12th Grade Desert Land Biome: Temperate And Tropical Desert Lesson Plan (Science)

Topic: Desert land biome: temperate and tropical desert

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to understand the characteristics, ecosystem, and adaptations of desert.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast temperate and tropical desert.

Materials

• Handouts or powerpoint slides introducing temperate and tropical desert
• Magnetic blocks or other manipulatives
• Examples of animals and plants typically found in temperate and tropical desert (e.g. cactus, snakes, scorpions, oases, palm trees)

Warm-up

• Have students draw a picture of a desert on a piece of paper. Ask them to describe what they drew and why they drew it that way.
• Next, have students share their drawings and discuss how their drawings reflect the characteristics of desert (e.g. dry, hot, sparse vegetation, occasional rainfall, etc.).

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of desert biome and explain how it is characterized by low rainfall, high temperatures, and sparse vegetation.
• Discuss how animals and organisms adapt to these harsh conditions. Emphasize the importance of water and shade in surviving in desert.
• Provide examples of animals and plants that live in tropical and temperate deserts.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of pictures of different desert animals and plants.
• Have the students work together to identify the common traits of the animals and plants shown, and compare them to the characteristics described in the introduction.
• Bring the groups back together and have them share their findings with the class.

Independent Practice

• Have the students work on a project-based independent practice. This could be a research-based project on a specific aspect of desert ecology, or a hands-on activity like creating a model of a desert ecosystem. -Projects should be tied back to the overall theme of the lesson, and should include examples of how animals and plants within desert ecosystems adapt to the harsh conditions.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, including the basic characteristics of desert ecosystems, the adaptations that animals and plants make to live in such a dry environment, and the importance of deserts in our everyday lives. -Ask students to share one thing they learned during the lesson or one thing they found interesting.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice activity to assess their understanding of the material. -Collect and grade the completed worksheets or projects as a form of assessment. -Use a quiz or test to assess students' knowledge of the characteristics and adaptations of desert ecosystems and the importance of deserts in our lives.