Drawing inspiration from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, these ecosystems lessons explore the causes and effects of deforestation, starting by thinking about the consequences of the actions of the careless 'Once-ler' in the book.

Through the included slides, detailed plans and differentiated activities, your class will go on to learn all about how and why areas of forest are logged or cleared completely, as well as how surrounding, connected ecosystems are negatively affected.

It's not all doom and gloom, though! Having learned about the harmful effects of deforestation, teach your children all about the past achievements and ongoing work of environmental campaigners and groups – and challenge them to consider ways in which they, and their school community, can help protect forests.

You may also like our Rainforest Topic Bundle – four ready-to-teach schemes of work across a range of subjects to create a rainforest-themed cross-curricular topic. 

Please be aware that, for copyright purposes, we are unable to provide the text for this scheme of work.

What happened to the trees?

To kick things off, read through The Lorax by Dr. Seuss with your class. The included slides with this lesson have a number of questions for children to discuss as you read the story together.

This, the first of three lessons, primes children for learning all about deforestation and what we can all do to help protect forests. There's a choice of differentiated activities included, where children may undertake a variety of reading and writing tasks relating to the story, or role-play an interview with the character of the careless 'Once-ler', who cuts down all of the trees.

This downloadable lesson includes a lesson plan, a slideshow presentation and printable teaching resource.

View Lesson 1

Deforestation

With reference to events in the story of The Lorax, challenge children to identify products we get from forests and consider why logging and deforestation occurs. The included slides explain in straightforward terms some of the effects of deforestation on the forest's land, plants and animals, as well as the wider consequences for surrounding ecosystems when an area of forest is cleared.

After that, there's a choice of activities where children may either work together to write an information booklet about deforestation or produce persuasive texts on behalf of the titular character, the Lorax!

This downloadable lesson includes a lesson plan, a slideshow presentation and printable teaching resource.

View Lesson 2

Let's love our forests

Having learned about some causes and effects of deforestation, move on to discover how environmental campaigners and organisations are working to protect and restore forests.

How can we help protect forests? What can we do as a school community? Challenge children to consider these questions during one of the included main activities. Alternatively, challenge children to develop a plan for a sequel to The Lorax!

This downloadable lesson includes a lesson plan, a slideshow presentation and printable teaching resource.

View Lesson 3