Passport Around the World: Discover the Animals of the World NC Migrant Education: Science Curriculum

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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-arabia-

desert-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-desert-

animals.html

o Desert animals:

http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-

lab/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-store-

water-in-there-humps

o How much water can a camel drink? http://www.ehow.com/facts_6928808_much-

water-can-camel-drink_.html

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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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Lesson 4: Animals of the Middle East

All Ages activities 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/eekoworld/index.html?load=environment

Desert Prezi: http://prezi.com/phekba

u377rc/desert-biome/ 3-5 Variation

3-5 Desert Worksheet:

http://www.education.com

/slideshow/ecosystems-

slideshow/desert-

ecosystem/ You might need

to make a free

education.com

username/login to access

the worksheet

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-East-

map1.gif

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2. 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 worksheet- http://www.education.com/slideshow/ecosystems-slideshow/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.

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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 water-based 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

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:

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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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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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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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10. bilby - burrow

11. kangaroo rat – burrow, shade

12. western diamondback rattlesnake-

waterproof 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-for-

teachers/classroom-activities/4-

8/pdf/Desert%20Animal%20Adaptations.pdf

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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

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.

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Adaptation simulation materials: DesertAnimalAdaptations

.doc- Download document from the bottom of https://sites.google.com/site/mebrook05/lesson-plans/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

2. 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?

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/desert-

adaptations) 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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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

Part 6: Extend

1. 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? 2. 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

3. 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? 4. 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/lesson-

plans/desert-adaptations

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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

Activity 4: Alice the camel has 1 hump- Outdoor 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.

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4. Drink Up Camel: Field/Gym Activity- a. 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 thirty-two 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-lesson-plans-children-3933282.html?cat=4

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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

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.

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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/

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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

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.