Discovering Earth's Biomes

• Science
• 6-8 Grade

Discovering Earth's Biomes

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to know and distinguish Earth's different biomes.

Introduce the learning objective and explain its importance.

What is a biome?

What is a Biome?

A biome is a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat.

Flora: The plant life that characterizes a specific geographic region.

Fauna: The animal life that characterizes a specific geographic region.

Define what a biome is and provide examples.

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical rainforests are hot and humid with a high amount of rainfall. They are home to the most diverse plant and animal life on Earth.

They have thick, lush forests.

Examples of flora and fauna: Palm Trees and Toucans

Show pictures of tropical rainforests and ask students what they notice.

Tropical Rainforest

Desert

Deserts are hot and dry with little rainfall. They are home to a variety of unique plants and animals adapted to the harsh conditions. One of those adaptations is that animals are more active at night to avoid the hot sun.

Examples of flora and fauna: Cactus and Rattlesnakes

Show pictures of deserts and ask students to describe what they see.

Desert

Temperate Forest

Temperate forests have moderate temperatures and a high amount of rainfall. They are home to deciduous trees and a variety of wildlife. Deciduous trees lose their leaves during the winter.

Examples of flora and fauna: Oak tree and Bobcat

Show pictures of temperate forests and ask students to identify any familiar animals or plants.

Temperate Forest

Grassland

Grasslands have hot summers and cold winters with moderate rainfall. They are home to large herds of grazing animals and predators.

Examples of flora and fauna: shrubs and Wildebeest 

Show pictures of grasslands and ask students to describe the landscape.

Savanna

Tundra

Tundras are cold and dry with little vegetation. The ground is permanently frozen. 

Examples of flora and fauna: Only small shrubs can survive here and some examples of animals include seals.

Show pictures of tundras and ask students to describe the environment.

Tundra

Aquatic Biomes

Aquatic biomes include freshwater and marine ecosystems. They are home to a variety of aquatic plants and animals.

Show pictures of aquatic biomes and ask students to identify any marine or freshwater animals they know.

Aquatic Biome

Review

Biomes are large naturally occurring communities of flora and fauna. The main biomes are tropical rainforests, deserts, temperate forests, grasslands, tundras, and aquatic biomes.

Summarize the lesson and ask students to identify the different biomes.

In what biome would you likely find cacti?

1. Temperate Forest
2. Aquatic Biome
3. Desert
4. Tundra

In what biome would you find the greatest rainfall?

1. Tundra
2. Grassland
3. Desert
4. Tropical Rainforest

In what two biomes would you find the least diversity of plants and animals?

1. Tundra/Desert
2. Tundra/Tropical Rainforest
3. Tropical Rainforest/Grassland
4. Grassland/Tundra

Write down 1 thing you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Video on Tropical Rainforests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6WdEyt93vA