Unit 5 - Reading

Match the correct layers to the Rainforest.

a

b

c

d

Emergent

Forest floor

Understory

Canopy

Read the paragraph.

1. 1. Emergent: In this part, you can see the tops of very tall trees. They are sometimes 60 m (200 ft.) tall! Many different birds, butterflies, and other insects live here.

2. 2. Canopy: In this part of the forest, the trees have many leaves. Birds, spiders, tree frogs, monkeys, and snakes live here.

3. 3. Understory: In this part of the forest, it is dark, wet, and cool. There aren’t many plants. Why? Because plants need light to live. Snakes and lizards live here. Jaguars like to live in this part, too!

4. 4. Forest floor: In this part, there are many insects and spiders. Some spiders are as big as plates! There are many large animals. And people live here, too!

Read the paragraph.

1. Rain forests are warm, wet forests. They are in countries near the equator—in Central America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Rain forests are important. They’re homes for millions of animals and plants. The plants in rainforests make much of the oxygen that people in the world need to live.

1. 1. Rain forests are in countries (a)   the equator.

2. 2. Plants make a lot of ​ (b)   .

3. 3. Plants need ​ (c)   to live.

4. 4. Many ​ (d)   live in the top part of the rainforest.

5. 5. Many large animals live on the ​ (e)   .

• near
• far from
• oxygen
• water
• light
• animals
• birds
• leopards
• forest floor
• top of trees

Tell me some animals live in Canopy layers. How can they live there?

(Ex: Monkeys can climb very well so they can live on Canopy layers. They can swing between branches and hide from the predator.)