TEACHING
GUIDE
TEACHING
Biomes of
North America
Set I
4th Grade Reading Level
ISBN-10: 0-8225-5971-4 Green
ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-5971-9
2
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Standards
Life Science
• Understands how species depend on one another and on the environment for
survival.
• Understands the diversity and unity that characterize life.
Geography
• Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic tools
and technologies.
• Knows the location of places, geographic features, and patterns of the environment.
Thinking and
Reasoning
• Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and
differences (compares, contrasts, and classifies).
Writing
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
• Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Reading
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of
informational texts.
Multiple Intelligences Utilized
• spatial, linguistic, naturalistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and bodily-kinesthetic
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3 4 5 6 7 8 — IG — 12 11 10 09 08 07
Books in the Biomes of North
America Set I series include:
A Walk in the Boreal Forest
A Walk in the Deciduous Forest
A Walk in the Desert
A Walk in the Prairie
A Walk in the Rain Forest
A Walk in the Tundra
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Lesson 1
Once Upon a Biome
Purpose: Students will learn about various biomes
through reading and research.
Materials
• Biomes of North
America Set 1 books
• Biome Characteristics
p. 9
• Biomes of North
America Map p. 10
• colored pencils
• pencils or pens
• chalkboard or chart
paper
• chalk or markers
Objectives
• List types of biomes.
• Restate which plants and animals live in each biome.
• Illustrate biome regions.
• Compare the characteristics of various biomes.
• Compose a chart of supporting evidence.
• Assess the accuracy of information recorded.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Review biome information, including the plants and
animals that might live in each biome.
• Copy Biome Characteristics p. 9 and Biomes of
North America Map p. 10 for each student.
Pretest
(class)
• List types of biomes.
• List plants and animals that live in each biome.
Read
(partner, student)
• Read Biomes of North America Set 1 books.
Model
(teacher)
• Show students how to complete Biome
Characteristics p. 9 and North America Map p. 10
using the Biomes of North America Set 1 books.
Practice
(student, partner)
• Complete Biome Characteristics p. 9 using the
Biomes of North America Set 1 books for reference.
• Look at the map on page 8 of any Biomes of North
America Set 1 book. Use it to help you color Biomes
of North America Map p. 10.
• Make a key for Biomes of North America Map
p. 10, showing what biome each color/pattern
represents.
Discuss
(class, teacher)
• What biome do you live in?
• What are the characteristics of this biome?
• What other biomes are found in your country?
Evaluate
(class, teacher)
• Discuss the connections between biomes’
characteristics and their geographic locations.
3
4
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Lesson 2
Observing Nature
Read
(student)
• Read Biomes of North America Set 1 books.
Purpose: Students will learn about the diversity of
organisms in their region.
Model
(teacher, students)
• Explain how all parts of an environment are
interconnected.
• How are the plants and animals you listed
interconnected?
Materials:
• Biomes of North
America Set 1 books
• paper
• pencils
• colored pencils
• clipboards
• Observational
Drawing p. 11
• magnifying glasses or
binoculars
• rulers
• scale
• chalkboard or chart
paper
• chalk or marker
Objectives
• List organisms found in your local region.
• Describe a plant or animal from your region.
• Illustrate details through an observational drawing.
• Label a drawing of an organism.
• Explain why it is useful to know the organisms that
live in a specific region.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Review Biomes of North America Set 1 books.
• Copy Observational Drawing p. 11 for each student.
Pretest
(student, class)
• What plants and animals are found in your local
region? List these on the board or chart paper.
Practice
(student)
• Go on a group nature walk. (A nature preserve or
wild area would be preferable to a park or
playground.)
• Students make rough sketches of the organisms they
observe.
• Stay in one place long enough to closely examine an
organism and its details.
• Complete an observational drawing, using
Observational Drawing p. 11 as a guide.
Discuss
(class, teacher)
• Lead a discussion about the importance of
identifying, cataloging, and comparing plant and
animal species in a region. Explain that:
• Scientists categorize organisms by the
characteristics they have in common with other
organisms.
