Etymologically syllabus means a "label" or "table of contents." The American Heritage Dictionary defines syllabus as outline of a course of study. It has been agreed that a syllabus should contain an outline, and a schedule of topics, and many more items of information. However, it is suggested that the primary purpose of a syllabus is to communicate to one's students what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required of the students for them to complete the course with a passing grade.
Syllabus can be an important point of interaction between teacher and students, both in and out of class. The traditional syllabus is primarily a source of information for students. While including basic information, the learning-centered syllabus can be an important learning tool that will reinforce the intentions, roles, attitudes, and strategies that the teacher will use to promote active, purposeful, effective learning.
Suggested Steps for Planning Syllabus:
Develop a well-grounded rationale for course
Decide what one expects students to be able to do as a result of taking a particular, and how their work will be appropriately assessed
Define and delimit course content
Structure students’ active involvement in learning
Identify and develop resources
Compose syllabus with a focus on student learning
Suggested Principles for Designing a Course that Fosters Critical Thinking:
Critical thinking is a learnable skill; the instructor and peers are resources in developing critical thinking skills.
Problems, questions, or issues are the point of entry into the subject and a source of motivation for sustained inquiry.
Successful courses balance the challenge to think critically with support tailored to students' developmental needs.
Courses are assignment centered rather than text and lecture centered. Goals, methods and evaluation emphasize using content rather than simply acquiring it.
Students are required to formulate their ideas in writing or other appropriate means.
Students collaborate to learn and to stretch their thinking, for example, in pair problem solving and small group work.
Courses that teach problem-solving skills nurture students’ metacognitive abilities.
The developmental needs of students are acknowledged and used as information in the design of the course. Teachers in these courses make standards explicit and then help students learn how to achieve them.
Syllabus Functions:
Establishes an early point of contact and connection between student and instructor
Helps set the tone for syllabus
Describes your beliefs about educational purposes
Acquaints students with the logistics of the syllabus
Contains collected handouts
Defines student responsibilities for successful course work
Describes active learning
Helps students to assess their readiness for your course
Sets the course in a broader context for learning
Provides a conceptual framework
Describes available learning resources
Communicates the role of technology in the course
Can expand to provide difficult-to-obtain reading materials
Can improve the effectiveness of student note-taking
Can include material that supports learning outside the classroom
Can serve as a learning contract
Checklist for a learning-centered syllabus:
Title Page
Table of Contents
Instructor Information
Letter to the Student
Purpose of the Course
Course Description
Course and Unit Objectives
Resources
Readings
Course Calendar
Course Requirements
Evaluation
Grading Procedures
How to Use the Syllabus
How to Study for This Course
Content Information
Learning Tools
Major Content Areas of a Syllabus
Course Information. The first item of information in a syllabus should give course information: course title, course number, and credit hours. Also, are there any prerequisites? Is the permission of the instructor required? Include the location of classroom, and the days and hours class/lab/studio/etc. meets.
Instructor Information. Second, the students need information about the instructor: full name, title; office location (and where to leave assignments), office phone number; office hours. Depending on the size of the class (and other factors), it may be desirable to include an emergency phone number; quite often this can be the number of the department office. Many instructors give the students their home telephone number. If it is done, it is well to also list restrictions, e.g., "No calls between 10:30 pm and 8:30 am please."
Text, Readings, Materials. College-level instruction -- at least in the United States -- is heavily dependent upon the use of print material, if not a required textbook, then a variety of readings. These are becoming increasingly costly. The syllabus should provide the students with detailed information about the following:
Textbook(s) -- include the title, author, date (and edition), publisher, cost, where available, (often it is appropriate to indicate why the particular text was chosen and/or how extensively it will be used).
Supplementary reading(s) - in addition to the detailed bibliographic information about the readings, the syllabus should indicate whether the readings are required or only recommended, and whether the readings are on reserve in the library or available for purchase in the bookstore. Sometimes instructors make their own books available to students. If this is the case for the given course, that information might be included in the syllabus along with whatever conditions apply to their use.
Materials -- although many courses use only print material, there are a myriad of courses that require additional -- something expensive -- materials, e.g., lab or safety equipment, art supplies, special calculators or even computers, etc.
Course Descriptions/Objectives. The treatment of this area -- variously called course description, content, goals, objectives -- differ more than any other in the publications we reviewed.
