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New Online Curriculum Uses the Rainforest to Teach K-5 Science
EdTechLens has introduced Rainforest Journey, a subscription-based and standards-aligned online curriculum that uses the rainforest to teach K-5 science. Rainforest Journey uses original photographs (such as the one at left) and videos that correlate with written text to illustrate concepts such as adaptation, the water and life cycles, predators and prey.
Rainforest Journey contains leveled reading content so that it can meet the needs of various student populations, including homeschoolers, gifted and talented students, students with special needs and non-readers.
Each photograph and video is identified by a short caption. Vocabulary definitions appear when a student hovers over a word with the cursor. Enrichment passages that present more in-depth concepts follow each reading passage. An audio component is available to accompany all lessons. Rainforest Journey also details which standards each lesson addresses — specifically Next Generation Science Standards and New York State Learning Standards.
The program includes three different types of assessments: factual multiple-choice items, depth of knowledge questions and open-ended discussion topics. Students’ scores are saved in the system.
About the Author
Christopher Piehler is the former editor-in-chief of THE Journal.