Welcome, teachers, to Mission: Biomes! This site was designed for teachers to use in classrooms as a supplementary, interdisciplinary unit. Mission: Biomes is especially appropriate for grades 3 through 8. It is designed to be interactive and self-correcting which will allow each student to work at his or her own pace. We encourage educators to preview the site before using it with students. We hope you enjoy your visit!
- Make science fun and interactive.
- Encourage children to use the Internet as a learning tool.
- Provide understandable information about world biomes while also providing opportunities for further research or more in-depth study.
- Build on knowledge of world geography, math, social studies and science.
- Provide teachers the opportunity to introduce research methods and procedures.
- Provide for differentiated, individual learning.
Students will be able to:
- Define and describe biomes of the world.
- Use the Internet as a research tool.
- Interpret and draw conclusions from graphs.
- Recognize patterns (not only mathematical, but also Earth’s climatic patterns).
- Compare biome and plant characteristics.
- Summarize information and determine key points to apply to real-world situations.
- Relate latitude to biomes and climate.
To read all of the Next Generation Science Standards and learn about the different methods of searching the standards, visit https://www.nextgenscience.org/. You can search by grade levels, practice area, cross cutting concept, or disciplinary core idea.
3rd Grade:
- 3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
- 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
- 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change
- 3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
- 3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
- 3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
4th Grade:
- 4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
- 4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
- 4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
5th Grade:
- 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water
- 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
- 5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
- 5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
- 5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts of saltwater and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.
- 5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Middle School:
- MS-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- MS-LS1-4. Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
- MS-LS1-5. C. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
- MS-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms
- MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
- MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
- MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
- MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
- MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
- MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
- MS-ESS Earth’s Systems
- MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process
- MS-ESS2-4. Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
- MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.
- MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates
- MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
- MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
- LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- LS1.A: Structure and Function
- LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
- LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
- LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
- LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
- LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
- LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
- LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
- LS3.B: Variation of Traits
- LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
- LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
- LS4.B: Natural Selection
- LS4.C: Adaptation
- LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
- ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe
- ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
- ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
- ESS2: Earth’s Systems
- ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
- ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
- ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
- ESS2.E: Biogeology
- ESS3: Earth and Human Activities
- ESS3.A: Natural Resources
- ESS3.B: Natural Hazards
- ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
- ESS3.D: Global Climate Change
- PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
- PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- Asking Questions
- Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Developing and Using Models
- Engaging in Argument from Evidence
- Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
- Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
- Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
- Patterns. Observed patterns of forms and events guide organization and classification, and they prompt questions about relationships and the factors that influence them.
- Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation. Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. A major activity of science is investigating and explaining causal relationships and the mechanisms by which they are mediated. Such mechanisms can then be tested across given contexts and used to predict and explain events in new contexts.
- Scale, proportion, and quantity. In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different measures of size, time, and energy and to recognize how changes in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system’s structure or performance.
- Systems and system models. Defining the system under study—specifying its boundaries and making explicit a model of that system—provides tools for understanding and testing ideas that are applicable throughout science and engineering.
- Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation. Tracking fluxes of energy and matter into, out of, and within systems helps one understand the systems’ possibilities and limitations.
- Structure and function. The way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its properties and functions.
- Stability and change. For natural and built systems alike, conditions of stability and determinants of rates of change or evolution of a system are critical elements of study
- Click on pictures of biomes or plants to get to the information pages.
- Click on underlined phrases to find further information or to go on to next step.
- Metric Converter allows students to convert mm to inches and °C to °F.
- Use the back button to return to previously seen information. Otherwise, use the links provided in the pages to continue.
- When accessing information on the biomes, first you will come to a fact sheet, which is a quick reference about that biome and includes temperature and precipitation graphs for a city located in that biome.
- To learn how you can enhance Mission: Biomes, see Extension Questions and Extension Ideas.
- Tips specific to each mission are located in that mission’s section.
- The Web sites that are listed under the biome information pages are written mostly on a middle or high school level. You may want to tell your students to avoid frustration. One site that is very kid friendly is http://www.mbgnet.net/.
- Since the graphs are an important piece, you may want to go over them with your students prior to the missions. You may want to print out graphs and make transparencies, then put them on an overhead to compare them. (For example, you can compare desert to tundra. Look for patterns between temperature and precipitation.) There are temperature and precipitation graphs for cities located in each biome. One set is embedded within the information pages. A different set is used in the Great Graph Match. You may want to point out that some of the graphs use different scales based on precipitation ranges for each city/biome. Some ideas for your discussion might be:
- Why are the scales different?
