Pupil and parent learning sheet - ipsleyacademy.co.uk · Rainforests have provided numerous medical benefits that have changed the way we think about health. Up to 70% of plants that

Pupil and parent learning sheetWeek beginning: 29nd June 2020

This week's work for Year 8 Geography is focused on Tropical Rainforests.By the end of this week, you should be able to:

1. Discover how people use tropical rainforests. 2. Describe how the uses have positive and negative impacts. 3. Create a plan to take steps to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Your work this week will include the following activities: (You do not need to print any resources!)• Using your amazing deduction skills to investigate how people use rainforests!• Thinking about the impacts of how people use rainforests.• Create a plan to help conserve rainforests

If you complete all your work to a high standard, you may also want to think about some solutions to the threats.

For extra help with Geography learning, you may also want to look at BBC bitesize see the link below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpmnb9q/revision/1

Which layer of the rainforest do these live in?

1 2 3

54

6

If you can’t remember the layers of the rainforest the next slide will help you!

The answers to the starter are on the next slide

Which layer of the rainforest do these live in?

Emergent

Canopy

Forest floor

Emergent

CanopyForest floor

How many did you match up correctly?

Why are rainforests important?In some areas there is pressure to use rainforest resources to help development but this can lead to resources being exploited in an unsustainable way. Some developers are willing to do anything to make money but there would be long-term negative impacts for the whole planet.

The rainforests are so important because they are home to:

• oxygen - the rainforest vegetation takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen

• medicines - a quarter of all natural medicines were discovered here

• undiscovered species

• food, e.g. vanilla, chocolate, nuts, ginger and pepper

• resources, such as rubber and bamboo

• wood

• minerals

• river networks

The challenge is for the governments of poorer countries to protect large areas of forest. They have difficult decisions to make about how to use their resources.

Do you know what these key terms mean: unsustainable and resources - if you are able to look them up, or check the next slide for meanings.

Write a sentence to explain why rainforests are important, try to use the key terms.

Some useful meanings:

Unsustainable: not able to be maintained at the current rate or level

Resources: something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth

Development: the process in which someone or something grows or changes

Why are rainforests important? For the first section these build on each other:

Bronze: You can describe the causes of deforestation.

Silver: You can explain why deforestation is happening.

Gold: You can create a mind map to show the links between the reasons for deforestation – for example how are fuel wood and settlement connected?

TASK:Deforestation is the removal of trees – Every second, an area of trees about the size of a football field, is removed from rainforests.

Use this link below to find out about the causes of deforestation (if you don’t have access to a computer use the information on slide 9).

TASK: Create a causes of deforestation mind map

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpmnb9q/revision/4

You could use the model started on the next slide…

main source of fuel

Deforestation of the rainforestDeforestation means the removal of trees. It is happening at an alarming rate. It is estimated that an area of rainforest about the size of a football pitch is destroyed each second.

Causes of deforestation:LoggingCommercial logging companies cut down trees for timber, which is mostly sold to developed countries. In most cases, large areas of forest are destroyed just to remove a few of the best trees. The effect of this devastation has lasting consequences: heavy machinery compacts soil and makes it more vulnerable to erosion, silt is washed into rivers, logging roads open up the area to new settlers who remove even more trees.

FarmingLand is cleared (e.g. by slash and burn) and planted with cash crops, usually just one - such as palm oil. Alternatively, it will be used for grazing by cattle ranchers. Most cash crops and cattle are eventually sold to developed countries. These actions affect the soil for future use because fertility falls after just a few years. Only farmers who can afford fertilisers will be able to use the soil to grow crops in the future, if they can't farmers simply move on and clear more land, so more forest is lost.

MiningLand is completely deforested. Soil is often removed with high-pressure hoses and chemicals are used.

Road buildingLoggers and miners build roads to get their materials out. People use the roads to enter the forest and build new settlements and set up industries. The Trans-Amazonian Highway in South America is 5,300 km long and has opened up some remote parts of Brazil to development.

SettlementLand is being cleared for new homes and settlements. There is more need for these in countries with increasing populations, especially around large overcrowded cities.

Dam buildingHydro-electric dams provide energy but also result in deforestation. Problems include: the flooding of large areas of forest, people may have to move, drowned forest rots and adds carbon to the atmosphere

FuelwoodMany people rely on wood for their main source of fuel, particularly in developing countries. As the population grows, more wood is chopped down. Problems caused by deforestation: Less plant and animal species – biodiversity, Loss of habitats - places for animals to live, Loss of sources of medicine, Soil erosion, Loss of soil nutrients, Silting-up of rivers, Flooding, Global warming and rising sea levels - burning trees releases greenhouse gases which add to global warming. Trees take in carbon dioxide and reduce the effects of global warming.

The Causes of deforestation

Oracy task:

Having read the

information about the

causes of

deforestation and

created your mind

map. Write a summary

of the causes of

deforestation – be

ready to share your

ideas out loud to

another person.

Things to include

• Speak in full sentences

• Include your own opinion

• For a challenge, talk through your summary without

looking at your page.

For the first section these build on each other:

Bronze: You can describe what are causes of deforestation –describe at least two problems

Silver: You can explain why deforestation is happening by using evidence to develop your answer

Gold: You can explain why deforestation is happening by using PEEL to explain your answer

Point, Evidence, Explain, Link

Transform your ideas – choose two reasons for deforestation and turn

them into diagrams.

