EDTechLens ~ Rainforest Journey

I reviewed Rainforest Journey by EdTechLens. For this review I received a one-year online subscription. This program covers life science for students in K-5th grade. My 4th and 2nd grader have been exploring the Rainforest and loving it!!

Each of the 34 lessons in Rainforest Journey cover the same subject material for each grade with increasingly greater depth as the grade levels accelerate. I found this extremely helpful since I was using this with two grade levels. Having both of my kiddos learning the same subject matter made it easy for me not only in our discussion time but also for combining enrichment activities to enhance their learning experience. My 2nd grader was proud of the interesting facts she learned. My 4th grader was able to expound even more about specific topics of discussion from what she learned. 

The program offers brief yet comprehensive lesson reviews to make sure that your child is gaining proper understanding of the subject matter. These can be printed or reviewed online. 

There are online and printable versions of the assessments. The online assessment is automatically graded. The printable assessments are in color. 

The assessments include:

• depth of knowledge (utilizes pictures from the lessons to ask questions)
• open-ended assessment (short answer)
• factual assessment (multiple choice)

PDF printable options are available for both vocabulary and illustrations.

Unit covered in Rainforest Journey include:

1. The Big Picture of the Rainforest
2. Adapt or Die
3. Animals
4. Plants and Fungi
5. Ecosystems

Unit One consists of two chapters and nine total lessons. Unit Two consists of three chapters and eight total lessons. Unit Three consists of five chapters and ten total lessons. Unit Four consists of two chapters and four total lessons. And Unit Five consists of one chapter and three lessons.

A Science Blog is available with both video and written material for the student to explore beyond the lessons. 

Teachers have their own account log-in. Once logged in you are able to manage student/class accounts. Their is also a wonderful teacher resource option to aid the parent/educator throughout the program. By clicking the progress and results tabs you are able to see your child's progress including:

• % of program completed
• average quiz grade
• individual assessment grades
• # of log-in's 

If your child stays logged into their account their number of log-in's will not correspond the number of times they have worked in the program. For instance, it says that my 4th grader has only logged in twice but she has successfully completed over 60% of the program curriculum.

For kiddos not reading yet, or for early readers, there is an audio narration option for the printed text. The only issue that comes into play is that the text in the videos does not have the audio narration option available.

The parent/educator has the option of either using the guided path which requires the student to view the content sequentially or leaving the program open-ended so that the student can skip around throughout the course material. I opted to leave my kiddos program options open-ended so that they would have the option to explore.

Who Used It

Both my 2nd and 4th grade kiddos has the opportunity to use this online subscription. Though both of my kiddos enjoyed exploring the Rainforest with EDTechLens, I will focus on my 4th grader's experience using this fun online science program. I should start by saying that my 4th grader has a insatiable love of animals. She was so excited about exploring the Rainforest and learn about all of the animals that live there. She gained a vast amount of knowledge not only about animals of the Rainforest but about the environment and unique nature of the ecosystem they live in. 

I am not big on quizzes and tests in the early formative years of education. I want to have my children cultivate a love of learning without worrying about grades and whether or not they perform well on tests. I told my 4th grader that she did not have to fuss with the quizzes and tests. My daughter on her own took the tests and quizzes, FOR FUN. Beyond that, I did not really focus on that part of the program.

My daughter loved that she was able to skip around and explore the lessons that interested her the most and not be tied down to a sequential order of lessons. This made her learning experience not only more fun but also encouraged her to work for longer periods of time at a sitting.

Did you know......

There are ants called bullet ants. Do you know why they are called bullet ants? It is because their sting is like being shot with a bullet. Ouch can you imagine? 

My 2nd grader also enjoyed Rainforest Journey. She was most fascinated by the amazing photography. For the most part, I sat with her and together we explored the Rainforest both learning new and interesting facts about plants, animals, and so much more. She preferred to use the audio narration. I read the text in the videos.

Final Thoughts
My kiddos really enjoyed Rainforest Journey. The pictures and videos were amazing and truly captivated the beauty of the Rainforest for the learner. I would recommend this program to others. I will be anxiously awaiting to see the next EDTechLens comes out with next.

To read more reviews click HERE.

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