NASA
Nasa Earth Observatory: Fish in the Trees
The Amazon River rises each year from December to May, forcing fish to flow through the tops of trees. Learn how satellites and technology track the rising and fall of the Amazon River and how this affects the rain forest.
Other
Focus on Forests
"Focus on Forests" is a site dedicated to sharing some of the concerns and issues facing forests around the world today. Case studies are provided along with a teacher section. The focus is on rainforests, however, the overall importance...
Center for Educational Technologies
Nasa Classroom of the Future: Exploring the Environment: Tropical Poison
An educational module on biodiversity, economic growth, and medical research in rainforests. This can be used by students or teachers. It has a huge amount of information on agriculture, biodiversity, medicinal plants, animals, and more.
Open Ed
Open Ed Sci: 7.5 Ecosystem Dynamics
This unit on ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity begins with students reading headlines that claim that the future of orangutans is in peril and that the purchasing of chocolate may be the cause. Students launch a scientific...
Scholastic
Scholastic: How Much Rain in a Rain Forest?
How can you figure out how much rain in a rain forest? This site provides an outline for a lesson plan that will answer this question. Students will have an opportunity to integrate math and science skills through this activity.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: Tropical Forests Cleaning the Air?
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Measure the CO2 level in a bottle that contains spinach leaves when it is exposed to light. Then collect CO2 data and observe the effects of photosynthesis as you add leaves in the bottle.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: Tracking the Path of Animals
Rainforest at the Crossroads: Simulate the motion of an animal using a rectangular object placed at different positions on the floor. Then measure and graph the animal's coordinates, and examine its path.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: Land Erosion Running Off With Soil
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Examine the relationship between rainfall and runoff on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) over a period of one year. Then examine the data and use the TI-73 Explorer to graph and analyze the values.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: The Greenhouse Effect a Good Thing?
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Simulate the greenhouse effect by collecting and analyzing temperature data in three conditions: an open beaker, a covered beaker, and a covered beaker into which they breathe. Simulate the sun with a lamp...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: Topographic Maps What Can They Tell Us?
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Explore the topographic map of Barro Colorado Island (BCI); find the elevations of different locations and how far apart they are. Also determine the steepness of the land by observing the contour lines on...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Jason: Land Erosion Does Vegetation Matter?
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Collect runoff from two simulated sites: 1) a tray with soil, 2) a tray with soil and vegetation, to see how vegetation affects erosion and to compare and examine the runoff from the sites.
Geographypods
Geographypods: Palm Oil, You, Me & Orangutans
By completing the tasks, students will learn about the uses of the rainforest, what Palm Oil is, and where it is produced.
Eduweb
Eduweb: Indigenous Ecotourism
This scholarly article overviews how ecotourism is tied to a survey of sustainable development in the case of Rio Blanco, Ecuador.
PBS
Pbs Teachers:broom Forest: A Tall Trees Simulation
Explore environmental factors of an area that affect a species' characteristics over time. Construct a "broom" tree, sketch support structures similar to those used by the tall Amazon trees and explain the limitations of such structures.
Other
Rainforest Alliance Learning Site
The Rainforest Alliance Learning Site contains free conservation education materials with dynamic units that follow national standards for learning. On the site you will find stories, lesson plans, fact sheets, presentations, and...
American University
American University: Austria Timber Import Ban
Cites an Austrian law that tried to limit tropical rainforest product imports through taxation and eco-labeling in order to slow the effects of deforestation due to export trade. The effort was met with so much economic opposition that...
Travel Document Systems
Tds: Solomon Islands: Geography
A discussion of the physical environment of Solomon Islands including the names of the major islands, climate, terrain, and vegetation. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.
A-Z Animals
A Z Animals: Reference: Habitats: Rainforest
Find out about the plant and animal interactions within the rainforest ecosystem.
NASA
Climate Kids: 10 Interesting Things About Ecosystems
Discover 10 interesting things about ecosystems, including features of coral reefs, rainforests, deserts, grasslands, freshwater ecosystems, the tundra, the ocean floor, wetlands, boreal forests and big cities.
Other
Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance aims to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior.
American University
Deforestation in Madagascar
Gives history of Madagascar's cultural and economic development in relation to its land clearing practices. Cites biological species indigenous to the island, and their imminent destruction. Includes links to several case studies.
Enchanted Learning
Enchanted Learning: Owls
Learn more about owls through this concise resource. This site provides information about the anatomy, pictures, the habitat and range, classification and more of owls.
PBS
Nh Pbs: Nature Works: Species Diversity
If your wondering about the biodiversity of species on Earth, then check out Natureworks from New Hampshire Public Television. A brief definition is included as well as some interesting facts on species diversity.