It is no secret that the rainforest is quickly disappearing at a staggering rate. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s surface. Now, they cover a mere 6%, and still decreasing. Each day hundreds of trees are cut down for wood consumption by the government, landowners, and logging companies.

    With this continuous deforestation follows a heavy price: animals loose their habitats. With this they have nowhere to live and soon become endangered and extinct. Native peoples who have lived in the rainforests for thousands of years will also have no where to live and will soon vanish, along with their knowledge of medical plants that have been passed from generation to generation. Experts estimate that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.

The goal of this lesson is to educate students in the sixth grade about the rainforest, create a meaningful image that depicts rainforest life, and display their work in school hallways with the intention of inspiring/educating a larger community.

Students will complete this projects in three steps in order to gain wider understanding of the rainforest. Students will begin independent research using the world wide web answering specific questions such as what is the rainforest and where are they located? Who lives in the rainforests? What animals live in the rainforest? What foods are derived from the rainforests such as fruits and vegetable? Students will also research artists who are actively involved in spreading awareness through their artwork of the rainforest. They will take note of their use of color, stylization, and layout. In the second step students will choose an area to focus their own artwork on. They will brainstorm ideas through thumbnail sketches of how they want their final product to look. Asking themselves: How can I make this image noticeable enough for people to stop and admire my work as well as read about the rainforest? Students will enlarge one thumbnail sketch into 14 * 16 inch painting utilizing acrylic paints. The final step will consist of a one page paper that will accompany their painting on display which educates the public about their image, the rainforest, and at least one action everyone can take to help decrease deforestation.