Recording the Rainforest
Lesson plan with video, grades 9–12
Video
Description
Imagine waking up to the breathtakingly loud dawn chorus of stridulating insects, whooping gibbons, and squawking rhinoceros hornbills in the verdant rainforests of Borneo. What does sound tell us about the world’s wildest places? In this lesson, students will explore a compelling question: How can we use science and acoustic technology to care for the land and protect the plants and animals in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions?
A healthy ecosystem should be rich with sound—like a symphony! In this lesson, students learn more about the cutting-edge science behind acoustic surveys through an interactive Story Map. Students will also analyze real data to examine how sound can be used to assess landscape health and to prescribe land management techniques that support biodiversity, while balancing the need for resources. Lastly, students will learn how to design and conduct their own community soundscape survey.
Downloads
Teacher Materials
- Symphony of the Rainforest Teacher's Guide
PDF Word - Part 1 Recording the Rainforest Lesson Plan
PDF Word - Part 2 Soundscape Saturation Lesson Plan
PDF Word - Part 3 Community Soundscapes Lesson Plan
PDF Word
Student Handouts
Links
- The Sounds of Borneo Story Map
- Part 2: Borneo Location Sounds Video
- Part 2: Location Sounds Answer Key Video
- Wehea Rainforest Symphony Movement 1 (6-minute version)
- Wehea Rainforest Symphony Movement 2 (6-minute version)
- Full Length Rainforest Symphony on SoundCloud
- Protecting Indonesia's Forests - 360 Video
- Bioacoustics Reveal How Biodiversity Changes Across Borneo's Logged Forests by Justine Hausheer for Cool Green Science
Published February 2017