Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Lesson 4
Animals of the Middle East: The Desert Biome
LESSON DESCRIPTION:
This lesson teaches students the general characteristics, including climate, plants and animals
that make up the desert biome. Students will learn about ways that plants and animals have
adapted to the hot and dry desert environment by finding, absorbing and storing water.
Students will do a sponge experiment to connect sponge behavior to animal adaptations, and a
food experiment to understand that there is moisture in some of the foods we eat. Camels are
very adapted to desert climate, so students will learn about the camel hump, learn that the
hump doesn’t actually store water but it stores fat, and will make camel arts and crafts projects.
An optional extension activity teaches students why the desert is hot during the day but cold at
night. Students will get a chance to make connections between scientific examples and real life
adaptations that occur in the desert.
MAJOR CONCEPTS:
Desert info:
o http://voices.yahoo.com/science-lesson-plan-desert-biome-7640026.html?cat=4
o Saudi Arabia Desert Plants http://www.ehow.com/list_6535137_saudi-arabiadesert-plants.html
o Types of Animals of the Arabian Desert:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5378864_types-animals-arabian-desert.html#page=0
o Desert Animal Survival: http://www.desertusa.com/survive.html
o Desert Animal Adaptations: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/adaptations-in-desertanimals.html
o Desert animals:
 http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnetlab/ps101/bglasgold/desertbiome/lesson4desertanimals.htm
Camels:
o Arabian Camel:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dromedary-camel/
o What secrets lie within the camel’s hump?
http://www.djur.cob.lu.se/Djurartiklar/Kamel.html
o Do camels store water in their humps? http://earthsky.org/earth/do-camels-storewater-in-there-humps
o How much water can a camel drink? http://www.ehow.com/facts_6928808_muchwater-can-camel-drink_.html
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
o No desert too dry: http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/water/lifeinwater_nodesert.asp
o Camel adaptations:
http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/adaptations/camels.htm
ACTIVITIES:
 Activities for all ages (includes K-2 and 3-5 variations within each activity)
 Activity 1: Introduction to Deserts
o Choose from books, videos, and online presentations to introduce the Desert
biome to your students.
 Activity 2: Sponge Experiment: Finding Water in the Desert
o Sponge experiment to learn about desert animal adaptations that help them
survive in the hot desert – (Two part experiment occurs over 2 days)
 Activity 3: Desert Survival Experiment: Does food have water in it?
o Use real everyday foods to find out how much moisture is in foods. Understand
that desert animals can get water from the food they eat!
 Activity 4: Alice the camel has 1 hump
o What is the camel hump used for? Learn about the camel hump with this song,
gym/field sponge game and discussion.
 Activity 5: Make a Camel Mask
o Construct your own camel masks while learning why camels have bushy
eyebrows, long eyelashes and large nostrils.
 Extension Activity 6: Why are deserts hot during the day and cold at night? (Extension
activity)
o Do this science experiment on a sunny day to learn about the climate of deserts.
Optional week-long activity:
Hand out passports to students and explain that this week we will be traveling around the
world. They will be exploring 5 countries of the world to learn about the biome of each country.
Each day, they will receive a sticker or stamp to put into their passport after they complete the
lesson of that day.
