I love teaching the biomes of the world because it brings together so many science topics. We can talk about how the angle sunlight hits the Earth causes uneven heating of the Earth with colder temperatures at the poles and warmer temperatures at the equator. We can talk about how weather determines which plants grow in an area.
You get the idea. There is a lot of science packed into this study of the biomes of the world!
Biomes of the World
Are you wondering what a biome is? We want our students to be super clear about the definition of a biome. Biomes are large areas with consistent weather, vegetation, and wildlife. There are different ways to classify biomes, but I like to use the seven biome systems. The seven biomes include freshwater aquatic, marine, desert, rainforest, grassland, taiga, and tundra.
Check out this map of biomes to see how the seven biomes are distributed throughout the world. The map’s biomes are slightly different from the eight biomes listed above, but it provides a good overview of how biomes are spread worldwide.
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Why Learning about Biomes is Important
Learning is hard work. Humans are only motivated to learn if they think the topic is enjoyable or important. We will work on ways to make your lessons fun later, but let’s talk about why learning about biomes is important.
Scientists organize environments by biome. Students need to know about biomes to talk about environments with other scientists.
Understanding biomes helps us understand animal and plant adaptation.
If we know about different biomes, we will know how to pack when we travel.
Each biome has unique natural resources that we can use to make our lives easier.
When we know about the different biomes of the world, we can better understand how people live in different places.
Guiding Questions about Biomes
While humans don’t necessarily love learning, we are always curious. You can use guiding questions in your biomes of the world unit to help your students think. Here are some guided questions ideas.
What is a biome?
What is an adaptation?
Can I predict where an animal lives based on its characteristics?
How can plants and animals survive in the snow?
Where do most of the animals on Earth live? Why do they live there?
What biome do I live in?
Why do we have biomes?
What is the environment like in a specific country?
Can you predict the environment of a country if you know where it is on a map?
Teaching the Biomes of the World
Biomes are a great topic for jigsaw activities. There are many biomes to learn about, and it would take a long time to make students experts on all of them. In a jigsaw activity, students become experts in one type of biome. Then, they teach the rest of their group about that biome. My biomes information texts are designed for a jigsaw activity with a comprehension question page for the expert on the biome and a notes page so that students can record information about all of the biomes in one place.
I also think it is helpful to teach the biomes of the world and interdependence within ecosystems at the same time. You can create a chart (like the one above) to record the climate, producers, prey, predators, decomposers, and symbiotic relationships of each biome. Seeing everything in one place will help students find patterns and better understand both biomes and interdependence. I love teaching science topics together because it shows students that science is just a tool for explaining the world around us.
I also have a set of sorting cards for biomes. Students can sort pictures to show in which biome they belong. This helps build students’ background knowledge regarding biomes. After all, it is hard to predict the predator-prey relationships in a desert if you have never seen a desert.
Finally, once students have learned about the biomes of the world, they will need to do the work to move this information into their long-term memories. Flashcards are my favorite way to help students memorize information. Flashcards are easy to use, easy to store, can be used anywhere, and only require a few minutes of practice a day. Plus, if students get into the habit of reviewing for tests using flashcards in middle school, they will have a powerful tool for success in high school and college.
Are You Teaching Another Science Topic?
I am working on creating more science units so that every science teacher can get exactly what he or she needs for her students. You can also read about how I use brain science to teach other science topics on my blog. Click the pictures below to learn more.
Coming soon!
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