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Year 5 - Geography

Protecting our rainforests

South America: why does the Amazon matter?

Unit Summary

This unit explores the Amazon rainforest as a region in South America. Pupils learn about its location, climate and biodiversity, investigate how people live and work there, and consider the global importance of protecting tropical rainforests.

Lesson Summary

You can explain why rainforests are important, identify some of the threats to rainforests, and describe some ways in which people are taking action to protect rainforests.

Key Notes

  • Rainforests regulate Earth's climate and are important for life on Earth in many different ways.
  • Rainforests face a variety of threats.
  • People are taking action to protect rainforests in different ways.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • climate: Climate is an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more).
  • carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat.
  • water cycle: The continuous movement of water on, above and below Earth's surface is known as the water cycle.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils think that nobody is taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

Rainforests regulate Earth's climate and are important for life on Earth in many different ways. Rainforests face a variety of threats.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'climate'

Climate is an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more).

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils think that nobody is taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest. Correction: Many people around the world are taking action to protect the Amazon rainforest.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 5 Geography guide library.