How to create a pretend passport for students:
o http://www.fiarcircle.com/downloads/lessons/fc_passport.pdf
o http://www.ehow.com/how_5575074_make-pretend-passports-children.html
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Lesson 4: Animals of the Middle East
Duration: 20 min
Student Objectives:
 To identify key
characteristics of the
desert biome
Key Vocabulary:
 Biome
 Desert
 Habitat
 Adapt
Materials Needed:
 Choose 2-3 of the
following book/video
options:
A Desert Habitat by
Kelley MacAulay
Who Lives Here? Desert
Animals by Deborah
Hodge
Animal Adaptations
video:
http://pbskids.org/eekow
orld/index.html?load=en
vironment
Desert Prezi:
http://prezi.com/phekba
u377rc/desert-biome/
 3-5 Variation
3-5 Desert Worksheet:
http://www.education.com
/slideshow/ecosystemsslideshow/desertecosystem/ You might need
to make a free
education.com
username/login to access
the worksheet
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All Ages activities
Activity 1: Introduction to Deserts (all ages)
Lesson Plan:
1. Tell students we will be learning about the Desert Biome of
Middle East. Show them a map of the Deserts of the World
and a map of the Middle East:
Picture Source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/desert/majordeserts.GIF
Picture Source:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articlePictures/Middle-Eastmap1.gif
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Start out by creating a KWL chart on deserts. Create a
chart on a poster or on the board with three columns (K,
W and L). K = know, W = want to know, L = learned. First,
ask the students what they know about deserts (it’s hot,
dry, camels, cactus, etc), and what they want to know
(how do animals and plants survive in the desert, etc). (At
the end of today’s lesson you will fill out the L part of the
chart)
3. Reading and Video introduction to Deserts: Choose 2 of
the following presentation options. Based on your specific
access to technology, you can choose between the books,
video and Desert Prezi. The best combinations is to read 1
book, show the Animal Adaptations Video and then show
the Desert Prezi
Presentation options:
i.
Book options:
A Desert Habitat by Kelley MacAulay
Who Lives Here? Desert Animals by
Deborah Hodge
ii.
Technology options:
Animal Adaptations Video
Desert Prezi
4. Discuss with students: (and fill out more of the KWL sheet)
All animals and people need water and food to
survive. How do you think animals of the desert
survive? (brainstorm and discuss what you learned
in the videos/books)
What are some of the key traits of deserts?
i.
Low rainfall
ii.
Hot during the day, cold at night
iii.
Not much water
5. 3-5 Desert Worksheet: Hand out the worksheethttp://www.education.com/slideshow/ecosystemsslideshow/desert-ecosystem/ You might need to make a
free education.com username/login to access the
worksheet. Allow students time to read through the
worksheet and fill out the word search.
2.
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
Duration: Must be done in 2
parts- Day 1 (15 min) and
Day 2 (25 min)
Student Objectives:
 To identify five
adaptations of a desert
animal which allow it to
survive under extreme
conditions.
 To connect a waterbased science
experiment to desert
animal adaptations
Key Vocabulary:
 Shade, Burrow, Skin,
Waterproof, Retain
water
Materials Needed:
Per student pair:
4 sponges (same shape
and size)
Disposable aluminum
pan
1 bag of sand
1 plastic sandwich bag
(Note: The bag should
close securely around the
sponge with little excess).
1 Experimental Funsheet
(page 4)
Per class:
1 scale or triple-beam
balance
copy of Desert
Adaptation Teacher's
Guide on pages 5 to 11
Water
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NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Activity 2: Sponge Experiment: Finding Water
in the Desert (all ages)
Lesson Plan
Part 1: Experiment- Day 1
1. Explain to students that they will be learning about the
different ways that animals in the desert adapt to the lack
of water.
2. Split students into pairs. Distribute four sponges, a plastic
bag, and an Experimental Funsheet (page 4 of the link) to
each student pair. Explain that these sponges will represent
desert-dwelling animals. The students will simulate three
adaptations and/or behaviors that some desert animals
exhibit to help retain water and reduce overheating.
3. Explain the following three adaptations and/or behaviors of
some desert dwelling animals and how the students will
simulate each of these conditions. These conditions should
be simulated for a 24-hour period
a. The Shaded Sponge: Avoiding heat by being
primarily active (searching for mates and
feeding) at dusk and dawn and retreating to a
shady place during the day.
b. The Burrow Sponge.
Avoiding heat by digging a
burrow under the surface
of the soil or sand to
escape the high surface
temperatures.
c. The Waterproof Skin Sponge. Retaining water by
having waterproof skin that retains moisture.
d. The Control Sponge. As a control one of the
sponges should be left out in a non-shaded area.
