Teach the Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem
14 resourcesGuide your students on a hike through the tropical rainforest ecosystem! From the Amazon in South America to the jungles of Southeast Asia, rainforests are full of unique and amazing species.
✨ Perfect for Grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the rainforest. (Don't miss the spider monkeys and waterfall toads!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Deadly 60, Seven Worlds, One Planet, and Life.
- Free Printable: Use the Tropical Rainforest Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Get the Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem Brochure Template
Step into the lush, green world of tropical rainforests! From the mighty Amazon to the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia, these ecosystems overflow with towering trees, hidden creatures, and nonstop adventure. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Videos: The Amazon Rainforest
In Watch a Life Built on Decay in the Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough notes that the nutrient recycling rate in rainforests happens faster than anywhere else. Learn how slime mold, fungi, and beetle larvae interact to decompose leaf litter. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Battle for Sunlight in the Jungle, narrator Sir David Attenborough presents the fierce competition for sunlight amongst jungle plants and how the 300-year-old Hura tree has thrived, supporting a diverse range of wildlife. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Everyone Loves a Fig, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the popularity of the fig tree. Up to 44 different kinds of birds and monkeys have been seen feeding from a single fig tree. Learn how different species interact with one another to gain access to the fruit. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Life in the Flooded Jungles of Brazil, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the flooded Amazon rainforest, showing how jungle trees release moisture into the air to create their own rainfall. Marvel at the diverse range of animals that live in this watery environment, including river dolphins, capybaras, giant otters, and caimans. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Goliath Bird-Eating Spider, naturalist Steve Backshall is in the Amazon rainforest at night. He uncovers a Goliath bird-eating spider, the largest spider in the world, and it’s sitting on top of an egg sac. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In Watch a Life Built on Decay in the Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough notes that the nutrient recycling rate in rainforests happens faster than anywhere else. Learn how slime mold, fungi, and beetle larvae interact to decompose leaf litter. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Battle for Sunlight in the Jungle, narrator Sir David Attenborough presents the fierce competition for sunlight amongst jungle plants and how the 300-year-old Hura tree has thrived, supporting a diverse range of wildlife. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Everyone Loves a Fig, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the popularity of the fig tree. Up to 44 different kinds of birds and monkeys have been seen feeding from a single fig tree. Learn how different species interact with one another to gain access to the fruit. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Life in the Flooded Jungles of Brazil, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the flooded Amazon rainforest, showing how jungle trees release moisture into the air to create their own rainfall. Marvel at the diverse range of animals that live in this watery environment, including river dolphins, capybaras, giant otters, and caimans. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Goliath Bird-Eating Spider, naturalist Steve Backshall is in the Amazon rainforest at night. He uncovers a Goliath bird-eating spider, the largest spider in the world, and it’s sitting on top of an egg sac. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
Videos: The Rainforests of Southeast Asia
In New Guinea Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough details the different species that live in the rainforests of New Guinea, which has 12 hours of daylight for 365 days a year. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Meet the Pitcher Plant, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the pitcher plant. The pitcher plant gets most of its nutrients from insects, which it traps using its waxy sides to prevent insects from escaping. Learn how the red crab spider spends its entire life inside pitcher plants, and can dive down to the bottom of the pitcher by creating a bubble of air around itself. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Young Orangutans in the Canopy, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows a young orangutan as he learns survival skills from his mother in the dense forests of Indonesia. The youngster begins to explore the high canopy for food, including termites and mangos, while navigating the dangers of the forest. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Call of the Rhinoceros, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the elusive Sumatran rhinoceros, whose unique call echoes through the dense Indonesian forests. This fascinating creature is not only a rare sight but also plays a vital role in sustaining the forest ecosystem. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Meet the Gliding Leaf Frog, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores gliding leaf frogs. Learn how they only leave the canopy when it is time to breed, and how they slow their descent using webbed feet, which they use as parachutes. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In New Guinea Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough details the different species that live in the rainforests of New Guinea, which has 12 hours of daylight for 365 days a year. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Meet the Pitcher Plant, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the pitcher plant. The pitcher plant gets most of its nutrients from insects, which it traps using its waxy sides to prevent insects from escaping. Learn how the red crab spider spends its entire life inside pitcher plants, and can dive down to the bottom of the pitcher by creating a bubble of air around itself. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Young Orangutans in the Canopy, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows a young orangutan as he learns survival skills from his mother in the dense forests of Indonesia. The youngster begins to explore the high canopy for food, including termites and mangos, while navigating the dangers of the forest. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Call of the Rhinoceros, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the elusive Sumatran rhinoceros, whose unique call echoes through the dense Indonesian forests. This fascinating creature is not only a rare sight but also plays a vital role in sustaining the forest ecosystem. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Meet the Gliding Leaf Frog, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores gliding leaf frogs. Learn how they only leave the canopy when it is time to breed, and how they slow their descent using webbed feet, which they use as parachutes. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
More on Tropical Rainforests
In A Spider Monkey's First Steps, narrator Sir David Attenborough narrates the journey of a young spider monkey as she learns to climb and navigate the rainforest canopy. Learn the importance of family and group behaviors as the young monkey develops the skills necessary for survival in the jungle. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Bulldog Bats Hunt in the Night, Sir David Attenborough describes how, as night falls in Belize, bulldog bats take to the skies, ready for an evening feast. These incredible flying mammals are expert fishers, spotting tiny ripples on the water's surface to locate their prey. With lightning speed, they skim the water at 40 mph, snatching fish with their feet — but the splashy success attracts other bats to the scene. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Amazing Waterfall Toad, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the amazing waterfall toad, a tiny creature that lives in the jungles where Brazil and Venezuela meet. About the size of a postage stamp, this toad has super gripping hands that help it cling to trees and wet leaves in the treetops. While other frogs might hop away from danger, the waterfall toad has a unique strategy that protects it from hungry snakes below. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In A Spider Monkey's First Steps, narrator Sir David Attenborough narrates the journey of a young spider monkey as she learns to climb and navigate the rainforest canopy. Learn the importance of family and group behaviors as the young monkey develops the skills necessary for survival in the jungle. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Bulldog Bats Hunt in the Night, Sir David Attenborough describes how, as night falls in Belize, bulldog bats take to the skies, ready for an evening feast. These incredible flying mammals are expert fishers, spotting tiny ripples on the water's surface to locate their prey. With lightning speed, they skim the water at 40 mph, snatching fish with their feet — but the splashy success attracts other bats to the scene. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Amazing Waterfall Toad, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the amazing waterfall toad, a tiny creature that lives in the jungles where Brazil and Venezuela meet. About the size of a postage stamp, this toad has super gripping hands that help it cling to trees and wet leaves in the treetops. While other frogs might hop away from danger, the waterfall toad has a unique strategy that protects it from hungry snakes below. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.