Lights, Camera, Action!

Special Online Lesson Plan

Merge the Print Version of Science World With 21st Century Tools!
Follow this digital lesson plan of "Lights, Camera, Action!" designed especially for your interactive whiteboard.

Article Summary
Three brothers living in Costa Rica star in Super Natural Adventures—their own nature show on the Web. They educate audiences worldwide about the rain forest and Costa Rica's rich biodiversity. Readers will be encouraged to explore where they live and write a script for their own nature show.

Curriculum Area: Earth
Special Focus: Rain Forests

National Science Education Standards

  • Grades 5-8: Science as a human endeavor
  • Grades 9-12: Science as a human endeavor

1. Before You Start

2. Kick Off the Lesson With a Discussion
Prime your students for the lesson by telling them that they will be learning about three boys, the Jacobus brothers, who live in Costa Rica and host their own nature show on the Web. Introduce them to some of the information they will encounter in a PowerPoint they are about to view. Ask them:

  • Where is Costa Rica?
  • What do you know about Costa Rica and its rain forests?
  • What would you like to learn from the Jacobus brothers about Costa Rica?

3. Get Ready to Watch a Video

  • Project the digital version of "Lights, Camera, Action!" onto your interactive whiteboard.
  • Ask students the following questions that relate to a video that you are about to watch.
    • Why are rain forests important to the environment?
    • A typical patch of tropical rainforest with an area of 10 square kilometers (4 square miles) contains about 1,500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds, and 150 species of butterflies! Why do you think there are so many different plants and animals in rain forests?

4. Watch a Related Video
Tell students they are about to watch an episode of the Jacobus brothers' nature show. It is about rain forests. You can watch the video here, or click on the VideoExtra box that is located on the digital version of the article and watch the video together as a class.

5. Discuss After Watching the Video
Review your students' comprehension of the video by asking the following questions.

  • What are the two types of rain forest? Where can each be found?
  • Why are rain forests important in the development of medicines for the treatment of cancer?
  • What role do rain forests play in regulating temperatures and weather patterns worldwide?

6. Discuss Before Reading
Tell students that they are about to read an article about the Jacobus brothers, who they just saw in the video. To connect the content from the video to the article, ask students these questions:

  • What do you think of nature shows like Super Natural Adventures? Do you think you could write, produce, and host a Web show about the nature in your hometown?
  • If your family had the chance to move to a new country to live in and explore, which one would you choose? Why?

7. Read the Article
Have students turn to page 8 of their print magazines. Keep the digital version of "Lights, Camera, Action!" onscreen in case you need to reference it during reading or if students have questions.

8. Teach With This Whiteboard Activity
Download the "Exploring the Rain Forest" skills sheet here. Use it either on your interactive whiteboard or as a handout to test students' research and writing skills.

9. Engage in Project-Based Learning
LANGUAGE ARTS/COMPUTERS
Project the last slide from the PowerPoint you showed earlier.

Tell students it is project time! Challenge them to think about the following and create their own script for an episode of Super Natural Adventures:

  • What do you think is the most exciting thing about your local environment? Pick a natural place, animal, or something else unique about your hometown and write a script for an episode of Super Natural Adventures featuring you as guest host! Be sure to describe the scenes, video clips, photographs, and music ideas in addition to your dialogue.
  • Take it further by filming your episode and sharing it with the Jacobus
    brothers at www.supernaturaladventures.com. For more resources and
    activities download this issue's Teacher's Edition.

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