4. Instruct students to moisten all their sponges to the point
of saturation. Next, students will weigh each sponge,
record its weight, and designate it to one of the following
conditions:
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
a. The Shaded Sponge: Students will simulate this
by placing one sponge in a shady area.
b. The Burrow Sponge: Students will simulate this
by placing one sponge in a shallow burrow. The
students will fill a disposable aluminum pan with
sand. Next, they should dig a shallow burrow in
the sand, place the sponge inside and cover it
with an inch of sand. The turkey pan should be
placed in an area receiving direct sunlight. Note:
Several student groups may share one
disposable turkey pan and sand as long as there
is enough room for all the burrows.
c. The Waterproof Skin Sponge: Students will
simulate by placing one of their sponges in the
plastic bag and then securely fasten it. Next, the
students will leave the sponge in an area
receiving direct sunlight.
d. The Control Sponge: Students will leave this
sponge out in a non-shaded area. No
experimental treatment should be given to this
sponge.
Part 2: Experiment Day 2
1. Instruct students to monitor their sponges over the next 24
hours and record their data on the Experimental Funsheet
(page 4 of the link). Students will weigh their sponges again
the following day to observe how much moisture was lost
under each of the conditions
2. Students will present their research about a desert animal,
adaptations, and their experiment to the class.
3. Lead a group discussion about the class experiment. Which
condition (adaptation and/or behavior) retained the most
water in the sponges and why? Which condition retained
the least amount of water in the sponges and why? What
other desert adaptations and/or behaviors were
represented by the research portion of the project?
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Part 3: Animal Identifications
1. Students will connect animal adaptations to the types of
sponges they saw. Types of sponges:
a. The Shaded Sponge: Avoiding heat by being
primarily active (searching for mates and feeding) at
dusk and dawn and retreating to a shady place
during the day.
b. The Burrow Sponge. Avoiding heat by digging a
burrow under the surface of the soil or sand to
escape the high surface temperatures.
c. The Waterproof Skin Sponge. Retaining water by
having waterproof skin that retains moisture.
d. Introduce this adaptation as well:
i. Fat storage- Stores energy in fat that it can
use later
2. K-2 Variation:
a. Read the animal descriptions (below) out loud and
ask students to try to guess which type of sponge
that animal relates to (Use animal descriptions from
pages 5-10 of the lesson plan link). It might be
beneficial to show a visual (from Google images) of
each animal.
b. Leopard Gecko: They are strictly nocturnal, keeping
out of the heat of the day, emerging at night from
holes and crevices to hunt for food. Extra-thick skin
helps to prevent drying out in the desert.
Additionally, it protects from the wear and tear of
moving through dry scrub or around sharp rocks
(Shaded sponge)
c. Meerkat (Suricata suricatta): Meerkats have long
curved claws for digging and closed ears to keep out
dirt when burrowing. Their underground burrows
may have 20 different entrances and exits. These
burrows serve for protection against predators and
the sun (Burrow Sponge)
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
d. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: All reptiles
possess a thick, scaly skin composed of keratin. This
reptilian skin greatly reduces the loss of water
(Waterproof Skin Sponge)
e. Another adaptation: Gila Monster Lizard: Fat
Storage- Fat stored in the tail and abdomen is
metabolized when food is scarce. Additionally, their
metabolic rate is slow and they therefore go
through their fat reservoirs slowly.
3. 3-5 Variation:
a. Hand each student an animal and its description
(from pages 5-10 of the lesson plan link). Write the
animal adaptation options on the board (shaded,
burrow, skin) and add one more (fat storage).
Explain each one.
i. Note: There are 12 animals, so if there are
more than 12 students, you can put students
into pairs.
b. Tell students they will be reading the description of
their animal and connecting it to one of the
adaptations they learned about from the sponge
experiment. Which adaptation(s) does that animal
do to survive in the desert? Do they have any
additional adaptations other than
shaded/burrow/skin/fat storage?
i. Answers:
1. Fennec fox - burrow
2. leopard gecko – shaded, waterproof
skin
3. dromedary camel - fat storage
4. Addax antelope - burrow
5. meerkat - burrow
6. gila monster – burrow, fat storage
7. sidewinder - shaded
8. desert tortoise – burrow, shaded
9. Sonoran desert toad – burrow,
shaded
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
10. bilby - burrow
11. kangaroo rat – burrow, shade
12. western diamondback rattlesnakewaterproof skin, burrow
c. Each student/pair will present to the rest of the
class on their animal and describe the adaptation to
the class.