• Temperature, precipitation, elevation, and other
regional characteristics impact the plants and
animals that live there.
• We learn about our natural environment by
learning about the species that share it with us.
Evaluate
(student, teacher)
• In as much detail as possible, describe the local
region where the species that you studied lives.
• Display observational drawings in the hall under a
banner naming the biome visited.
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Lesson 3
Suited to its Biome
Read
(teacher, class)
• Read a Biomes of North America Set 1 book.
Purpose: Students will research and construct a chart
that shows how adaptations help an organism survive
in a specific biome.
Model
(teacher)
• Explain to students how to complete Adaptations
p. 12.
Materials
• Biomes of North
America Set 1 books
• pencils or pens
• paper
• Adaptations p. 12
• butcher paper or
construction paper
• crayons or markers
• animal books
• Internet (optional)
Objectives
• Define biome and adaptation.
• Identify the resources that an animal needs to survive
(food, shelter, water, etc.).
• Organize a list of needs by type.
• Explain how an animals’ adaptations help it meet its
needs.
• Compare animals’ adaptations.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Adaptations p. 12 for each student.
Pretest
(teacher, class)
• Define biome and adaptation.
• Give an example of how a familiar animal’s
adaptations help it meet its needs.
Practice
(student pairs)
• On a piece of scratch paper, list the resources that a
specific animal needs to survive.
• Using the Biomes of North America Set 1 books and
other animal resources, complete Adaptations p. 12.
• On a large piece of butcher paper, make a poster or
diagram of an animal that lives in the biome you
read about.
• Label your diagram with information from
Adaptations p. 12. Include a short description of how
each adaptation helps the animal.
Evaluate
(class)
• Students will present their posters to the class and
explain how the animal’s adaptations help it meet its
needs in the biome in which it lives.
Discuss
(class)
• Discuss similarities and differences among the needs
of the animals studied.
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6
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Lesson 4
Biome Food Web
Purpose: Students will create a food web diagram for
one of the biomes they studied.
Materials
• Biomes of North
America Set 1 books
• butcher paper or
construction paper
• lined paper
• pencils
• crayons, colored
pencils, or markers
• Rain Forest Food
Web p. 13
Objectives
• Define food web.
• Describe a food web.
• Illustrate a food web for one of the biomes.
• Identify plants and animals as consumers, producers,
or decomposers and as predators or prey.
• Label plants and animals.
• Evaluate how one animal in the food web affects the
whole web.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Rain Forest Food Web p. 13 for each student.
Pretest
(student)
• On a piece of scratch paper, list plants and animals
that might be found in the food web of a particular
biome.
Read
(student, partner)
• Read Biomes of North America Set 1 books.
Model
(teacher, class)
• Distribute Rain Forest Food Web p. 13.
• Define food web. (A food web is the totality of
interacting food chains in an ecological community.
It shows how energy moves through an ecological
community, from producers to consumers to
decomposers.)
• Explain how the animals and plants shown on Rain
Forest Food Web p. 13 interact.
• Review the concepts consumer, producer, predator,
prey, and decomposer.
Practice
(student, small groups)
• On a piece of butcher paper, draw a food web
diagram for one of the biomes, using Rain Forest
Food Web p. 13 as a guide.
• Draw the animals and plants in the correct locations.
• Use arrows to connect the plants and animals in the
food chain. The organisms shown may have two sets
of arrows: one set of arrows shows what the organism
eats, and one shows what the organism is eaten by.
Discuss
(class)
• Groups share and compare food webs.
• Discuss which organisms are consumers, producers,
decomposers, predators, and prey.
Evaluate
(student)
• Write a paragraph explaining how the food web
would change if one of the plants or animals
disappeared.
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Lesson 5
The Layered Forest
Purpose: Students construct charts to identify the
layers of the rain forest, deciduous forest, and boreal
forest.