- Look for patterns or curves in the graphs.
- What is the significance of the information on the graph?
- What are the high and low values? Why are they high or low?
- Encourage students to refer back to the biome information pages as they are working on the missions. The necessary links are on most pages for easy reference. This can also help a lost student!
- Teaching options:
- As you teach each biome, you may want to reference just the specific pages for that biome. Once you have studied all the biomes covered in Mission: Biomes you can complete the missions.
- After you have completed a comprehensive study of all the biomes covered in Mission: Biomes, you can complete the missions.
The Great Graph Match
- Discussion Points
You may want to point out that some graphs use different scales based on the precipitation ranges for each city/biome. Some ideas for your discussion might be:
- Why are the scales different?
- Look for patterns or curves in the graphs.
- What is the significance of the information on the graph?
- What are the high and low values? Why are they high or low?
- Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should be able to read and interpret simple graphs and have some knowledge of biomes.
- Mission Tips
Graph sets were chosen for cities that represent each biome. The sets in the matching game are different from the ones in the biome information pages so that the Great Graph Match can be used as an assessment tool.
Graphs used in the biome pages are accessible through a link on the title page. Use the menu on the top as a shortcut to look up a specific biome or scroll down to view all the graphs.
There are two versions of this mission:
- Easy version — appropriate for grades 3-5, gives temperature and precipitation graphs for one city at a time, then gives two biome choices.
- Advanced version — appropriate for grades 5 and up, presents all information simultaneously for students to match up the biomes with the correct graph sets.
The computer assists the students in correcting their answers in both versions.
- Extension Ideas
Have the students compare graph sets from different cities in different hemispheres. They can see how the Northern Hemisphere temperatures differ from the Southern Hemisphere temperatures. For example, take Alice Springs, Australia or Middelburg, South Africa and note the direction of the curve in the graph. Compare it to a city in the Northern Hemisphere such as Centralia, Kansas or Yakutsk, Russia. Point out how the curves go in opposite directions.
Explain how you chose your answers. (This could be a written response.)
Why do you think the graphs vary so much?
Find other cities that would be located in the different biomes. You can use the Internet, maps, and globes. Use a world map where the biomes are mapped out.
To Plant or Not to Plant?
- Discussion Points
Some plants can survive in several different biomes, but they won't thrive. The answers reflect this and while some matches may be close, it will not be the ideal answer.
When considering whether a plant will grow in a given biome, it is important to consider whether it will receive enough sunlight. For example, something planted on the rainforest floor will not survive because the tree canopy will block the sunlight, which is important for photosynthesis. Once the plants' basic needs have been met, such as their physical environment, then the plants begin to compete with each other for sunlight.
- Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should:
- Know a plant’s life cycle and have an understanding of photosynthesis.
- Have an understanding of what constitutes a biome. (This is explained on the homepage, but should be reinforced.)
- Mission Tips
This mission works best when the students have read the biome and plant information pages prior to planting in the biomes. Encourage students to refer back to the information as they are working on the mission and/or get stuck.
Have the students make hypotheses about what will happen before they plant. Revisit their hypotheses after they complete the mission.
There are two plants for the desert biome. This is because the creosote bush may be a difficult choice for younger students. We left both in to be a challenge to other students as well. You may want to point out that one biome will have two correct choices.
The computer will assist students in correcting their answers with feedback.
- Extension Questions
Were there climatic patterns that emerged?
What effects do the biomes' characteristics have on plant life cycles? (For example, some desert plants complete their whole life cycles in weeks.)
Explain how you chose your answers. (This could be a written response.)
What are some other factors that affect plant survival besides temperature and precipitation (fire, competition for light, canopy thickness and height, root systems, weather phenomena)?
Some students may be very interested in learning more about specific biomes. The links on the biome information pages provide more in-depth information. Here are some possible research questions to guide them.
- Coniferous Forest: How is a conifer different from a broadleaf tree? Why?
- Temperate Deciduous Forest: Why do the leaves lose their color?
- Desert: Describe adaptations of desert plants.
- Grassland: How is the height of the grass related to its root system?