Lesson Plan Source: http://www.seaworld.org/just-forteachers/classroom-activities/48/pdf/Desert%20Animal%20Adaptations.pdf
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
Duration: 50 min-1 hour
Student Objectives:
 To explain the types of
adaptations that desert
organisms have that help
them live in hot, dry
conditions with little
water.
 To make predictions and
explore the food
students eat to find out
how much water it
contains
 To understand how
desert organisms get
some of their necessary
water from their food
Key Vocabulary:
 Desert
 adaptations
Materials Needed:
 Where’s_The_Water_Wo
rksheet
 Book: The Magic School
Bus: All Dried Up by
Joanna Cole
 Bite-size pieces of
different foods (apple,
turkey, cheese, bread,
chips, lettuce, salami,
banana, sugar cookies)
 Plastic sandwich bags
that zip close
 5 gooseneck lamps with
75-watt bulbs
 Biome world map
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NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Activity 3: Desert Survival Experiment: Does
food have water in it? (all ages)
Lesson Plan:
Part 1: Introduction
1. Ask students: What are the basic needs of all plants and
animals? (food and water)
2. Show students images of dry, barren deserts. How do
plants and animals that live in the desert meet their need
for water?
Part 2: Investigation
1. Do you think there is water in the foods you eat? What
foods to you think contain more water than others?
2. Tell students that they will be doing an experiment to find
out how much water is in common lunch food.
3. Pass out Where’s_The_Water_Worksheet and explain
procedure to students – each group will select four
different pieces of food and put each piece in its own
baggie and seal the bag. They will predict which food
contains the most water and then place the baggies under
their lamp for half an hour, at which time they will compare
their predictions with their results.
4. Place students into groups of 3-4 students. Each group
should contain students at various academic levels
5. Have 1 member of each group come up to get baggies/food
6. Students will fill out the first part of the worksheet,
recording their samples and making their predictions
7. Once students have made predictions, they will bring their
bags to teacher at the back table and put them below their
lamp
8. We will return to the experiment after 30 minutes so the
students can record their results and compare them to
their predictions
Part 3: Explain
1. Read The Magic School Bus: All Dried Up (Explain): We are
going to go on a field trip with Ms. Frizzle and her class in
the Magic School Bus to learn more about the
characteristics of deserts and find out how some plants and
animals can live there.
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Read the book to students
3. After reading, ask students questions:
a. What kinds of adaptations do desert plants have?
b. How have animals adapted to live in the desert?
c. How do these adaptations help plants and animals
meet their needs?
d. Is there water in the desert?
e. Do the desert animals need to be rescued?
2.
Adaptation simulation
materials:
 DesertAnimalAdaptations
.doc- Download
document from the
bottom of
https://sites.google.com/sit
e/mebrook05/lessonplans/desert-adaptations
 Large piece of tan felt
 Fat tail made of felt
 Two long wooden spoons
with large felt oval
attached over the scoop
part
 10 large paperclips
 Sunglasses with large
ping-pong ball “eyes”
attached
 Nose plug
 4 sponges
Part 4: Explore
1. Explore specific desert animal adaptations: Tell students
that they have heard about the different types of
adaptations that animals have made to help them survive
in the desert, but now they will get to see some of these
adaptations with their own eyes.
2. Ask for a student volunteer to represent our desert animal
3. One by one, attach “adaptations” to the student. Call on
students to identify what the adaptation is and how it helps
the “animal” survive in the desert. Ask other students if
they agree and/or if they can think of another purpose of
the adaptation. (See DesertAnimalAdaptations.doc(Download document from the bottom of
https://sites.google.com/site/mebrook05/lesson-plans/desertadaptations) for explanation of “adaptations”)
4. As each adaptation is discussed, ask students if they can
name an animal from the book or a desert animal they
know that had that adaptation. Make it clear that multiple
animals can have the same adaptation.