The bare minimum would be to repeat the description in the college catalog -- assuming that it describes the course with some accuracy. Certainly a paragraph describing the general content of the course -- would not be excessive. Information about instructional methods, e.g., large lecture with small discussion sections, may also be included here.
Some instructors, who have developed detailed instructional objectives, include them in their syllabi. Such inclusion may result in information of general course goals (e.g., the learning and application of the general principles of..., or the development of the skill..., or the development of a more positive attitude toward...) can help orient the student to the purpose of the course, the instructor's expectations, etc.
Course Calendar/Schedule. Some instructors are concerned that, if they include a daily - or weekly - schedule of topics to be covered, they can be held legally liable if they depart from it. One remedy for this is to state that the schedule is tentative and subject to change depending upon the progress of the class. In many cases the instructor has only limited flexibility about scheduling anyway, e.g., in a multi-section course where departmental exams are administered on specific dates, or in a course which is a prerequisite for another course (the material has to be -- should be -- covered by the end of the course). If we expect students to meet our deadlines, to plan their work, we must give them the information needed for such planning.
The calendar or schedule should also include the dates for exams, quizzes, or other means of assessment. (We are not implying that all evaluation of students must be in groups and at the same time. A course in college teaching might require that the students be videotaped while teaching a class, so the syllabus could say "to be scheduled individually.")
The calendar should also include due dates for major assignments. For example, when is a paper due; if the topic has to be approved, when; if an outline or draft is an interim step, when it is due.
Finally, any required special events need to be included in the calendar, e.g., a lecture by a visiting speaker, a dramatic or musical performance, a field trip.
Course Policies. Every discussion of syllabi we read included something about course policies, although what specifically was included varied. We suggest the following topics:
Attendance, lateness -- at least for freshman and sophomore classes, and perhaps for all undergraduate classes, the syllabus should include some statement about attendance (is it required, will students who attend regularly be given a break if the grade is borderline?) and about lateness, at least if it is penalized. (Students who arrive late disturb the class, but on some campuses it is not possible for a student to get from one part of the campus to another within the allotted time; sometimes our colleagues do not let students leave promptly.)
Class participation -- in the medieval lecture hall, class participation was not an issue, but if students are to learn to apply, analyze, synthesize, etc, they need to be active. Such approaches are contrary to the experiences -- and preferences -- of many students. If active participation is expected, the syllabus needs to say so. It also needs to explain if/how participation will be graded.
Missed exams or assignments -- since these affect grades, they are of interest to students. Syllabi should inform the students whether exams and assignments can be made up; statements regarding earning extra credit should also be included if that is an option.
Lab safety/health -- in some courses these issues can literally be a matter of life or death. Even is detailed materials are handed out early in the course, the syllabus should include a short statement about the importance of these issues and indicate that more detailed information will follow.
Academic dishonesty -- in some syllabi this is treated as a separate area. The syllabus should address questions related to cheating and plagiarism. On campuses where these topics are treated in detail in a student handbook, it is sufficient for the syllabus to simply refer the students to that handbook. In the absence of such a resource, details in the syllabus are necessary. Many students actually do not know what constitutes plagiarism. We owe it to the students to explain what is considered to be plagiarism or cheating.
Grading -- this topic, even more that academic dishonesty, is often treated as a separate area. Given the students' interest in graded, such treatment is certainly defensible. Each syllabus should include details about how the students will be evaluated -- what factors will be included, how they will be weighted, and how they will be translated into grades. Information about the appeals procedures, often included in a student handbook, is also appropriate at least for freshman and sophomore classes.
Available Support Services. Most college courses have available to the students a considerable variety of instructional support services. We often bemoan the fact that the students do not avail themselves of these services. Perhaps this is because we do not draw their attention to the possibilities. The library is probably the oldest resource, and perhaps still the richest. Include a brief statement in the syllabus identifying collections, journals, abstracts, audio or video tapes, etc. which the library has which are relevant to the course would be appropriate. If the institution has a learning center, making the students aware of its services can be of real benefit to students. In today's world computers are becoming almost a necessity. Most campuses have some terminals, if not personal computers, available for student use. Many courses have other support services unique to them. Briefly describe what is available in the syllabus, or tell the students where they can get detailed information.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sahara Desert The Sea of Sand
The Sea of Sand: In ancient times, Egypt and Kush did very little trade with West Africa. They had heard that West Africa had wonderful things – gold, salt, ivory. They knew that West Africa needed iron. They wanted to trade with West Africa, but the Sahara Desert was in the way.
