Earth Activities | Earth's Birthday Project

Amazon Discovery

Handouts for grades PreK-8—based on animals of the Amazon rainforest. Their main purpose is to teach science concepts at appropriate grade levels. Handouts for grades 2-6 are short articles on rainforest animals for reading comprehension with question sets. You may prefer to use question sets as study guides (have students answer them as they read) rather than as quizzes. National science standards are listed for each activity. Be sure to check materials for grades just below and just above yours.

You have permission to reproduce the following PDFs for educational purposes.

Rainforest Activities for Grades PreK-1

Time: 10-15 minutes for each activity
Science Standard: Characteristics of Organisms (body structures)

Amazon Match 1 & 2 Two simple alphabet match activities

Amazon Animals Six coloring pages

Coloring pages also include eight vocabulary words that describe animal behavior and appearance. Use the words to write some sentences about each animal. Or use them for quick spelling exercises to fill spare minutes. “Jaguars roar! Can anyone spell roar?”

Amazon Activities for Grade 2

Read and Answer Questions
Time for each activity: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Characteristics of Organisms (body structures), Life Cycles of Organisms

Dart Frogs

Frog Life Cycle

Answer Key

Extra: Dart Frog Coloring Page

Amazon Activities for Grade 3

Read and Answer Questions
Time: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Characteristics of Organisms (body structures and behaviors)

Silky Anteater

Answer Key

Optional background information: All About the Silky Anteater

Amazon Activities for Grade 4

Read and Answer Questions
Time: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Characteristics of Organisms (body structures, behaviors); Organisms and Their Environments (threatened and endangered)

Jaguar / Jaguars in Danger One text with two sets of questions

Answer Key

Optional background information: All About the Jaguar

Amazon Activities for Grade 5

Read and Answer Questions
Time: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Structure and Function in Living Systems (whole organisms), Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms (behavioral adaptation to environments)

Black Spider Monkey / Spider Monkey Social Structure
One text with two sets of questions

Answer Key

Optional background information: All About the Black Spider Monkey

Amazon Activities for Grade 6

Read and Answer Questions
Time: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Structure and Function in Living Systems (whole organisms); Organisms and Their Environments (adaptation, evolution, taxonomies); Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms

Callimico / Callimicos are Unique! One text with two sets of questions

Answer Key

Optional background information: All About the Callimico

Amazon Activities for Grades 7-8

Time: 30-40 minutes
Science Standards: Structure and Function in Living Systems (whole organisms), Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms (adaptations for survival within a particular ecosystem)

Your students are invited to invent rainforest animals and submit them to Earth’s Birthday Project for prizes and posting in our Invent an Animal Gallery. All the instructions needed are included in the five handouts listed below.

Invent an Amazon Animal

What is an Adaptation?

The Rainforest Ecosystem

Animal Adaptations List

Submission Form

Students may find it helpful to read about real Amazon animals:

Amazon Activities Bibliography

Callimico
M. Hutchins, D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, and M.C. McDade (editors). 2003. Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition. Vols 12-16, Mammals I-V. Farmington Hills , MI : Gale Group.

Paschka, N. 2000. “Callimico goeldii” at University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web. 8 Nov. 2004 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/callimico_goeldii.html

Nowak, R. M. (editor). 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press.

J. Schwarz. 2004. University of Washington. “Monkey business: Studies show tiny callimicos have unusual characteristics” in Innovations Report. 18 Oct. 2004. http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/studies/report-30245

Jaguar
Nowak, R. N. 1997. Walker’s Mammals of the World 5.1 Online. John’s Hopkins University Press. 18 Oct. 2004 http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walkers_mammals_of_the_world/carnivore/carnivore.felinae

Nowell, K. and P. Jackson (editors). 1996. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Wild Cats. Gland , Switzerland : International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Hutchins, M., D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, M. C. McDade (editors). 2003. Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition. Vol. 14: Mammals III. Farmington Hills , MI : Gale Group.

(no author listed). 2004. “jaguar,” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Premium Service. 18 Oct. 2004 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9043241

Silky Anteater
Hutchins, M., D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, M.C. McDade (editors). 2003. Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition. Vol. 13: Mammals II. Farmington Hills , MI : Gale Group.

Schober, M. 1999. “Cyclopes didactylus” at Animal Diversity Web. 1 Nov. 2004 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cyclopes_didactylus.html

Spider Monkey
Flink, C. 2000. “Ateles paniscus” at Animal Diversity Web. 10 Nov. 2004 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ateles_paniscus.htm

Hutchins, M. D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, and M. C. McDade (Editors). Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition. Vols. 12-16, Mammals I-V, Farmington Hills , MI : Gale Group.

Milton, K. 2004. n.d. “Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) at Rainforest Connection. 29 Nov. 2004 http://www.csam.montclair.edu/ceterms/mammals/spidermonkey.html

Nowak, R. M. (Editor). 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Edited by Ronald M. Nowak. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press.

World Wildlife Fund. “Natural Born Acrobat of South America .” 23 Nov. 2004 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/university/species/showspecies.cfm?SID=103&LID=1&FH=0

(no author listed). 2004. “spider monkey,” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Premium Service. 18 Oct. 2004