Part 5: Explore and Explain
1. Completion of investigation (Explore): Have students get
back into their groups, and send one student to collect
their baggies (carefully) and turn off their light
2. Students should examine their bags and record their
observations on the worksheets, comparing their
predictions to the actual results
3. Class discussion of findings (Explain)
a. Ask students to discuss what foods they thought
would have the most water, and which they
thought would have the least, and why
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
b. Were their predictions accurate? What were their
actual results? Did other groups get different
results?
c. Discuss which of the food samples produced the
most water and which produced the least
1.
2.
3.
4.
Part 6: Extend
Connect the different parts of the lesson: Ask students:
How does this food experiment relate to the desert and the
way animals have adapted to live in the desert?
Explain that the heat given off from the lamp represents
the heat from the sun, and that the water collected in the
baggies occurs because the moisture from the food
evaporated and condensed in the sealed sandwich bag
Ask students what they would want to bring for lunch if
they were going for a hike in the desert. Why would that
be good food to bring?
Explain to students that animals can get water from the
foods they eat- This helps them survive in the desert!!!!
Lesson Plan Source:
https://sites.google.com/site/mebrook05/lessonplans/desert-adaptations
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
Duration: 20-25 minutes
Student Objectives:
 To investigate the camel
hump and its functions
 To learn about water and
food storage
Key Vocabulary:
 Camel hump
 Hydrated
 Storing fat
 bloodstreams
Materials Needed:
 2 sponges
 2 buckets
 Water
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NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Activity 4: Alice the camel has 1 humpOutdoor activity (all ages)
Lesson Plan:
1. Introduce Camels with these camel facts:
a. Habitat: Deserts, dry area
b. Two types of camels: One hump (Arabian) and two
hump (Bactrian)
c. The Hump: Contains fat which supplies the camel
with nutrition; he
does not have to
eat for 3 to 4 days
at a time.
d. Diet: Camels are
plant eaters or
are HERBIVORES. C
ommon food
includes plants,
oats, dates, and
wheat.
e. Important parts of
the body: The
leathery pads on knees and chest to protect them
from sand; Nostrils open and close and protect
them as well from the desert environment; Very
bushy eyebrows and two rows of eyelashes which
protect the eyes from sand.
2. Sing the “Alice the Camel” song: Lyrics, Tune (video). Teach
the tune and lyrics, and have students sing along.
a. When done in a group, everyone should get in as
close to a circle as possible and put their arms over
the shoulders of the people next to them. Then,
while they say each number of humps everyone
bends at the knees. During the lines "Boom, Boom,
Boom," then everyone bangs hips against each
other. Nothing dangerous of course.
b. Or to do individually, show five fingers when you
sing "5 humps," then four, three, etc. Sway your
hips from side to side on the "boom, boom, boom."
3. Tell students that camels in the Arabian Desert have ONE
hump.
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
4. Drink Up Camel: Field/Gym Activitya. Tell you students that when it is very hot out
animals (and humans) have to drink water to stay
hydrated. It is hard to find water in the desert, but
when camels find water they can drink up to thirtytwo gallons of water at one time. This means camels
can drink 512 cups of water at once.
b. Then proceed to play this game: Split your students
up into two teams. Tell them that they are camels
and must collect as much water as they can. Place a
bucket at the start of both team's lines and on the
opposite side of the playing field. Give the first
person on both teams a sponge. When you yell go
the first person on both teams gets as much water
from the bucket in their sponge as possible and runs
to squeeze it out in the bucket on the opposite side
of the playing field. Then they run back and tag the
next person in line and hands them the sponge. This
keeps going until everyone has gone. Then whoever
has the most water in the bucket at the opposite
side of the playing field wins!
5. Ask students where they think the camel stores all that
water?
a. Students will probably answer: The hump.
b. Camels actually do NOT store water in their humps!
They store fat in their humps to give them energy to
survive in the desert.
c. So how do camels stay hydrated?
i. They drink a lot of water and store water in
their bloodstream and their stomachs.
ii. Camels have very large nostrils that they can
open and close. They open their nostrils to
let in water, and can use their nostrils to
sponge up the moisture from the air they
breathe out. When there is a sandstorm,
they close their nostrils so they won’t get
sand in their noses.