Can you imagine a desert that stretches all the way from New York to California? Or one that runs all the way from Maine to Mexico? The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world!
The Sahara Desert is not only big - it's also hot. It's one of the hottest places on earth. During the day, the temperature can be 130 degrees. As miserable as you would be from the heat, it’s the dryness that makes it a desert. There is so little water. It hardly ever rains. The Sahara perhaps enjoys three inches of rain a year, and even that is speckled. It might rain in one place and not rain again in the same place for years. It’s no wonder that the Sahara Desert is called the Sea of Sand.
Oasis: An oasis is a wet rest stop. It’s a small section of desert that is fed by underground streams of water. In these tiny sections of the desert, there are green plants and cool water. Even though there are many oases in the Sahara, the Sahara is so big that you might have to travel a day or even weeks to reach one. In the meantime, you are exposed to hot, very hot shifting sand dunes that seem to run forever.
Desert Life: In spite of the horrible conditions for humans, there is life in the desert. There are poisonous snakes and poisonous spiders. There are many animals and plants in the desert, but the Sahara is not a geographically friendly place for humans. You can see why people were a bit reluctant to cross the Sahara in search of anything, including trading partners.
The Gobi Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. In the Gobi, there is at least the hope of water, although an oasis is rare.
The Taklamakan Desert, China's other desert, is nicknamed the Sea of Death. It offers poisonous snakes, frequent sand storms, boiling days, freezing nights, and intense water shortages. The Sea of Death is not a small desert. In fact, it is the second largest desert in the world.
DESERTS
Grade Level: 6th gradePresented by: Jane Conner and Elaine Benen, Forestville Elementary School, Great Falls, VALength of Unit: Nine Lessons (16 Days)
I. ABSTRACT
This unit, Deserts, explores the mysteries of some of the most unfriendly but beautiful places on earth, and it introduces students to the geography of the Middle East. Students will learn the definition of a desert, how and why deserts have developed in certain areas; they will also learn about the location, landforms and special features of the world’s greatest deserts. This geography unit is integrated into other disciplines, including reading and research, writing, and art. Activities designed to accommodate the four learning styles are included in each lesson.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Concept Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the geology of the world’s greatest deserts.
2. Students will develop an understanding of desert formation, naturally and
man-made.
3. Students will develop an awareness of the variety and uniqueness of desert landforms.
4. Students will develop an awareness of the adaptations living things must make in
order to survive in desert environments.
5. Students will develop an awareness of the location of the Middle East.
B. Core Knowledge Sequence to be covered
1. Formation of deserts
2. Great deserts of the world
3. Geography of the Middle East
4. Composition of a business letter
5. Writing poetry
C. Specific skills to be taught
1. Define and identify various desert features.
2. Identify the way deserts are formed.
3. Compare and contrast adaptions of living things to a desert habitat.
4. Locate the world’s greatest deserts.
5. Research information about the world’s greatest deserts.
6. Access web sites for information about a specific desert from bookmarked sites on the internet.
7. Locate countries, major cities and major landforms of the Middle East.
8. Create a haiku about a specific desert.
9. Produce a standard business letter.
III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
A. For teachers
1. Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
2. MacQuitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
3. Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts & Dry Lands. San Diego:
Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
B. For students
1. Maps and globes
2. Deserts
3. Mediterranean region
4. Weather/meteorology
IV. RESOURCES
A. Audio-Visual Aids
Desert Dwellers. Poster. Scholastic, Inc.
Deserts. Filmstrip. National Geographic Society, 1987.
Exploring a Desert Habitat. Poster. Frank Schaffer Publications.
Eyewitness: Desert. Videotape. DK Vision, 1996. 35 min.
B. Books
Amsel, Sheri. Habitats of the World: Deserts. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck- Vaughn Publishers, 1993.
Arnold, Caroline. First Facts: A Walk in the Desert. New Jersey: Silver Press, 1990.
Arnold, Caroline. Watching Desert Wildlife. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1994.
Bernard, Robin. Deserts. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1995.
Berry, C. E., ed. Sky and Earth. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992.
Clark, John, et al. Encyclopedia of Our Earth. New York: Shooting Star Press, Inc., 1995.
Cloudsley-Thompson, John. The Living Earth: Desert Life. London: Aldus Books Limited, 1975.
