Biomes

=__** Biomes **__=

**Materials Needed: **
Map of the world, laminated animal cut outs, big Biome book, biome laminated sheets

** Activity Plan: **
1. Introduction to Biomes using big Biome book
 * The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. Each of these habitats has distinct life forms living in it, forming complex communities of interdependent organisms. A complex community of plants and animals in a region and a climate is called a biome.
 * Some Biomes to cover (you do not have to teach them all):
 * Some of the biomes on Earth include:
 * [|Desert] - very dry, either hot or cold
 * [|Tundra] - cool, treeless, and dry
 * [|Chaparral or scrub] - coastal area with hot, dry summers and mild, cool, rainy winters
 * [|Taiga or Coniferous Forest] - cool and dry, with coniferous trees
 * [|Temperate Deciduous Forest] - cool and rainy, with deciduous trees
 * [|Grassland] - Windy, partly dry sea of grass with few trees, including tropical [|savanna], [|prairie], steppe, pampas, etc.
 * Mountain biomes: there are a lot of different mountainous biomes, from grasslands at low altitudes, taiga (coniferous forests) below the treeline, and alpine (the same as tundra)
 * Temperate Rain Forest - cool and wet
 * [|Tropical Rain Forest] - warm and very wet
 * [|Land Caves] - cool and dark
 * Wetlands - there are many types of wetlands, including [|swamps], marshes, moors, bogs, fens, sloughs, etc.
 * [|Freshwater Marsh] - a wetland located near creeks, streams, rivers and lakes
 * [|Temperate ponds]
 * Marine
 * Emphasize the Biome that we live in- Temperate Deciduous Forest
 * Use large map of the world to show where on earth each biome is found.
 * Use the big biome book to go over which animals would be found in each biome and why.
 * Go over adaptations that the animals have so that they live best in the environment.

2. Set up laminated biome sheets on separate areas of the room. Spread them out so that each biome has it's own area.
 * As you place each biome in a location, ask the students what they have learned about that particular biome and what type of animals they think will live there.

__Relay__-
//This particular challenge works best if there is a rotation of groups so that the other groups do not see the animals before it is there turn.// 1. Spread out the laminated cut outs of the animals on either the floor or a large desk top. 2. Give the group a set amount of time (5 minutes) to put each animals in the correct biome. 3. The youth will work together to figure out which animals go in which biome. 4. When the time is up, stop the group. Go around to each biome and let them know whether their choices were correct, keeping track of all correct animals and subtracting each incorrect animal. 5. Ask youth questions as to why they put each animal in the location that they did.

__Global Warming-__
//This challenge works best with smaller groups of 4-5 youth.// 1. Give each student one animal. Tell them to stand in the biome where they think their animal lives. 2. Check each student's choice. They have three lives total and whenever they choose an incorrect biome, they lose one life. 3. After each student finds their correct biome, introduce the concept of global warming. Explain the impact that it will have on each biome within the next 5-10 years. 4. Instruct students to relocate due to global warming. Where would this animal live best if the temperate increased? Would it stay in it's original biome? Would it move to cooler nearby biomes? 5. Check each student's choice. If they generally got the idea and moved to a better suited environment, they are safe. If no, they lose one life. 6. Continue repeating steps 3-5 and each time, global warming will effect each biome differently. Explain what is happening when some biomes get hotter while others get cooler. 7. Continue until there is only one student left.

** Helpful Hints: **
- It is useful to go over all of the introductory information first and then split off into groups, maybe one group doing the relay and another doing a different adaptation activity (ex. create an animal). - With the relay challenge, if they need more time, let the first group go longer and make sure that each following group gets that same amount of time. -If you want the global warming challenge to go faster, only give them one or two lives.



** Sources to use: **
Table to help organize Biome information http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm