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Recommended for: Grades 9-12

Lesson Plan: Biomes

Lesson
Standards

Overview

In this activity, students collect information about different biomes by watching videos and doing a Web activity. They share their information in a carousel brainstorm activity and locate the biomes on a world map. Then they learn how to read a climograph and match climographs to the appropriate biomes. Finally, student teams research different biomes and present their information to the class. As an option, students design an imaginary plant or animal that is adapted to a particular biome.

Objectives

Identify terrestrial and aquatic biomes
Describe the environmental factors and the plants and animals of each biome
Identify the location of different biomes on a world map
Understand the interrelationship between environmental factors and the plants and animals within a biome
Describe examples of plant and animal adaptations to specific biomes

Suggested Time

Two to three class periods.

Multimedia Resources

Biome Worksheet PDF Document
World Map PDF Document
Biome World Map GIF Image
Arctic Tundra QuickTime Video
Desert Biome QuickTime Video
Intertidal Zone QuickTime Video
Deep Sea Vents and Life's Origins QuickTime Video
Coral Reef Connections Flash Interactive
How to Read a Climograph PDF Document
Biomes Summary PDF Document

Materials

Copies of the Biome Worksheet (PDF) and the World Map (PDF) for each student
Newsprint and markers for the carousel brainstorm stations
Masking tape
Biome World Map GIF Image
Index cards for climograph sets

Before the Lesson

Make a copy of the Biome Worksheet (PDF) and the World Map (PDF) for each student.
Make a set of climograph cards for each team by copying Biomes Summary (PDF), cutting the climograph from each biome, and pasting them on index cards.
Make a transparency of the Biome World Map.
Set up carousel brainstorm stations with newsprint and markers. Include the same categories on the newsprint as those on the Biome Worksheet (PDF)
Review the concepts of abiotic and biotic factors in ecosystems and plant and animal adaptations.

Carousel brainstorming begins with a number of different questions posted around the room on easel paper. Participants are divided into small groups and assigned a starting point to begin the brainstorming process. After a few minutes of brainstorming as a small group, they move on to the next question and repeat the brainstorming process. This continues until all of the groups have had the opportunity to brainstorm each question. The groups can return to the question that they started with and summarize all the ideas on the chart paper. Copyright 1999 by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

The Lesson

Part I

1. Give a copy of the Biome Worksheet (PDF) and a World Map (PDF) to each student. Then show the following biome videos:

Also have students explore Coral Reef Connections. If you have other videos available on the tropical rain forest, grassland/savanna, taiga/coniferous forest, or temperate deciduous forest biomes, show these as well. Ask students to take notes on each biome, using the Biome Worksheet (PDF).

2. Have student teams do a carousel brainstorm with a different newsprint station for each biome. Include the same categories on the newsprint as those on the Biome Worksheet (PDF). Place a blank World Map (PDF) at each station, and have students sketch in pencil where they think that biome is located. If teams disagree about the location, have them sketch in a different color pencil or pen. Rotate teams through each biome station. Then discuss the following as you review each station:

What are the unique characteristics of each biome?
How are the plants and animals of each biome adapted to their environment?
How are the biomes similar to one another?
Where in the world is each biome located? Use a pencil to mark the locations on your World Map (PDF).
Which biome do you live in?
What other biomes have you visited? What do you know about each one?

Display the Biome World Map, which uses different colors to represent the location of each biome station.

3. Show all groups How to Read a Climograph (PDF). Hand out climograph cards and ask teams to place them on the correct land biome newsprint. Check the accuracy of the climograph placement at the biomes. Then discuss the following:

How does the physical environment affect the organisms that can live in a certain area? What is the interrelationship between abiotic and biotic factors?

4. Divide the class into biome teams: Tundra (Arctic/Alpine), Taiga/Coniferous Forest, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Grassland/Savanna, Tropical Rain Forest, Desert, Marine Intertidal, Coral Reef, or Freshwater. (You may not have enough students or materials to cover each of the biomes.) Have each team research their biome using at least three different resources, including Biomes Summary (PDF), the Web, and the library. Their research should include climate information, important physical factors (such as soil type, tides, salinity, etc.), plants and animals, adaptations of the plants and animals to their environment, and environmental issues that affect the biome. In addition, ask students to create a climograph for their biomes, using a resource such as Weatherbase.com (http://www.weatherbase.com/).

5. Have student teams present information on their biomes in creative ways -- for example, using models, illustrations, travel brochures, skits, and so on. After each team presents, have them map their biome on a transparency or wall version of a World Map (PDF), using a different color for each biome.

6. Optional: Have students design an imaginary plant or animal that is adapted to the biome of their choice. Ask them to write a description of the organism and its adaptations and to make a drawing of it in its environment. Have students share their organisms with the class and display them.