Climate & Biome Day

Welcome to Climate & Biome Day

Aim & Objectives

To develop understanding of:

  • climate zones
  • biomes

Glossary

Curriculum Link

Uk National Curriculum: KS2: Human and physical geography

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: 

Science Dictionary: Climate Zone

Use this information for the task in Activity One.

Activity One:

Show the climate zones on this world map:

Download (PDF, 224KB)

Your map must show:

The three main climate zones (30 points)

Key (20 points)

Your map should also show:

Lines of latitude (30 points)

Your map could also show:

Other climate zones (20 points)

Final grade /100

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.