Reason:

Diagram

Reason:

Diagram

Example

Challenge: In your opinion which is the worst form of deforestation? (Explain your answer in detail and try to use key words correctly).

Well done on your work so far!

• Now may be a good time to take a break from this week’s Geography work and try something different!

• If you do take a break, remember to keep your work safe for finishing a different time this week!

Why are rainforests important?

Welcome back – before your break we were looking at what causes deforestation. But why is deforestation such a problem?

Disadvantages of Deforestation

It does not provide good soil access. It changes the structure of our atmosphere.

It can change weather patterns.

It provides a finite revenue boost.

It contributes to extinction-level events.

It can cause more frequent flooding.

It is a finite resource.It changes human culture.

It encourages violence.

It could stop medical advancements.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

It creates a loss of biological diversity.

This link will help you find out more for each of the areas below (if you do not have access to a computer please read through the information on slides 14 and 15

https://brandongaille.com/19-advantages-disadvantages-deforestation/

Some of the Disadvantages of Deforestation1. It does not provide good soil access.Deforestation is often used to create agricultural lands. The only problem with this effort is that tropical soils are typically weathered and old. That means there is little nutrient input for the soil, compared to the temperate soils that are typically used for agricultural purposes. 2. It changes the structure of our atmosphere.Removing trees at a fast rate changes how carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is processed. The process of photosynthesis allows plant life to take the CO2 out of the air and replace it with oxygen. According to a report from Scientific American, the effects of deforestation have a greater impact on carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than the total of all the cars and trucks that are used on roads.3. It can change weather patterns.Drought is usually thought of as an environmental condition that falls outside of human control. It may actually be caused by human activities. With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the Earth retains more heat. This can affect local, regional, and global climates. Brazil has seen one of the heaviest levels of deforestation in the past 50 years and it has also seen one of the worst droughts in its history in the past decade. 4. It provides a finite revenue boost.Unless the practice of deforestation is responsibly managed with new plantings and undergrowth recovery, the land cleared will only provide a limited revenue boost. The profits from logging will eventually run out. Mining and resource extraction can only last as long as materials are available. What happens when there is no longer any rainforest left to harvest?5. It contributes to extinction-level events.We may be able to discover new species through deforestation, but we’re also destroying habitats with this practice. Nature is adaptable, but only to a certain point. Without the forest, numerous animal species fail to thrive, which can lead to extinction-level events. 6. It can cause more frequent flooding.Forests provide soil stability, which is necessary because of the poor quality of the soil. Without that stability, water absorption occurs at lower levels. Water runs through soil easily, leading to flooding and erosion if nothing exists to soak up the water. Extra water runoff into rivers creates flooding.

Some of the Disadvantages of Deforestation

7. It is a finite resource.At the current rate of consumption, the Amazon rainforest could be completed gone by the year 2060. Many who are reading these key points will be alive when that anticipated date occurs. As of today, an estimated 1% of the life that we believe to be in the rainforest have been directly studied. There are many mysteries that are waiting to be found in the forest, but we’ll lose them if we cut them down.8. It changes human culture.Although we don’t think about it often, humans are a tribal culture. We see this in our nationalism, patriotism, and even neighbourhood choice. That is because our ancestors lived in tribes. There are still tribes living in the rainforests of Central America, South America, and Central Africa today. Some of these tribes still have no contact with the outside world. 9. It encourages violence.In Brazil, it is known that ranchers who have moved into the rainforest because of deforestation have hired mercenaries to kill local tribespeople, trespassers, or anyone who may threaten their way of life. 10. It could stop medical advancements.Rainforests have provided numerous medical benefits that have changed the way we think about health. Up to 70% of plants that have anti-cancer properties, such as lapacho, exist only in the Amazon. We currently use about 200 plants in modern medicine that would be directly affected by deforestation. 11. It doesn’t have to be this way.In September 2015, Brazil achieved a goal to slow down deforestation by 75%. In return, the government received the funds from a $1 billion project that was intended to preserve forests. Norway’s ambitions aren’t necessarily altruistic. They have massive offshore oil reserves and preserving the forest helps to offset the emissions that are generated from their own activities. 12. It creates a loss of biological diversity.Even if there were no other scientific discoveries to be made, the loss of biological diversity through deforestation would have devastating effects on our planet.

Some more useful word meanings:

Finite: it has a limit – it will run out if we keep using it

Extinction: when a type of animal or a species dies out

Revenue: the amount of money someone or a company earns

What can be done to protect tropical forests?

•Selective logging - only some trees cut down.

•Using elephants, horses or helicopters to drag or fly selected logs out.

•Replanting trees.

•Environmental laws which make logging illegal, though this is hard to police.

•Setting up national parks and nature reserves.

•Encouraging ecotourism.

•Encourage people to stop buying tropical hardwood.

•Helping poorer countries develop - so they don't have to use rainforest resources unsustainably.

Can you help make a difference?

Using the information and what you have learnt about tropical rainforests so far, produce a poster to convince people to not use products from tropical rainforests and to convince people it is wrong to chop them down. This can be on paper or a digital poster.

Once complete send it to:

[email protected]

Bronze: at least one clear idea

Silver: at least two ideas that build on each other

Gold: clear steps, link solutions to problems

Well done you have completed the work for geography this

week!

• Send pictures of your wonderful work to [email protected] with the subject title ‘Geography Year 7 Home Learning’ and it will be sent to Mr Thomas.