- Rainforest: Compare the layers in a tropical rainforest and the plants that live there. How is a temperate rainforest different from a tropical rainforest?
- Shrubland: Why are fires so frequent in the shrublands? What adaptations do plants in shrublands have because of this?
- Tundra: Why are the trees short in the Tundra?
- Research other biome types not covered in Mission: Biomes. There are 14 recognized biomes on Earth.
- Research animal life in each biome.
Hands-on Activities
- Build a Desert
Students will create a desert biome to keep in the classroom for observation using a terrarium.
- Build a Rainforest
Students will create a rainforest biome to keep in the classroom for observation using 2-liter bottles.
- Designer Plant
Students will create a plant that could survive in a specific biome. In designing their plants, they must consider what adaptations their plants must have to survive in that biome.
- Designer Animal
Students will create an animal that could survive in a specific biome. In designing their animals, they must consider what adaptations their animals must have to survive in that biome.
Websites
USFS Ecoregions
My NASA Data
GLOBE
ECOSTRESS
Books
Coniferous Forest
Taiga by April Pulley Sayre, 1994, Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
Biomes of the World: Taiga by Elizabeth Kaplan, 1996, Benchmark Books, New York, NY.
Very informative.
The Tree in the Ancient Forest by Carol Reed-Jones, illustrated by Christopher Canyon, 1995, DAWN Publications, Nevada City, CA.
Describes interdependence of living things with a Douglas Fir as the central tree. Uses repetitive text to make point. Modeled on the Pacific Northwest forests.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins, 1998, Scholastic Press, New York, NY.
Photographs of a variety of leaves, very basic, includes description and an easy classification system for leaves.
Temperate Deciduous Forest by April Pulley Sayre, 1994, Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
A Tree in a Forest by Jan Thornhill, 1992, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY.
Presents the life story of a 200-year-old maple tree.
EcoZones Temperate Forest by Lynn M. Stone, 1989, Rourke Enterprises, Inc., Vero Beach, FL.
Examines the temperate forest as an ecological niche and describes the trees, plants, and animals supported there.
America’s Forests by Frank Staub, 1999, Carolrhoda Books, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Examines forests as an ecological niche, with good photographs and clear text, upper elementary level.
Desert
One Day in the Desert by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Fred Brenner, 1983, HarperCollins Publisher, New York, NY.
Narrative story about a child’s life and journey in the desert biome, contains many desert facts about climate, plants and animals.
Endangered Desert Animals by Dave Taylor, 1993, Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, NY.
Begins with information about the desert biome, then proceeds with loads of information about desert animals.
Cactus by Peter Murray, 1996, The Child”s World Inc., New York, NY.
Gives information about the desert and the plants that live there, great photographs.
Desert by April Pulley Sayre, 1994, Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
Ecology Watch: Deserts by Clint Twist, 1991, Dillon Press, New York, NY.
Part of a series, great book with lots of information.
A Desert Scrapbook by Virginia Wright-Frierson, 1996, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.
Story written by author as she journeyed around the desert sketching what she saw, good drawings, lots of information on the animals and plants that live in the desert, not as informative about the climate itself.
Desert Life by Barbara Taylor, 1992, Dorling Kindersley, New York, NY.
Lots of good photographs.
The Gentle Desert by Laurence Pringle, 1977, MacMillian Publishing Co., New York, NY.
Older book with lots of great information on climate, plants and animals.
Deserts by Seymour Simon, 1990, Morrow Junior Books, New York, NY.
Lots of information, good photographs.
Desert Trip by Barbara S. Steiner, illustrated by Ronald Himler, 1996, Sierra Club Books for Children, San Francisco, CA.
Relates the experiences of a young girl and her mother as they backpack in the desert where the child learns about the plants, animals, birds, and rock formations.
Grassland
One Day in the Prairie by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Bob Marshall, 1986, HarperCollins Publisher, New York, NY.
Narrative story about a child’s life and journey in the prairies, contains many grassland facts about climate, plants and animals.
Endangered Savannah Animals by Dave Taylor, 1993, Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, NY.
Begins with some general information about the savannah, then proceeds with lots of information about animals that live there.
Grasslands by April Pulley Sayre, 1994 ,Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
Ecology Watch: Grasslands by Alan Collinson, 1992, Dillon Press, New York, NY.
Part of a series, includes information about savannas, prairies, steppes, and pampas, also gives information about the plants and animals in these grasslands.