Dixon, Dougal, ed. The Planet Earth (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992.
Follman, Ilene. Life in the Desert. St. Louis, Missouri: Milliken Publishing Company, 1995.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Cactus Hotel. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1991.
Higginson, Mel. This Earth of Ours: Deserts. Vero Beach, Florida: The Rourke Corporation, Inc. 1994.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1996.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education. New York: Dell Publishing, 1993.
Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
Macquitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Madgwick, Wendy. Cacti and Other Succulents. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn Library, 1992.
Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts and Dry Lands. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
Sands, Stella. Kids Discover: Deserts. New York: Kids Discover, 1994.
Sayre, April Pulley. Exploring Earth’s Biomes: Desert. New York; Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.
Sebranek, Patrick and Meyer, Verne and Kemper, Dave. Write Source 2000. Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1995.
Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988.
Taylor, Barbara. Desert Life. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1992.
Classroom Atlas. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1996.
World Book’s Young Scientist (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1993.
C. Compact Disks
ClarisWorks 4.0. Compact Disk. Claris Corporation, 1996.
Earth Explorer. Compact Disk. Sunburst, 1996.
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Science. Compact Disk. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Compact Disk. Mindscape, Inc., 1997.
Maps and Facts. Compact Disk. Broderbund, 1994.
Microsoft Bookshelf ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
Microsoft Encarta ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
3D Atlas. Compact Disk. Multimedia Corporation, 1994.
The Writing Center. Compact Disk. The Learning Company, 1993.
D. Encyclopedia: “Desert.” World Book Encyclopedia, 1994.
E. Internet Addresses
“The A-Z of Camels.” [Online] Available http://ww.arab.net/camels/, (17 November 1997).
“The Desert.” [Online] Available http://hagar.up.ac.za/egypt/odyssey/week1/desert.
html (05 November 1997).
“Desert Environment.” [Online] Available http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html
(17 November 1997).
V. LESSONS
A. Lesson One (1 day): Introduction to Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will define “desert.”
b. Students will identify and define various features of deserts.
2. Materials
a. Children’s Book: Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988 (A similar children’s book about deserts may be substituted.)
b. Chart paper and markers
c. Video: Eyewitness: Desert, 1996.
d. Teacher prepared study guide (Appendix A)
e. Student pencils
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Arid: dry
b. Desert: an area of land where less than 10 inches of rain falls per year
c. Evaporation: when a liquid turns into vapor or gas
d. Precipitation: water reaching the surface of the Earth (rain, sleet, snow,
frost, and dew)
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Read aloud Mojave by Diane Siebert to introduce the unit.
b. Prepare a KWL chart
(1) K: Students will brainstorm what they think they know about
deserts. Teacher will put ideas on chart paper.
(2) W: Students will brainstorm several questions about deserts
they would like answered
(3) L: Complete at the end of the unit (optional)
c. Show video Eyewitness: Desert: students will take notes from video on
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
will complete study guide.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students on oral responses following the video.
b. Teacher will check students’ study guides for completeness and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Oral communication
b. Listening skills
B. Lesson Two (1 Day): Formation of Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify ways deserts are formed by presenting an oral summary of information
b. Students will illustrate ways deserts are formed.
2. Materials
a. Manila paper (12x18 sheet) and crayons for each student
b. Overhead projector
c. Transparencies
(1) Weather Patterns (Appendix B)
(2) Cloud Cover (Appendix C)
(3) Rain Shadow (Appendix D)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Desertification: the creation of new deserts and dry areas from more moist or damper lands by human activities like farming or draining away water
b. Rain shadow: rain falls on the sides of mountains that face a water source
rather than on the sheltered sides of mountains
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Review study guide from Lesson One
b. Discuss weather patterns, cloud cover, rain shadow, and desertification
using transparencies
c. On manila paper, illustrate how deserts are formed.
(1) Title a piece of manila paper “How Deserts are Formed.”
(2) Fold the paper into four equal rectangles and draw pictures to
illustrate (label illustrations).
(a) Weather patterns
(b) Cloud cover
(c) Rain shadow
(d) Desertification
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ illustrations for understanding of the four
concepts presented in the lesson.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Listening skills
b. Identifying main ideas
C. Lesson Three (2 Days): Desert Landforms
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify various hot and cold desert landforms.
b. Students will identify causes of desert landforms.