Lesson Plan Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/camel-lessonplans-children-3933282.html?cat=4
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Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
Duration: 20-25 minutes
Student Objectives:
 To design a camel mask
to include the key
features of a camel’s face
 To discover the key
adaptations on the
camel’s face that help it
survive
Key Vocabulary:
 Adaptation
 Herbivores
 Eyebrows
 Eyelashes
 Nostrils
Materials Needed:
 Paper plates
 Construction paper
 Yarn or pom pom balls
 Pipe Cleaners
 Crayons or markers
 Scissors
 Glue
 Hole puncher
 Wooden Popsicle sticks
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NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Activity 5: Make a Camel Mask (all ages)
Lesson Plan:
1. Go over Camel Facts:
a. Habitat: Deserts, dry area
b. Two types of camels: One hump (Arabian) and
two hump (Bactrian)
c. The Hump: Contains fat which supplies the
camel with nutrition; he does not have to eat for
3 to 4 days at a time.
d. Diet: Camels are plant eaters or
are HERBIVORES. Common food includes plants,
oats, dates, and wheat.
e. Important parts of the body: The leathery pads
on knees and chest to protect them from sand;
Nostrils open and close and protect them as well
from the desert environment; Very bushy
eyebrows and two rows of eyelashes which
protect the eyes from sand.
2. After speaking to the children about the furry eyebrows
and long rows of eyelashes, have the children make their
very own camel masks which resemble real camels.
3. The teacher should show the children pictures of camel
faces to help them understand how the face is situated: big
rounded nose, large nostrils, eyes with long eyelashes and
eyebrows. Allow the students to draw their camel faces
onto paper plates. Have the color and prepare the camel
faces for the next steps. Where the eyebrows should go
have children glue either yarn or pom poms to make them
nice and bushy!
4. The teacher will then use a hole-puncher to make holes
where the eyelashes should go. Make several holes then
help children lace the eyelashes into the holes. Use one
pipe cleaner for every two holes. You will bend the pipe
cleaner to make a V and insert both sides of pipe cleaner
straight through two holes (one side for each hole). Once
the pipe cleaner has entered both holes twist the pipe
cleaners so that they stay. Twist 3-4 times around each
other. Proceed several more time depending on how many
holes you have punched. This should be done going from
the back to the front (so the twisting will be done on the
front). If you punched 10 holes then you will be using 5
pipe cleaners.
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
5. You can now cut open holes where the eyes would be so
the child can see out of the mask. The last step is to glue a
wooden Popsicle stick to the bottom so that the child can
hold the mask in front of his face.
6. This craft will help the children with fine motor skills, and is
also a great opportunity to assess the children about the
face anatomy of the camel. Ask the students:
o Why do they have bushy eyebrows?
o Why do they have long eyelashes?
o Why do they have large nostrils?
Lesson Plan Source: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/pre-k-
and-k-lesson-plans/57181-is-a-camel-a-mammal-lesson-plan/
16
Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World
Duration: 10-30 min
Student Objectives:
 To understand why
changes in climate occur
in the desert
 To practice utilizing and
reading a thermometer
Key Vocabulary:
 Deserts
Materials Needed:
 Desert experiment video:
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=cieT5cZPP10
 You can choose to show
the video OR do the
experiment yourself. If
you do the experiment
yourself with the class,
you will need the
following materials:
2 glass jars
Sand
2 thermometers
1 washcloth
2 Ziploc bags of
ice
17
NC Migrant Education:
Science Curriculum
Extension Activity 6: Why are deserts hot
during the day and cold at night? (all ages)
Lesson Plan:
1. Science experiment to explore why deserts are hot during
the day and cold at night: Experiment video. There are two
options on how to lead this activity.
a. NOTE: While the sand is heating up, jump to
step 4 of the lesson plan. After you complete
step 4 (reading and video introduction), come
back to the science experiment.
b. NOTE: This experiment can only be done on a
hot/sunny day.
c. Option 1: Show the video to the students but
don’t actually do the experiment. Then discuss
what the students learned. Add to the L part of
the KWL chart.
d. Option 2: Do the experiment with your
students: Teacher watches the video and uses it
as a guide to lead the experiment with your
students. Students should take notes on their
findings.