home

=** Rainforests Year 5/6 Orange Grove Public School **= == This pathfinder will assist you in researching rainforests as part of our Stage 3 HSIE unit of work this term. You will create a case study relating to one aspect of rainforests as well as participate in the creation a class rainforest mural. Refer to your task sheet and assessment rubric as you work through the assignment to make sure you are on the right track and are doing what you were asked to do. ==

This pathfinder includes information about:

 * == key terms you may use in your research ==
 * == useful print resources you can access in the school library ==
 * == online resources including encyclopedias to guide your research ==

Don’t forget to ask for help if you need it!
= Keywords =

We are almost ready to begin! Remember, don’t forget to write down where you got your information from! You’ll need to know this for your reference page.
= Resources =

Life in the rainforest John and Sue Erbacher NF 577.34 ERB
== This book explores life in the Daintree Rainforest. It will give you a good idea about how the rainforest works as a system, plant and animal life as well as how indigenous people use the forest. The pictures, which are all taken in the Daintree, will be inspiring in planning and creating our mural. The language is fairly simple and the glossary and index are very helpful. This book is also a great resource because of the Australian content. ==

Rainforest Explorer by Greg Pyers NF 577.54 PYE
== Rainforest Explorer is an easy to read information book with lots of fantastic photographs. Although it’s not specifically focusing on Australian rainforests, it gives great explanations about which plants and animals are found in each of the layers and why. Also, if there is a word or idea you don’t understand, all the words that are in bold appear in the glossary. ==

Australia’s Rainforests by Greg Pyers NF 577.34 PYE
== Another book by the same author, this one focuses specifically on Australian rainforests and provides information about plants and animals of the rainforest. It also gives a nice perspective on the history of rainforests in Australia and how they have changed, from how aboriginal people traditionally use rainforests to the impact of European settlement and rainforests today. This might change the way you think about rainforests and also steer your information gathering in a new direction! Also, if there is a word or idea you don't understand, all the words that are in bold appear in the glossary. ==

The natural world in the Rainforest by Barbara Taylor NF 577.34 TAY
== This book has excellent pictures and information on plants and animals of the rainforest. It will be very useful for the written and artistic components of our mural because of the simple explanations and details captured in the close up photographs of plants and animals. It will also be a great resource in the planning and organizing of information because it gives a good idea of how everything works together and the hierarchies that exist in the rainforest. ==

Children’s Picture Encyclopedia Claire Llewellen REF 032 LLE
== I recommend everyone have a look at this encyclopedia’s rainforest entry just for the incredible model they have pictured, it gives a realistic view of the rainforest layers. From the height of plants and size of the layers to the varying shades of green at each level, this is a good starting point to introduce you to the amazing world of rainforests. Your dictionary skills will help you easily locate the information as topics are categorized alphabetically. Have a look at the related topics at the bottom of the page about animals in danger and conservation and see if you can find them. They lead to articles that are both interesting and relevant to our research. ==

World Book Encyclopedia Volume 16 REF 030 WOR
== The article on Rainforests in this encyclopedia gives an excellent overview of Rainforests and is a little bit more detailed than some of the other resources in the pathfinder. Don't be intimidated by the small print and long articles, it's written in a way that is easy to understand. It gives a global perspective with a section on rainforests in Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas, and considers their value in terms of science, the economy, the environment and recreation. It also considers the future of rainforests. The end of the article has a list of rainforest plants, animals and people, for all of which there are related articles. ==

Rain Forests of the World (11 volume encyclopedia) REF 577.34 RAI
== This is a big resource located on the top shelf of the reference section which you might find to be overwhelming but it does contain information on just about everything to do with rainforests. The good thing about this encyclopedia set is that it’s organized really well, and entries for each subject are colour coded, so for example animals are colour coded in yellow throughout all the volumes. Have a look at the first volume, it has a fantastic glossary that covers some terms you won’t find in other books and web resources. ==

The Macquarie Dictionary REF 423 MAC
== Not all resources will have glossaries, so if you come across a word you don’t know, the dictionary is a good place to look. Some words will have more than one meaning, so try to find the meaning that suits the word best for this assignment. You will need to think about the word in the context of rainforests. == = Online Resources =

My Library
== Our library catalogue is an excellent online resource. Remember to use the tabs to guide your search, and to use broad search terms such as rainforests rather than more specific terms like canopy. You will likely find some resources which haven’t been included in the pathfinder such as books specifically dealing with rainforest birds or rainforest conservation. ==

Web Sites
== I have done a lot of your work for you by doing web searches using kids search engines to find the sources of information on the web that will be most useful to you in doing this assignment. If you still feel like you need to search further, try this search engine: [] Think carefully about your searching strategies and the words you choose. Drag the puzzle pieces over to create your search string. Make use of the "not" and "and" pieces to limit your search. Once you find a site you think is useful, evaluate it using our web site evaluation check list to check it's suitability. == == Don't let yourself get distracted or off task when looking at information on the web. Use the assignment task sheet, Information Skills Process and marking rubric to keep you focused and on the right track. ==

[]
== The purpose of this site, designed for kids, is to learn all the rainforest basics. You won't be distracted by too much information, or irrelevant links and ads because there aren’t any. Click on the facts link and this will bring you to a page with headings that should be suitable for your topic. ==

[]
== Once you have a good basic knowledge of rainforests, this is a good site to go to for a more in depth understanding. It covers Australian rainforests and has specific information on specific types of plants and animals with pictures to go with them. Make sure you stay on task, because there also links to places where you can take a holiday in the rainforest which aren’t really relevant to our assignment. ==

[]
== If you don’t like too much information on one page or get distracted by games and ads, this is a good site for you. It is easy to understand with only a small amount of text on each page. Use the arrow keys on each page to navigate the site rather than the arrow keys on your internet browser. ==

[]
== When you first open up this page you might not know where to click. The images at the top of the page are actually drop down menus with headings to help you find what you need as they are very well organized and lead you to exactly what they say they will. Keep on task, you can check out the puzzles and games only when you have finished your information gathering. Then take the quiz and see how much you have learnt. ==

[]
== This is the kids section of a bigger website on rainforests. It is really well organized so you should be able to find exactly what you’re looking for. The headings are written in the form of questions, so it would be good if you referred back to your assignment task sheet to make sure you are answering the right question. Have a look at the amazing pictures of plant life under the section Why are rainforests important? They could help you with your drawings. ==

[]
== This website is very simple and would be a good place to start to get a good understanding of rainforests. Just ignore the ads at the top of the page, once you scroll down you won’t see them. The information is brief and written in a way that’s easy to understand, and it’s easy to navigate with the headings all clearly laid out. It is especially useful for finding out about animals of the rainforest, keep scrolling down on the animal page and you will come to a chart with information about many animals. ==