Materials
• A Walk in the Rain
Forest, A Walk in the
Boreal Forest, and A
Walk in the
Deciduous Forest
books
• butcher paper
• pencils or pens
• crayons, markers,
paint, or colored
pencils
• Rain Forest, Boreal
Forest, and
Deciduous Forest
Worksheets
pp. 14–16
• paper
Objectives
• List animals that live in the different layers of a forest.
• Explain how an animal is particularly suited for a
forest layer.
• Discover differences in forest layers.
• Compare the characteristics of forest layers.
• Compose a descriptive paragraph.
• Predict the outcome of a natural disaster in a specific
biome.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Review the plants or animals that live in each layer of
a forest.
• Copy Rain Forest, Boreal Forest, and Deciduous
Forest Worksheets pp. 14–16 for each student.
Pretest
(class)
• Have four students stand in front of the class with
upstretched arms (emergent).
• Have six students stand “hunched over” in front of
them, with their arms intertwined (canopy).
• Have six students kneel in front, shoulder to shoulder
(understory).
• Have two or three students lay on the ground in
front (ground).
• Explain how each group represents a layer of the rain
forest.
• This activity should be modified for the boreal and
deciduous forest, as they have fewer layers than a
rain forest.
Read
(class)
• Read A Walk in the Rain Forest, A Walk in the Boreal
Forest, and A Walk in the Deciduous Forest books.
Model
(teacher)
• Discuss the layers of forests and how they differ in
each of the three biomes.
• Encourage students to think about how the
characteristics of an organism help it thrive in its
environment.
• Explain the directions for Deciduous Forest, Rain
Forest, and Boreal Forest Worksheets pp. 14–16.
Practice
(partner, small group)
• Complete the Deciduous Forest, Rain Forest, and
Boreal Forest Worksheets pp. 14–16.
• Choose one forest biome to illustrate.
• Draw a diagram of one of the forest biomes. Include
the animals and plants in each forest layer.
• Label the diagram.
Discuss
(class)
• Name and describe the layers of one of the forest
biomes.
• How are organisms suited to the layer in which they
live?
• What might happen if there was a natural disaster in
that biome?
Evaluate
(student)
• Write a paragraph explaining how the layers in each
of the forest biomes are similar and different.
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8
TEACHING
BIOMES OF NORTH AMERICA SET I
Additional Resources
WEBSITES
Biomes of the World
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/
This educational site explores the biomes of the
world, describing their climates as well as the
plants and animals native to each biome.
Build-A-Prairie
http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/
prairie/build/index.html
Students will have fun building a tallgrass or
shortgrass prairie using this interactive device.
They will learn about why certain organisms are
better suited to this biome than others.
Earth Floor: Biomes
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/
earthsysflr/biomes.html
This site contains a world map, which, when
clicked, describes the biome found at each
point. Biome descriptions include a climograph
and links to pages featuring each biome’s flora
and fauna.
NASA Earth Observatory: Mission: Biomes
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/
Biome/
This site describes the biomes, complete with
maps and graphs. Students can play online games
to test their biome knowledge.
The World’s Biomes
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/
biome/
This site outlines the features of each type of
biome, including information on temperature,
precipitation, animals and plants, and soil quality.
BOOKS
Burnie, David. Shrublands (Biomes Atlasas Series).
Oxford, Uk: Raintree Publishers, 2003.
This book describes a unique biome found
between coastal and forest regions. Colored
photos, index, and glossary make this an
excellent reference tool.
Johansson, Philip. Forested Taiga: A Web of Life.
Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc.: 2004.
————. Frozen Tundra: A Web of Life. Hillside, NJ:
Enslow Publishers Inc.: 2004.
————. Wide Open Grasslands: A Web of Life. Hillside,
NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc, 2004.
Tour each of these biomes to learn about the
climate, the plants and animals that live and
thrive there, and their interrelationships.
Information is accompanied by color photos.
Malcolm, Penny. Grasslands (Biomes Series). North
Mankato, MN: Thameside Press, 2003.
In addition to describing each biome, this series
explores the human impact on each one.
Students are encouraged to think about what
people can do to preserve specific biomes.
Miller, Chuck. Forest Scientists (Scientists of the Biomes
Series). Oxford, UK: Raintree Publishers, 2002.
