Teacher guide Why does the cacao tree need a tropical rainforest to grow?

TLF ID M012739

This is a teaching-learning resource containing teaching strategies and student activities that support an investigation of the requirements for the survival of plants, focusing on cacao plants, the growing conditions of the biomes and bioregions in which they thrive, and how these can be affected by human activity. The resource has seven tabs, six of which are relevant. The first four tabs set out the suggested pedagogical sequence, including students comparing different biomes, creating models of cacao and local trees and elucidating the growing conditions of the biomes in which they live. The sixth tab provides an assessment rubric while the seventh provides links to resources such as species profiles, a storybook, a slide show and information about Ecuador.





Educational details

Educational value
  • This resource is of great value in targeting both the year 4 science content description about the way in which living things depend on each other and the environment to survive, and the sustainability cross-curriculum priority, in particular the organising idea that life forms depend on the environment to survive. Student activities include identifying the growing conditions of cacao and temperate trees, investigating the dependence of cacao trees on the environment, and discussing how the survival of certain plants and animals is dependent on the particular conditions of the biome in which they live.
  • This resource is also of great value in targeting both the year 4 geography content description about presenting information in a range of forms using geographical terminology, and the science content description about communicating ideas and discoveries in a variety of ways. Students describe the dependence of cacao trees on the rainforest environment through a story, present the characteristic features of biomes on a chart and communicate the conditions for survival of a cacao or local tree using labelled models.
  • This resource is of some value in targeting both the geography content description about the significance of vegetation to the environment, people and sustainability, and the organising ideas from the sustainability cross-curriculum priority about the importance of preserving and restoring environments to produce sustainable future. Students listen to and discuss an online story that illustrates the importance of tropical rainforests to the lives of the indigenous Chachi people of Ecuador, highlighting issues and initiatives relating to the sustainability of cacao farming.
Year level

4

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Rainforest Alliance
  • Organization: Rainforest Alliance
  • URL: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
  • Publisher
  • Name: Rainforest Alliance
  • Organization: Rainforest Alliance
  • Description: Publisher
  • URL: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Unknown
Learning Resource Type
  • Online
Rights
  • © Copyright 1987-2013, Rainforest Alliance. You may download, copy, use and communicate this material free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes provided you retain all acknowledgements.