The Environment
Title: The Biome Project
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject/Content: Earth and Space Science
Summary of Lesson: Students will create a poster that focuses on important information
about a biome of their choice. Their biome will include information on climate factors,
animal adaptations, and locations on Earth.
Focus Question: What factors work together to create a biome?
Resource: Science in Context
Procedures:
Steps/Activities by the Teacher:
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Lead a class conversation about the biome that you are currently in (or is around
your area if you live in the city). Discuss factors that influence the climate of
your biome like temperature and amount of precipitation. Discuss ways that
organisms have adapted around your area to cope with your climate. Discuss
other areas that may have the same climate factors as your area.
Direct students to pick one biome of their choice about which to ask the same
questions that were just discussed about the biome that they live in. Make sure
all biomes have at least one student representing them.
Instruct students to access Science in Context and find at least three different
articles relating to their biomes.
Instruct students to take notes on the four areas listed below:
o Basic information about the biome.
o Unique and/or interesting animal and plant adaptations in the biome.
o Climate factors that influence this biome.
o Locations of this biome around the world.
Provide students with one large piece of poster paper.
Direct students to divide their paper into four equal parts. Each part will contain
the information listed above. The layout of the poster should be as follows:
Name of the Biome
Animal Adaptations
Provide basic information here.
Climate Factors
Provide at least two plant and two animal
adaptations with descriptions and pictures
of each.
Locations Around the World
Describe factors that affect climate like
temperature, precipitation, etc.
Provide a map of all the locations of your
biome around the world.
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Instruct students to create their posters. Circulate the room to make sure that
student information is relevant to their biome and the four topics assigned.
Direct students to hang up their posters around the classroom.
Direct students to rotate around the classroom and take notes on the four
aspects of each biome. By the end of the rotation, they should have a good
understanding of all of the major biomes of the world.
Instruct students to choose one other biome that they found most interesting and
write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting it to their own biome.
Steps/Activities by Student(s):
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Pick a biome that you are interested in researching. Check with your teacher to
make sure that your biome has not already been chosen by other students.
Access Science in Context and find at least three different articles relating to your
biome.
Take notes on the four areas listed below:
o Basic information about the biome.
o Unique and/or interesting animal and plant adaptations in the biome.
o Climate factors that influence this biome.
o Locations of this biome around the world.
Divide the poster paper provided by your teacher into four equal parts.
Use this paper to create a poster about the biome that you have chosen to focus
on. The layout of the poster should be as follows:
Name of the Biome
Animal Adaptations
Provide basic information here.
Climate Factors
Provide at least two plant and two animal
adaptations with descriptions and pictures
of each.
Locations Around the World
Describe factors that affect climate like
temperature, precipitation, etc.
Provide a map of all the locations of your
biome around the world.
Start making your poster!
When completed, hang your poster in the classroom where directed by your
teacher.
Rotate around the classroom and take notes on the four aspects of each biome.
By the end of the rotation, you should have a good understanding of all of the
major biomes of the world.
Choose one other biome that you found most interesting and write a short
paragraph comparing and contrasting it to your own biome.
Outcome: Students will understand the factors that make up biomes. Students will
understand one biome in depth and have an acceptable level of understanding of all of the
other biomes in the world.
Related Activities:
U.S. History
 Evaluate a blank map of the United States and fill in the biomes that make up
this country. Compare this map to a map of the initial American settlers.
Identify patterns that have occurred between the locations of the biomes and
the locations pioneers chose to settle.
Biology
 Create a food web of all of the organisms in a biome. Identify consumers,
producers, and detritivores and observe how energy is cycles through this
system.
Learning Expectation: Students will use their research skills to locate relevant
information about their chosen biome. Students will use their comparison skills to compare
their biome with another biome.
Standards Alignment
Next Generation Science Standards
LS3.B:2.
Environmental factors also affect expression of traits, and hence affect the
probability of occurrences of traits in a population. Thus the variation and distribution of
traits observed depends on both genetic and environmental factors. (HS-LS3-2), (HS-LS33)
HS-ESS2.SEP.1.1.
Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships
between systems or between components of a system. (HS-ESS2-1), (HS-ESS2-3), (HSESS2-6)
Standard Source: Next Generation Science Standards (2013)
Common Core State Standards
Grades 9-10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text;
trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept;
provide an accurate summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and
other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical
context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.10
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend
science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Grades 11-12
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text;
summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing
them in simpler but still accurate terms.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and
other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical
context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend
science/technical texts in the grades 11-12 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Standard Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative (2010)