In this interactive textbook lesson, students will read about climate zones and microclimates, examine climate zones on a world map, and watch a video that explains the locations and causes of extreme climate regions.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The text is student-friendly and divided into brief sections.
Students may highlight and annotate the text.
Illustrations and a map accompany the text.
The resource includes comprehension questions in the text and the video.
Students can take a practice quiz and receive immediate feedback.
Additional Prerequisites
It may be helpful to preview vocabulary terms such as latitude and longitude.
Teachers may want to show students how to use the highlighting and annotating features.
Students must sign in to use some of the interactive features.
Differentiation
Students could work on this activity individually or in small groups.
The interactive textbook could be used as a review or assessment practice.
Scientist Notes
Even with similar altitudes and latitudes, the climate conditions of a place can vary between 0-100km. This is determined by the topography, soil composition, rocks, vegetation cover, temperature differences, etc. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS2: Earth's Systems
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.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.10.6-8 Analyze the ways in which cultural and environmental characteristics vary among various regions of the world.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.