Today’s Walking Classroom podcast looks at the characteristics of desert environments around the world – including hot, sand-filled deserts and frozen deserts. Deserts get less than 10 inches of rain per year. Desertification can be caused by human activity like cutting down too many trees or bad farming practices that destroy the land.
Character Value: Being resourceful
Click for Standards Alignment
Common Core
L–Language | SL–Speaking and Listening | RI–Reading: Informational | RL–Reading: Literature | W–Writing | RH–6-8 Literacy in History/Social Studies | RST–6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects Elementary School:RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.4
RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, SL.4.1, SL.4.4
RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.3, SL.5.1, SL.5.4
Middle School:
RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, SL.6.1, SL.6.4
RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.3, SL.7.1, SL.7.4
RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.3, SL.8.1, SL.8.4
RST.6-8.4
Next Generation Science Standards
PS–Physical Science | LS–Life Science | ESS–Earth and Space Science | ETS–Engineering, Technology and the Application of Science Elementary School: 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4Middle School: MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4
Supplemental Resource Links and Downloads
Quiz: (Make sure you're already logged into your Gmail account, then click to copy this Google form to your Google Drive. Quiz keys are here.)
Deserts of the World Google Quiz
Slide Deck:
Deserts of the World Slide Deck
Describes a phenomenon in which dust from the Sahara is transported by wind to the Amazon rainforest.
Discusses why there are deserts and rain forests. It has to do with the wind!
Explore the desert landscape of Bruce Canyon National Park in this virtual tour.
Test knowledge of volcanoes with this online quiz from Ducksters Education Site.
Discover how desert animals live, by adapting this project to focus on animals that live in deserts in this project from the American Society for Engineering Education.
Demonstrate knowledge of deserts of the world by solving this crossword puzzle.