. Tell students that the purpose of this activity is for them to construct an argument for protecting biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.  

2. Construct knowledge about biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest.

Project the MapMaker Interactive geo-tour Geography and Wildlife of the Amazon Basin on a screen and select the bookmark Where is the Amazon Basin? Point out the highlighted Amazon Basin and discuss its location and size. During this time, if students are unfamiliar with the MapMaker Interactive, point out some of the basic tools like zooming in (+) and out (-). Also point out the bookmarks at the bottom of the map. Explain to students that they will work in small groups to learn more about a smaller region of the Amazon rainforest. Distribute the worksheet Exploring the Animals and Plants in the Amazon Rainforest. Divide students into small groups of three to explore different regions (north, west, east) of the Amazon rainforest. Assign a different region to each group. More than one group will investigate the same region. Explain that while the Amazon rainforest is known for its biodiversity, in this activity students will investigate a very small sample of the vast biodiversity that exists in this region. Have each student complete Part 1. Using MapMaker to Explore Animals and Plants in Regions of the Amazon Rainforest. Direct them to select three animals and three plants from their assigned region and write facts relevant to the importance of the plant and animal within the habitat. Advise students to focus on how the plants and animals interact with other organisms in the forest as they complete the tables. Explain to students that this information will provide the evidence they need to support the arguments they will construct later in the activity.

3. Extend students’ understanding of biodiversity through online research.

Once students have completed Part 1 of the worksheet, have them select one animal and one plant to research further online and complete Part 2. Conducting Online Research. Direct students to use website links associated with each plant or animal in the Geography and Wildlife of the Amazon Basin geo-tour. Ask students to add the facts they find to their tables on the worksheet.

4. Introduce threats to the Amazon rainforest.

Have students recall the clear-cutting photograph in Brazil from the beginning of the activity and share some of the real-world threats to the rainforest: human development, deforestation due to logging and cattle ranching, infrastructure development, hydroelectric power projects, and others. Focusing on their region (from step 3 above), ask students to consider the consequences of habitat destruction to the plants and animals from their region and discuss this in their groups. Ask students to take notes that could be useful when constructing their arguments about protecting the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.

5. Construct an evidence-based argument for protecting biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest.

Distribute the rubric Evidence-Based Argument about Protecting Biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest and review it with students. Next, distribute the worksheet Constructing an Evidence-Based Argument. Ask students to construct their evidence-based argument for why it is important to protect biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. Introduce and explain the components of a scientific argument:

• Claim: a statement that answers the original question/problem.
• Evidence: scientific data that supports the claim. The data needs to be appropriate and sufficient to support the claim.
• Reasoning: a justification that connects the evidence to the claim. 

Remind students that the facts they collected from their exploration of the Geography and Wildlife of the Amazon Basin geo-tour in the MapMaker Interactive and from their online research will serve as the evidence they need to support their claims.

6. Have students present their scientific arguments.

Have students share their arguments about the importance of protecting biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest with the class. Students with the same region should present following each other so students can compare the different pieces of evidence and reasoning they used to support their claim. Conclude with a whole-class discussion reflecting on the potential loss of biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. Ask: What is biodiversity? What is important about biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest? What happens when biodiversity decreases? What environmental issues are impacting biodiversity?