Summary Students will take notes on a short lecture about the characteristics of the Arid Climate Zone including the severe lack of ground water and rainfall which prohibits the growth and development of much plant and animal life as well as the geographical distribution of arid regions. Students will create a diorama of the desert region by adding sand, rocks and other props to a shoe box. This is an opportunity for students to creatively display their understanding of arid/desert climate zones. Students will have to write a short response about one desert animal and one desert plant and describe what special characteristics it possesses to survive the heat, obtain water and conserve energy. This information will be found from book sources after time spent in the library.
Learning Objectives 1. Students will apply the characteristics of climate regions to the Arid Climate Zone. 2. Students will identify where arid climate regions exist.
Standards Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude and local and regional geography, all which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns. Because these patterns are so complex, weather can be predicted only probabilistically. A Framework for K-12 Science Education, ESS2.D: Weather and Climate, Grade 8 Endpoint.