1. No one was hurt… but what caused this crash in this year’s Tour de France? With you partner give two different possible reasons.
Click on the image to find out.
Were you right?
Does is matter?
See article to find out what happened....

2. Homework:
Complete the first worksheet on the physical geography of Easter Island.
Do not stick this in you book. It will not be marked, but you will have to show that you have done it next lesson.

3. Introducing physical geography
Mapping & Making Connections Lesson 1
Introducing physical geography

4. Aim To understand what physical geography is
To understand what the word describe means and practise describing graphs and maps
To understand how animals and plants adapt to hot deserts

5. Remind your partner of what physical geography is about
Then look at this map. What does it show and can you name any of them? You have 10 minutes to do this.

6. Now describe the pattern of the World’s major deserts
Stick the map in your book before you write anything
Describe – what does it mean?
General trends
Any anomolies
Specific detail

7. Physical geography includes the climate of an area
Using the mnemonic GAS, describe the climate of deserts.
Rainfall
Temperature

8. My thoughts
The average monthly temperature never drops below 25 degrees Celsius.
The hottest month is June with temperatures are consistently over 35 degrees Celsius.
There is very little rainfall. For 10 months of the year monthly rainfall is less than 20mm.

9. Extension
Why would you need a good sleeping bag at night if you we stuck in the desert?
Have a think and then find out.
You have to write you answer in three words only.

10. Physical geography also includes the animals and plants
What animal do you associate with the desert?
To live in harsh environments animals adapt. Think of the special adaptations that your animal has to live in the desert.

11. Camel Adaptations Watch this video to see in action the adaptations!
As you watch, jot down the adaptations that you see and hear about.

12. How many did you get?
Wide spreading feet to prevent the camel from sinking into the sand. Two toes on each foot!
Tough patches of skin on their knees for kneeling
Thick fur to insulate them from the sun
The hump, used for storing fatty tissue (not water), to provide energy
Tough lips for eating hard, thorny plants
Long eyelashes, hairy ears and nostrils that close to keep sand and dust out
They can smell water, which can be quite a number of kilometres away
TASK:
Choose your favourite four and label them on your diagram. Add a title to the picture.

13. Physical geography includes plants. Why is a cactus a cactus?
How do plants survive in deserts?
See if you can find an example of a cactus and how it is adapted to living in the desert.
Draw a quick (no more than 3 mins) diagram of the plant and label it’s adaptations.

14. Extension –
The cause of the Peruvian desert different to that of the Sahara desert.
Can you figure out why?