David Williams Rainforest Song

Contributor
David Williams
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Animation/Movie , Music
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This is a fun song for early elementary students about sharing the diversity of life in a rainforest.

Intended Audience

Learner
Educational Level
  • Grade 2
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Teachers could have students record names of rainforest plants and animals shown in the music video. The lyrics are attached, making this easy to add as part of a student's research site list, and students can learn about the variety of plants and animals living in one area.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
The teacher and students should discuss the lyrics and animation. Then the class should chart what biodiversity they observed, identifying the different areas of the rainforest.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
A whole-class conversation after the song is finished should include where in the rainforest the diverse plant and animal life was observed. This should lead to discussions about plant and animal life in rivers and trees, discussions based on observations that some animals live in plants, and that plants grow on trees, etc.

Crosscutting Concepts

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: Students are actively engaged in the song's lyrics and animations as they make observations and comparisons of the plant and animal life in the land and water areas of the rainforest. To further address the Practice, students could create comparison charts of plants and animals found in the water, on the forest floor, or in the trees or plants.

  • Instructional Supports: Develops deeper understanding of the practice and and the Disciplinary Core Idea in an animated song format.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: Although there is no assessment attached to the song, teachers could have students make journal entries of their new learning. Students could also make a drawing showing the diversity of animals and plants from the song.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: Students can sing along with the song lyrics.