Session One – Climate Zones
World Climate Zones
Have you ever wondered why one area of the world is a desert, another a grassland, and another a rainforest? Why are there different forests and deserts, and why are there different types of life in each area? The answer is climate.
Climate is the characteristic condition of the atmosphere near the earth’s surface at a certain place on earth. It is the long-term weather of that area (at least 30 years). This includes the region’s general pattern of weather conditions, seasons and weather extremes like hurricanes, droughts, or rainy periods. Two of the most important factors determining an area’s climate are air temperature and precipitation.
There are three MAIN climate types:
Use this information for the task in Activity One.
Session Two – Biomes
World biomes are controlled by climate. The climate of a region will determine what plants will grow there, and what animals will inhabit it. All three components, climate, plants and animals are interwoven to create the fabric of a biome.
Each climate has several biomes (these are the main ones).
Tropical (Low-latitude) Climates:
Tropical Moist Climates: rainforest biome
Wet-Dry Tropical Climates: savanna biome
Dry Tropical Climate: desert biome
Temperate (Mid-latitude) Climates:
Dry Midlatitude Climates: steppe biome
Mediterranean Climate: chaparral biome
Dry Midlatitude Climates: grasslands biome
Moist Continental Climate: Deciduous Forest biome
Polar (High-latitude) climates:
Boreal forest Climate: taiga biome
Tundra Climate: tundra biome & Alpine Biome
Activity Two:
Create a poster board of one of the biomes above. It can be created in any way you wish. It must contain:
A short description of the key features of the climate type including items such as temperatures and rainfall. (60 points)
An image (digital – download / photo / art, or drawing / painting) of an example of the biome. (30 points)
A list of places where this biome can be found. (30 points)
Animals that live in the biome. (30 points)
Plants that grow in the biome. (30 points)
Make it interesting! (20 bonus points)
Final grade /200
Wrap Up – Quiz
Biomes & Climates Quiz
Let's test your knowledge of climates and biomes with this quick quiz.