What Do We Know About Grasslands? by Brian Knapp, 1991, Peter Bedrick Books, New York, NY.
Great book, includes temperature and precipitation graphs, explains the differences in grasslands.
Biomes of the World: Grasslands by Edward Ricciuti, 1996, Benchmark Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, gives good information on grasslands.
Prairies by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, photographs by William Muñoz, 1996, Holiday House, New York, NY.
Great book, lots of great photos.
Chicaro, Wild Pony of the Pampa by Francis Kalnay, 1958, Walker Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY.
Newbery Honor Book — Adventures of a boy and his pony on the Argentine Pampa.
Our World Grasslands by David Lambert, 1987, Silver Burdett Ginn, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Explores grasslands around the world, lots of photographs, upper elementary level.
EcoZones Prairies by Lynn M. Stone, 1989, Rourke Enterprises, Inc., Vero Beach, FL.
Examines prairies as an ecological niche and describes the trees, plants, and animals supported there.
Rainforest
Rainforest by Michael George, 1992, Creative Education, Minnesota.
Beautiful illustrations, great information.
Tropical Rainforest by April Pulley Sayre, 1994, Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
Rainforest: Lush Tropical Paradise by Jenny Wood, 1991, Gareth Stevens Children’s Book, Milwaukee.
Great book, shows canopy and map, very informative on plants and animals.
At Home in the Rainforest by Diane Willow, illustrated by Laura Jacques, 1991, Charlesbridge Publishing, Watertown, MA.
What Do We Know About Rainforests? by Brian Knapp, 1991, Peter Bedrick Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, great information.
Exploring the Rain Forest by Mattias Klum and Hans Odoo, 1997, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY.
Describes the variety, beauty, and interrelatedness of plant and animal life found in rainforests in Costa Rica, Brazil, Nigeria, and Borneo.
Nature’s Green Umbrella, Tropical Rain Forests by Gail Gibbons, 1994, Morrow Junior Books, New York, NY.
Describes the climatic conditions of the rainforest as well as the different layers of plants and animals that comprise the ecosystem.
Rainforests and Reefs by Caitlin Maynard, Thane Maynard and Stan Rullman, 1996, Franklin Watts, New York, NY.
Journal of a 14-year-old who went to Belize and wrote about her experiences and observations, also includes many postcards, photos, and other writing samples.
Here is the Rainforest by Madeleine Dunply, illustrated by Michael Rothman, 1994, Hyperion Books for Children, New York, NY.
Repetitive poem about the rainforest and the plants and animals that live in the rainforest. Has good accurate information.
Forests and Jungles by Rae Bains, illustrated by Joel Snyder, 1985, Troll Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
Explores the rainforest biome, elementary level.
Tundra
Tundra by April Pulley Sayre, 1994, Twenty-First Century Books, New York, NY.
Part of a series, very informative, more difficult reading level, few pictures.
Above the Treeline by Ann Cooper, illustrated by Dorothy Emerling, 1996, Denver Museum of Natural History Press, CO.
Mostly about the animals that live in the tundra.
Biomes of the World: Tundra by Elizabeth Kaplan, 1996, Benchmark Books, New York, NY.
Lots of information, great pictures.
Arctic Tundra: Land with No Trees by Allan Fowler, 1996, Children’s Press, New York, NY.
Very easy reading, but still informative.
Tundra by Donna Walsh Shepherd, 1996, Franklin Watts, New York, NY.
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, 1972, HarperCollins Publishing, New York, NY.
Newbery Medal Book. An Eskimo teenager is lost in the Artic tundra. She survives with the help of a wolf pack.
EcoZones Arctic Tundra by Lynn M. Stone, 1989, Rourke Enterprises, Inc., Vero Beach, FL.
Examines the Arctic tundra as an ecological niche and describes the trees, plants, and animals supported there.
Snow Bear by Jean Craighead George, paintings by Wendell Minor, 1999, Hyperion Books for Children, New York, NY.
Picture book about a little girl and a polar bear cub, with references to the tundra biome.
Other
What is a Biome? by Bobbie Kalman, 1998, Crabtree Publishing, New York, NY.
Great resource and quick reference for many biomes.
Videos
Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen:
MSB in the Rainforest
MSB Goes to Seed
National Geographic Really Wild Animals series:
Totally Tropical Rain Forest
Amazing North America
Swinging Safari