2. Materials
a. Paper and pencil for each student
b. Research materials from school library
c. Vocabulary list for each student created by teacher (Appendix E)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped deposit of sedimentary materials at the mouth
of a ravine
b. Arroyo: a deep gully cut by an intermittent stream
c. Butte: a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping
sides and a flat top
d. Dune: a ridge or hill of wind-blown sand
e. Erosion: wearing away the land by physical methods such as rubbing and
scraping, and carrying away the eroded results such as rock particles
f. Groundwater: water under the ground, in spongy rocks and in cracks,
crevices, caves, and tunnels
g. Mesa: a flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides
h. Mirage: an optical phenomenon creating the illusion of water
i. Oasis: a fertile area in a desert where groundwater can reach the surface
because of the rock formations
j. Sediment: finely divided solid material that settles to the bottom of a
liquid
k. Wadi: a valley, gully, or riverbed that remains dry except during the
rainy season
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will briefly discuss desert landforms with class.
b. Students will go to the library to complete “Desert Landforms Vocabulary.” (Students may work in pairs, but each student should complete written work.)
c. Students should write descriptive paragraphs about desert landforms incorporating their notes and vocabulary from “Desert Landforms
Vocabulary” into their final paragraphs.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ definitions for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ paragraphs for accuracy and for the components of a well-written descriptive paragraph.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Descriptive writing
c. English grammar/mechanics
D. Lesson Four (1 Day): Life in the Desert
1. Objectives
a. Students will list how plants have adapted to desert life.
b. Students will list how animals have adapted to desert life.
c. Students will compare and contrast adaptions made by plants and animals.
2. Materials
a. Chart paper and markers
b. Pictures of desert plants and animals
c. “Life in the Desert” handout prepared by teacher (Appendix F)
d. Venn Diagram prepared by teacher (Appendix G)
e. Pencils and paper for students
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Adapt: to make fit
b. Dormant: when a living thing remains still and inactive, as though asleep,
to save energy and survive bad conditions
c. Photosynthesis: catching the energy in sunlight and converting it into the
energy in foods and nutrients for living and growing
d. Nocturnal: active at night
e. Succulent: having fleshy tissues designed to conserve moisture
f. Bactrain: a camel with two humps
g. Dromedary: a camel with one hump
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will discuss desert plant and animal life (showing pictures of plants and animals that live in the desert).
b. Students will read “Life in the Desert” and make list of adaptations made by plants and list of adaptations made by animals.
c. Teacher and class will discuss individual lists and make one class list of adaptations on chart paper.
d. Students will complete Venn Diagrams comparing plant and animal adaptations.
5. Evaluations/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check Venn Diagrams for accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Reading comprehension
b. Comparison and contrast
E. Lesson Five (3 Days): Great Deserts of the World
1.Objectives
a. Students will locate world’s greatest deserts on map.
b. Students will research specific information about world’s greatest deserts.
c. Students will orally present information from their research.
2. Materials
a. Blank world map prepared by teacher for each student (Appendix H)
b. Markers or colored pencils and paper
c. Atlases
d. Research materials available in the library
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Erg: continuous expanse of sand
b. Sahel: narrow band of grassland that separates the desert from the grasslands of the central African plains
c. Shamel: northwesterly wind on Arabian Peninsula causing frequent sandstorms
d. Sinks: low areas that may hold water; they lie in valleys
e. Steppe: dry grassland in the Gobi Desert
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Students will be given a blank map and will locate greatest deserts. (1) Arabian Peninsula
(2) Australia
(3) Chihuahuan Desert
(4) Gobi Desert
(5) Kalahari Desert
(6) Mojave Desert
(7) Patagonia
(8) Sahara Desert
(9) Sonoran Desert
b. Students will research specific information about each desert and record it.
(1) location
(2) size
(3) temperature
(4) rainfall
(5) interesting fact
c. Students will present information to their 3rd grade buddies and display student-made maps.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ maps for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ research.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Map skills
b. Research skills
D. Lesson Six (One Day): Geography of the Middle East
1. Objectives
a. Students will locate countries of the Middle East.
b. Students will locate major cities, bodies of water, and landforms in the Middle East.
