Title of Lesson: U. S. Desert Locations
Objective: *Given a map of the US, students will be able to identify
the
locations of the major deserts, and color them corresponding to a key.
Materials: Overhead of the US, Overlay of the desert areas, copy of US
map with the deserts outlined and a key, overhead pen, colored pencils.
Procedures:
1. Anticipation/prediction. Put up the overhead of the US states. Ask
students to predict which states have a desert in them. Mark on the
overhead where the students guess there is a desert. Remind students
that a desert is a place that gets less than 10% rainfall each year.
2. Put the desert overlay across the US map. Compare where the deserts
are with where the students predicted.
3. Map skills. Tell the students how important a key is to help us read a
map. Give each student their own map. Tell the students to look at the
key. Beside the name of the desert there is a pattern. Color the pattern
with a colored pencil then find that same pattern on the map and color it
the same color. Do this for all of the deserts using different colors for
each one.
Evaluation: Examine the maps and insure that each desert in the key corresponds to the correct desert on the map.
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Title of Lesson: Desert Recall and Categorization
Objective: After listening to the Story, The Desert ABC Book, the students will be able to recall at least four different things that belong in a desert and put them in the proper category.
Materials: Four sheets of paper with categories written on them, tape, four different colored markers.
Procedure: 1. Explain to the students that today you are going to
read a story that tells about some of the different things that are found in
the desert. Share that the story they will hear today talks about one
unusual thing for each letter of the alphabet. Ask them to listen to find
out what can survive in a desert and how.
2. Read the story.
3. Ask the children to raise their hands if they learned about one new
thing that lived in the desert. Randomly call on children to tell the class
what they learned about and how it survives.
4. Carousel Brainstorming. Divide the students into four groups. Post one
of the large sheets of paper with the category written on it in each of the
corners of the room. The categories will be Plants, Animals,
Insects/Reptiles, and Nonliving Things.
5. Tell the students what the categories are. Explain that as a group they
will have to think of as many different things that belong in that category
and can be found in the desert as possible. Tell the students that they may
not write anything that another group has already written.
6. Give each group a different colored marker.
7. Send each group to a different corner and explain that when they hear
the timer go off they must rotate to the next corner to their right.
8. Set the timer for three minutes but watch the children to insure that it
is not too much time or too little. Adjust the time if necessary.
9. After all of the groups have been to all of the stations have them come
and sit back down. Review what has been written on each chart. Insure
that everyone agrees that what is there is found in the desert and is in the
right category.
10. See if anyone else has anything to add to the lists. Point out what a
variety of different things are able to survive in the desert. Tell the
students that some people think that deserts are barren (empty) and dead
but they have learned that many things really live there.
Evaluation: Insure that each group has contributed to the posters by making sure that their color of marker was used to contribute ideas. Observe students to insure participation. Randomly call on students to insure comprehension and input.
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Title of Lesson: Desert Plant Survival
Objective: *Students will list characteristics of the desert plant
they examine.
*Students will identify how cacti plants are able to
survive without receiving water very often.
*Children will suggest how these plants can benefit
their environment.
Materials Needed: Small planted flower, 6 small potted cacti that each
look different, knife, white pieces of paper for each
child.
Procedures:
1. Guided discussion. Ask children what a plant needs in order to stay
alive. List the elements on the board. Comment on how the book said that
Saguaro trees and Living Stone both survive in the desert where there is
little rain -but how could they live there without water, in intense heat?
2. Let children talk about the problem and make predictions. Use the knife
and cut one of the cacti in two pieces.
3. Hands on. Let each student feel the inside of the cactus. Point out that
the plant is wet inside because that is where it stores it's water. Let
them see the big root that runs down the center. Ask the students what
good a plant like this could do -what might some of it's uses be?
4. Ask children if they know of any other plants that store water. Place a
small cactus and a small potted flower in warm place in the room. Tell the
students to leave them both in that spot without water and in a week you
can check them to see how well storing water works.
5. Give each group of four children a cactus plant and a magnifying glass.
Ask them to draw a picture of it and write some words that describe it.
Brainstorm some things that they might look for such as skin texture,
amount and sharpness of spines, color, root visibility, flowers, smell etc.
Post these things to look for on the board.
6. When children are done have each group take turns sharing with the
class what they found. Have one member of the group share what they
wrote then give the other students in that group a chance to add something
different that they came up with.
7. Display cacti around the room.
Evaluation:
Examine each child's paper to insure that they completed the written
work and described the cactus plant. Keep an anecdotal record of the
children who participate in the class discussion so that I can identify
which students do not participate and I can make an extra effort to pay
attention to them on an individual basis and insure that they are learning
the material.
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Title of Lesson: Animal Survival
Objective: In pairs, the students will find information about a desert animal and share it with the class in the form of an oral report.
Materials:. Paper, pencils, Classroom or library access to books with information about desert animals.
Procedure: 1. Show students pictures of the Bactrian and Dromedary
camel. Ask them to identify the difference between the two of them.
Show them a picture of a camel that has been kept in captivity and ask
them to suggest reasons why the camel's hump is slumped over.
2. Share interesting camel facts.
a. Dromedary camels have long hair that almost reaches the ground in the
wintertime, then they shed it in the spring.
b. They have three eyelids that help protect their eyes from sand and dust.
c. They can completely close their nostrils and seal their lips to protect
them from sand coming in.
d. Their humps store fat that it's body uses when it cannot get water.
e. They can walk several miles and go over a week without ever needing a
drink of water.
f. Their hoofs are specially shaped to help them walk over sand with ease.
g. They can carry up to 300 pounds and go to places where there are no
roads.
h. They only have one baby at a time and they all look like they only have
one hump when they are born.
i. The reason why a camel in captivity has a slumped hump is because it
no longer needs to store fat because it can have water whenever it wants
it so the hump is no good so it becomes depleted and falls over.
3. Tell students that there are interesting facts about all of the animals
that were talked about in The Desert ABC book. Ask them to find a partner
and choose a desert animal that they would like to research.
4. Make a list of things that they should try to find out. It can include
things like how big the animal gets, how it has adapted to a hot, dry
climate, whether it is mean or nice(dangerous),What it eats, etc.
5. Go to the library or use classroom resources to find information about
the animals. World Book Encyclopedias and Ranger Rick Magazines work
well.
6. Have the children record the information that they find.
7. Oral reports. Share the reports when each group has finished the
project. Have the children all listen to learn one new fact about each
animal that is talked about.
Evaluation: Listen to the students reports and insure that they have found information about an animal that lives in a desert area. Observe as they prepare the report to insure that both students are contributing. Collect their information sheets to see the work that they have done.
Appendix
Overhead copy of the United States.
Desert Overlay copy
Desert Map worksheet
Labels for Category Posters
Animals
Plants
Insects/Reptiles
Non-living things