Desert Habitat Science Grade 3

LO: to describe the desert habitat

Starter: Brainstorm vocabulary related to the desert

Desert The largest hot and dry desert in the world is the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa. Other major deserts include the Arabian Desert in the Middle East, the Gobi Desert in Northern China and Mongolia, and the Kalahari Desert in Africa.

The Arabian Desert covers most of the Arabian Peninsula including countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Yemen, and the UAE. It is the second largest non-polar desert.

What is a Desert? They don't get much rain. Deserts are areas of the world that are extremely dry. They don't get much rain. Deserts don't necessarily have to be hot. Some of the world's largest deserts are cold deserts located at one of the Earth’s poles or in a cold area of the world.

Polar deserts Most of the interior of Antarctica is polar desert, despite the thick ice cover.

How do animals survive in the desert? Animals have adapted to survive in the desert. Many of the animals are nocturnal - they sleep during the heat of the day and come out when it is cooler at night. These animals sleep in burrows, tunnels under the ground, during the day in order to stay cool. Desert animals include meerkats, scorpions, and grasshoppers.

How do animals survive in the desert? Animals that live in the desert also have adapted to needing little water. Many get all the water they need from the food they eat. Other animals store up water that they can use later. The camel stores up fat in its hump.

Video 5 min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WViUUMClAUQ

Independent work Complete your worksheets. Group 1 – work on your own Group 2 and 3 – work with your teacher

Plenary Peer assess your work