2. Materials
a. Map
b. Globe
c. Pictures or slides of the Middle East
d. Student atlas
e. Blank map of the Middle East for each student (Appendix I)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
b. Gulf: a part of ocean or sea extending into the land
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Brainstorm what countries are in the Middle East and locate them on a map and globe.
b. Show pictures or slides of the Middle East emphasizing the desert areas.
c. Locate the following places in the Middle East and place them on blank map:
(1) Landforms and geographic areas
(a) Arabian Peninsula
(b) Anatolian Peninsula
(c) Taurus Mountains
(d) Atlas Mountains
(e) Sahara Desert
(f) Arabian Desert
(g) Mesopotamia
(2) Bodies of water
(a) Tigres River
(b) Euphrates River
(c) Mediterranean Sea
(d) Red Sea
(e) Black Sea
(f) Arabian Sea
(g) Persian Gulf
(3) Major cities
(a) Alexandria
(b) Cairo
(c) Mecca
(d) Jerusalem
(e) Damascus
(f) Baghdad
(g) Teheran
(h) Istanbul
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ maps for completion and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Geographical terms
b. Map and globe skills
G. Lesson Seven (3 Days): Desert Travel Brochure
1. Objectives
a. Students will research information about a specific desert.
b. Students will create a travel brochure of a specific desert.
2. Materials
a. Research materials found in library
b. White paper (8 1/2x11)
c. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
d. Travel brochure assignment (Appendix J)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Brochure: pamphlet or booklet, particularly containing descriptive or
advertising information
b. Pamphlet: unbound booklet
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss travel brochures (Appendix J) and assign students to make a travel brochure about a desert of their choice.
b. Research individual deserts.
c. Create travel brochure.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ research skills.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ travel brochures.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Advertising techniques
H. Lesson Eight (2 Days): Desert Haiku
1. Objectives
a. Students will recall information about deserts.
b. Students will create original haikus.
2. Materials
a. Research materials about deserts.
b. White construction paper (9x12)
c. Water colors
d. Fine tipped black markers
e. Paper and pencils
f. Examples of haiku poetry
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Haiku: an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, usually about nature
b. Water color wash: to cover with a thin coat of water color paint
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Introduce haiku poetry to students.
b. Create individual haiku about deserts.
c. Using water colors of desert colors, have students apply a water color wash to white construction paper; allow to dry overnight.
d. On dry water color wash, use fine tipped black pen to write haiku and illustrate.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ understanding of deserts from information in haiku.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ haikus for proper poetic form.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Poetic form
I. Lesson Nine (2 Days): Desert Business Letter
1. Objectives
a. Students will compose a business letter using accepted form.
b. Students will complete business letter using word processing skills.
2. Materials
a. List of organizations to contact about protection of deserts (Appendix K)
b. Paper and pencil
c. #10 envelope and stamp
d. Computer and word processing program
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Business letter: letter written for a specific purpose which includes a heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature
b. #10 Envelope: an envelope measuring approximately 9 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss form of a business letter.
b. Students write business letter to organization requesting information about desert conservation.
c. Students revise and edit letters.
d. Complete final letter on computer and mail.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ letters for content and form.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ use of technology.
6. Standardized Test/State Connections
a. Business letter form
b. Technology skills
VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY
A. Desert Review
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: KWL Chart from Lesson One
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: complete KWL Chart (what students have learned about deserts) as a class and record on chart.
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate students’s responses to KWL Chart.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections: recall of information
B. Desert Test
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: Desert Test ( Appendix L)
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: students tested
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate student’s tests
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Test taking skills
b. Recall of information
VII. HANDOUTS/STUDENT WORKSHEETS
A. Appendix A (Deserts: A Study Guide)
B. Appendix B (Weather Patterns)
C. Appendix C (Cloud Cover)
D. Appendix D (Rain Shadow)
E. Appendix E (Desert Landforms Vocabulary)
F. Appendix F (Life in the Desert)
G. Appendix G (Plants and Animals Adapt to Desert Climates)
H. Appendix H (Deserts of the World)
I. Appendix I (The Middle East)
J. Appendix J (Desert Travel Brochure)
K. Appendix K (Environmental Organizations)
L. Appendix L (Desert Test)
The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world
Its parched, forbidding landscape took shape over thousands of years, but even today, the Sahara is constantly changing.
Why is this desert so important to Africans? How do people survive its harsh, dry climate? And is the Sahara getting bigger, or smaller?
By studying satellite photos, some scientists have come to believe that the Sahara regularly shrinks and grows. In the early 1980s, the Sahara's southern edge expanded into the Sahel, a dry band that separates the desert from the savanna. But by the mid-1980s this area was green and wet again.
