Will You Survive the Biome?

Teacher Page
A WebQuest for 7th Grade (Life Science)
Designed by
K. Lipthratt
kl6954@stu.armstrong.edu

Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

| Credits | Student Page

Introduction
This lesson was developed by K. Lipthratt by incorporating a variety of
websites and interactives to engage the learner.
Students will be tasked to investigate one of Earths 7 major biomes. The information
they will need to gather includes climate, plants, animals and abiotic factors. Afterwards,

they will consider what items they would need to survive in their biome for an extended
period of time. Lastly, the students will create a survival kit poster that includes 5 items
to survive in their biome. They will need to consider predators, prey, climate, food,
shelter, etc. The survival kit poster must also include rationale behind each item and its
multiple uses to survive the elements of the biome.

Learners
Students will need to have basic computer fluency and the ability to navigate through
research sites. Students understand that biotic and abiotic factors vary for each biome
and these factors play a role in how well an organism can survive in a particular biome.
Additionally, students must have access to a laptop or computer, coloring
pencils/crayons and crayons. This activity encourages group learning and
discussion where students are encouraged to talk to their peers and think
critically about the assignment task.

Curriculum Standards
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their
environments.
e. Describe the characteristics of Earths major terrestrial biomes (i.e.
tropical rain forest, savannah, temperate, desert, taiga, tundra, and
mountain) and aquatic communities (i.e. freshwater, estuaries, and marine).
Thinking and communication skills include inference making, critical thinking and
creative production. This is an independent activity but the students will share their
creations at the end of the activity to engage in group discussion.
If completing correctly, this activitys cognitive level is creative thinking. They are not
only asked to remember and understand the information they discover on the websites
regarding the biomes biotic and abiotic factors, they are then tasked to analyze the
information and conclude with the most important items needed to survive in that biome.
In addition, they will discuss their rationale for each item, further deepening their
understanding of the biomes characteristics.

Process
To accomplish the task, first students choose a biome using the following
sites:
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/home/nav/worldbiomes.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/biomes/habflash.swf
http://www.mbgnet.net/

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/604/deploy/604_
SLA_Biomes.swf

Students will use the checklist below to be sure you are completing all components of
the activity:
I have selected a biome
I know at least 5 plants and 5 animals in my biome
I know the climate of my biome
I named some risks associated with my biome that I will need to be careful of.
Finally, my survival kit lists 5 items and explains why I need each of these items.

This lesson should be completed within 2 class periods (120 minutes total). The lesson
is organized as follows:
1. Investigate Earths 7 biomes
2. Students choose a specific biome
3. Student identifies climate, plants, animals and abiotic factors specific to their biome.
4. Students create survival kit containing 5 items with these factors in mind
5. Teacher approves survival kit items and reasoning
6. Student creates survival kit using provided craft items.

Resources Needed
Students will need access to:
Computer with internet to access websites listed below
Paper and coloring pencils for creation of survival kit poster
Peer review opportunities before making poster
Websites students will access:
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/home/nav/worldbiomes.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/biomes/habflash.swf
http://www.mbgnet.net/
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/604/deploy/604_
SLA_Biomes.swf

Evaluation
This lesson creates an engaging activity that has an overarching goal (to create a
survival kit). In order to complete this activity, students will perform self guided
investigations into the biome of their choice and must identify information regarding

climate, plants and animals of this biome before being able to create a successful
survival kit.
To assess each student, a standardized rubric was created where four
concepts could be evaluated. I will be able to evaluate the successfulness of
this activity because students are required to identify why they would like to
use each item. Additionally, they are tasked with including an informational
paper that gives the basic information about climate, plants or animals of
that biome.

Conclusion
Remember, this survival kit has to allow students to survive in in their biome for an
extended period of time! This means that students must know enough about their biome
to be very selective about the items they may choose. Encourage students to be
creative and think outside of the box. Peer review helps students address
communication and critical thinking skills and stretch their ideas further.
Additions to this activity include allowing students from the same biome to
compete for survival and have the class anonymously vote which survival kit
is best suited for that particular biome! This not only creates a greater
emphasis on the overall project but also helps build social skills, discussion
opportunities and critical thinking skills.

Credits & References

Thank you to the following resources for creating meaningful informational
and interactive websites to engage the learners of my classroom!:
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/home/nav/worldbiomes.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/biomes/habflash.swf
http://www.mbgnet.net/
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/604/deploy/604_
SLA_Biomes.swf