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In 2012, the United Nations declared March 21 World Forest Day, or International Day of Forests, to remind us of the key resources they provide and that we should protect them if we want to keep these resources in the future. Teach your students about the forests of the world and their benefits in ELA, social studies, and science classes.
[Teach about protecting forests in science](id-sci)
Add more forest content to your science classroom this March with these great lesson starters:
Teach students the purpose of World Forest Day
The United Nations created World Forest Day to help people understand how urbanization, deforestation, and climate change affect forests worldwide. Help students explore the ways humans have disrupted the world’s forests and what we can do to fix these problems:
Read an article that explores the layers of a forest—from the leaves to the soil.
Watch videos about the different types of forests, like rainforests and deciduous forests.
Understand the basics of environmental activist topics affecting forests, such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
Using a topographical map of Europe to locate Finland and the location of your forest field trip.
Creating a printable journal to record students’ observations during the field trip.
Exploring the interactive forest paths to learn more about how forests sustain life, how they grow, and how they adapt to new trends in the environment.
Explore the dangers of deforestation
Forest cover more than 30 percent of Earth’s land surface. But this number is on the decline due to deforestation. Students can learn more about what deforestation is and why it’s a threat to our planet by exploring resources like:
An explainer article on the causes, impacts, and rates of tropical deforestation.
An article examining the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss on the Amazon Rainforest.
An interactive video that looks at the ways humans have affected the planet over time.
Find out how what tree rings can tell us
A tree’s rings can tell us a lot about its age, past weather conditions, and climate change. Students can explore all the fascinating data tree rings can share by reading articles on topics like:
How we can use trees as a natural source of climate data.
The discovery of the oldest known bald cypress tree in eastern North America.
How tree rings helped scientists learn more about the rise of Genghis Khan in Mongolia.
Uncover why some trees have unusual shapes
Have your students ever seen an unusually-shaped tree and wondered how it grew that way? Explore why trees sometimes grow in strange and unusual ways to adapt to their environments:
Read about a forest in Poland that has 400 unusually curved pine trees.
Discover the mathematical models scientists can use to predict the organic growth patterns of plants.
When we think of forests, we usually think of trees. But other types of forests grow underwater: Kelp forests! Learn more about this unique ecosystem by exploring articles on topics like:
What kelp forests are.
The roles sea otters play in the kelp forest ecosystem.
How planting kelp forests may help mitigate ocean acidification and climate change.
[Build background knowledge of trees and nature in ELA](id-ela)
Go beyond science and bring World Forest Day into your ELA classroom with fiction and nonfiction resources:
Build background knowledge of rainforests
Help students build background knowledge of one of the stars of World Forest Day by diving into articles, videos, and activities about rainforests. Students can explore resources that help them answer questions like:
Trees are important to humans, animals, and the environment. Students can learn more about what makes them so unique by reading articles on topics like:
What the world’s oldest tree in Chile can tell us about climate change.
A tree’s defense strategies against animals like deer.
What makes California’s redwood trees so fascinating.
See how poets use forests and trees as inspiration
Poet Robert Frost is best known for his nature poems, especially those depicting New England's landscape, which includes many trees and forests. See nature through his eyes by encouraging students to read poems like:
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
“The Road Not Taken”
“Putting in the Seed”
“Gathering Leaves”
Share books about forests and conservation
World Forest Day is an excellent opportunity to introduce students to books and novels that feature forests as a setting (or even a secondary character!). Newsela ELA’s novel and book studies for each grade band give students the background knowledge and context to better understand each text. Share one of these selections with your students:
High school: “An Inconvenient Truth” and “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” by Al Gore
[Explore the Amazon Rainforest in social studies](id-ss)
The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most famous forests in the world. Students can learn more about this unique part of South America by exploring articles on topics like:
The consequences of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.
How human activities have caused the Amazon Rainforest to become a net source of carbon dioxide emissions.
An overview of the geography and nature of Brazil, which contains part of the Amazon Rainforest.
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