Students learn about the forest biome, as well as
about the work that scientists do to study and
preserve it.
Radley, Gail. Forests & Jungles. Minneapolis: Lerner
Publishing Group, 2001.
————. Grasslands & Deserts. Minneapolis: Lerner
Publishing Group, 2001.
These titles from the Vanishing From series
describe some of the endangered animals native
to each biome through art, essays and poetry.
Color photos and maps accompany the text.
Sayre, April Pulley. Taiga (Exploring Earth’s Biomes
Series). Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group,
1997.
This series describes each biome, its inhabitants,
and its significance. It includes color photos as
well as experiments and observations.
Steele, Christy. Desert Animals. Oxford, UK: Raintree
Publishers, 2003.
Students can learn about some of the animals
that make their home in the desert biome.
Tocci, Salvatore. Alpine Tundra: Life on the Tallest
Mountain. London: Watts Franklin, 2005.
This title explores the climate and organisms
native to the alpine tundra. Topics include
adaptation and seasonal changes.
Woodward, Susan L. Biomes of Earth: Terrestrial,
Aquatic, and Human-Dominated. Westport, CN:
Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.
This reference book explores the biology,
geography, history, and plant and animal life in
the world’s major biomes.
9
Biome Characteristics
Name ____________________________
Date ______________________________
Biome
Average Yearly
Precipitation
and Temperature
Boreal
Forest
30–90 cm
-40° to 20° Celsius
-40° to 68° Fahrenheit
Deciduous
Forest
75–150 cm
-30° to 30° Celsius
-22° to 86° Fahrenheit
Desert
less than 25 cm
-4° to 38° Celsius
25° to 100° Fahrenheit
Prairie
50–90 cm
20° to 30° Celsius
-68° to 86° Fahrenheit
Rain
Forest
200–1,000 cm
20° to 25° Celsius
68° to 77° Fahrenheit
Tundra
15–25 cm
-40° to 18° Celsius
-40° to 64° Fahrenheit
Climate Description Found on Pages ____
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
Biomes of North America Map
10
11
Observational Drawing
Name
Date
1. Find a plant or animal.
2. Observe the plant or animal carefully for
several minutes with a magnifying glass.
3. Look at its tiny features, like its
texture, color changes, lines, bumps,
grooves, etc.
4. Measure what you see. Use a ruler to
measure length, width, and height. Use a
scale to measure weight. Count the number
of parts, divisions, angles, etc.
5. On a piece of paper, write what you
measured.
6. Draw exactly what you see. You should look
at your plant or animal over and over as
you draw. This is called an observational
drawing.
*Use a whole sheet of drawing paper even
if your object is very small.
7. Label your drawing with the data you
collected while measuring and counting.
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
12
Adaptations
Name____________________________ Date ____________________________
Directions: Choose an animal from one of the biomes and write how it is suited
to its environment. List the physical characteristics and behaviors that help the
animal thrive in its environment.
Organism ________________________ Biome __________________________
Behaviors
Physical Characteristics
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
capuchin
(consumer,
prey)
cannonball tree
(producer)
peccary
(prey, consumer)
Directions: Look at the
food web diagram below.
Draw your own food web
diagram on another sheet
of paper.
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
jaguar
(predator)
ants
(consumers,
prey)
sun
energy
energy
ants
(consumers)
fungi (decomposers)
tamandua
(prey, predator)
cecropia tree
(producer)
Rain Forest Food Web
13
Ground
Understory
Canopy
Emergent
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
Directions: Write the names of animals found in each level of the forest.
Rain Forest Worksheet
Date ______________________________
Name ____________________________
14
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
Directions: Write the names of animals found in each level of the forest.
Canopy
Understory
Forest Floor
Date ______________________________
Name ____________________________
Deciduous Forest Worksheet
15
Teaching Biomes of North America Set I
Directions: Write the names of animals found in each level of the forest.
Canopy
Understory
Forest Floor
Date ______________________________
Name ____________________________
Boreal Forest Worksheet
16