The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain a year; Chicago's annual precipitation, its combined rainfall, snow and sleet, is 33.34 inches (84.68 cm). Even in the Sahara's wettest areas, it may rain twice one week and not rain again for years.
For centuries caravaneers have traveled through the Sahara desert. Even though there are many oases in the Sahara, the desert is so immense that travelers may go for days to reach them.
Oases make trade possible between the ports of North Africa and savanna markets further south. Without these wet rest stops for humans and animals, crossing the desert would be almost impossible.
As the world's biggest desert, the Sahara covers a third of the African continent-an area about the size of the United States.
What makes the Sahara a desert?
The Sahara is one of the hottest places on Earth. Even though temperatures there may rise to 136 F (57.7 C), its dryness, not heat, that makes a place like the Sahara a desert. The frozen continent of Antarctica is so dry that some scientists consider it a desert, too.
As the world's largest desert, the Sahara receives less than three inches (7.6 cm) of rain a year. Even in its wettest areas, rain may arrive twice in one week, then not return for years.
Image of oasis from University of Pennsylvania Multimedia database.
The Sahara is blown dry
Many thousands of years ago, the Sahara was a green home to water-loving animals, like hippos. Then the climate changed. Today rising and falling winds pull moisture away from the desert, but they rarely bring rain.
A wind by any other name...
Many of the Sahara's winds have special names:
Haboob is the Arabic name for a wild, sand-laden wind.
Khamsin, also Arabic, means "50 days." This wind sweeps across the desert from March through May, filling the air with sand.
The name of the desert wind harmattan comes from a word in the West African language Twi that means "to tear your breath apart."
Image of hippos from University of Pennsylvania Multimedia database. The Sahara is more than sand dunes
Sand dunes make up only about 15 percent of the Sahara, but the desert is so huge (about three and a half million square miles or 5.63 million sq km) that even a single dune may be enormous. The sand dune known as the Libyan Erg is as big as France.
About 70 percent of the Sahara consists of rocky plains covered with stones and gravel. Shale and limestone plateaus or mountain ranges make up the rest. S
This desert is in south California. It is called Death Valley. Death Valley is part of a bigger desert. All deserts are very dry. Many deserts are very hot. The plants that you see in this picture are sometimes called sagebrush. Some of the plants that grow in this desert can dry up and blow around. The plants that are blown around are called tumbleweeds.
What is a Desert Like?
The hot desert is a land of extremes: extreme heat and extreme dryness; sudden flash floods and cold nights. Because deserts are such a harsh environment, deserts often have names likes "Death Valley," "the empty quarter," and "the place from where there is no return."
Dryness Deserts are usually very, very dry. Even the wettest deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation a year.
In most places, rain falls steadily throughout the year. But in the desert, there may be only a few periods of rains per year with a lot of time between rains. When it does rain, there may be quite a downpour! After the rain, desert flowers bloom.
Hot During the Day, Cool at Night Everyone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot. Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit are not uncommon. Yet at night, the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40s or 50s? Why?
Other biomes are insulated by their humidity (water vapor in the air). Temperate deciduous forests, for example, may have 80 percent humidity or more during the day. This water reflects and absorbs sunlight and the energy it brings. At night the water acts like a blanket, trapping heat inside the forest.
Since deserts usually have only between 10 and 20 percent humidity to trap temperatures and have so few trees and other vegetation to retain heat, they cool down rapidly when the sun sets, and heat up quickly after the sun rises.
DESERTS
Grade Level: 6th gradePresented by: Jane Conner and Elaine Benen, Forestville Elementary School, Great Falls, VALength of Unit: Nine Lessons (16 Days)
I. ABSTRACT
This unit, Deserts, explores the mysteries of some of the most unfriendly but beautiful places on earth, and it introduces students to the geography of the Middle East. Students will learn the definition of a desert, how and why deserts have developed in certain areas; they will also learn about the location, landforms and special features of the world’s greatest deserts. This geography unit is integrated into other disciplines, including reading and research, writing, and art. Activities designed to accommodate the four learning styles are included in each lesson.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Concept Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the geology of the world’s greatest deserts.
2. Students will develop an understanding of desert formation, naturally and
man-made.
3. Students will develop an awareness of the variety and uniqueness of desert landforms.
4. Students will develop an awareness of the adaptations living things must make in
order to survive in desert environments.
5. Students will develop an awareness of the location of the Middle East.
B. Core Knowledge Sequence to be covered
1. Formation of deserts
2. Great deserts of the world
3. Geography of the Middle East
4. Composition of a business letter
5. Writing poetry
C. Specific skills to be taught
1. Define and identify various desert features.
2. Identify the way deserts are formed.
3. Compare and contrast adaptions of living things to a desert habitat.
4. Locate the world’s greatest deserts.
5. Research information about the world’s greatest deserts.
6. Access web sites for information about a specific desert from bookmarked sites on
the internet.
7. Locate countries, major cities and major landforms of the Middle East.
8. Create a haiku about a specific desert.
9. Produce a standard business letter.
III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
A. For teachers
1. Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
2. MacQuitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
3. Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts & Dry Lands. San Diego:
Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
B. For students
1. Maps and globes
2. Deserts
3. Mediterranean region
4. Weather/meteorology
IV. RESOURCES
A. Audio-Visual Aids
Desert Dwellers. Poster. Scholastic, Inc.
Deserts. Filmstrip. National Geographic Society, 1987.
Exploring a Desert Habitat. Poster. Frank Schaffer Publications.
Eyewitness: Desert. Videotape. DK Vision, 1996. 35 min.
B. Books
Amsel, Sheri. Habitats of the World: Deserts. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck- Vaughn Publishers, 1993.
Arnold, Caroline. First Facts: A Walk in the Desert. New Jersey: Silver Press, 1990.
Arnold, Caroline. Watching Desert Wildlife. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1994.
Bernard, Robin. Deserts. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1995.
Berry, C. E., ed. Sky and Earth. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992.
Clark, John, et al. Encyclopedia of Our Earth. New York: Shooting Star Press, Inc., 1995.
Cloudsley-Thompson, John. The Living Earth: Desert Life. London: Aldus Books Limited, 1975.
Dixon, Dougal, ed. The Planet Earth (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992.
Follman, Ilene. Life in the Desert. St. Louis, Missouri: Milliken Publishing Company, 1995.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Cactus Hotel. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1991.
Higginson, Mel. This Earth of Ours: Deserts. Vero Beach, Florida: The Rourke Corporation, Inc. 1994.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1996.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education. New York: Dell Publishing, 1993.
Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
Macquitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Madgwick, Wendy. Cacti and Other Succulents. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn Library, 1992.
Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts and Dry Lands. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
Sands, Stella. Kids Discover: Deserts. New York: Kids Discover, 1994.
Sayre, April Pulley. Exploring Earth’s Biomes: Desert. New York; Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.
Sebranek, Patrick and Meyer, Verne and Kemper, Dave. Write Source 2000. Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1995.
Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988.
Taylor, Barbara. Desert Life. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1992.
Classroom Atlas. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1996.
World Book’s Young Scientist (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1993.
C. Compact Disks
ClarisWorks 4.0. Compact Disk. Claris Corporation, 1996.
Earth Explorer. Compact Disk. Sunburst, 1996.
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Science. Compact Disk. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Compact Disk. Mindscape, Inc., 1997.
Maps and Facts. Compact Disk. Broderbund, 1994.
Microsoft Bookshelf ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
Microsoft Encarta ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
3D Atlas. Compact Disk. Multimedia Corporation, 1994.
The Writing Center. Compact Disk. The Learning Company, 1993.
D. Encyclopedia: “Desert.” World Book Encyclopedia, 1994.
E. Internet Addresses
“The A-Z of Camels.” [Online] Available http://ww.arab.net/camels/, (17 November1997).
“The Desert.” [Online] Available http://hagar.up.ac.za/egypt/odyssey/week1/desert.
html (05 November 1997).
“Desert Environment.” [Online] Available http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html
(17 November 1997).
V. LESSONS
A. Lesson One (1 day): Introduction to Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will define “desert.”
b. Students will identify and define various features of deserts.
2. Materials
a. Children’s Book: Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988 (A similar children’s book about deserts may be substituted.)
b. Chart paper and markers
c. Video: Eyewitness: Desert, 1996.
d. Teacher prepared study guide (Appendix A)
e. Student pencils
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Arid: dry
b. Desert: an area of land where less than 10 inches of rain falls per year
c. Evaporation: when a liquid turns into vapor or gas
d. Precipitation: water reaching the surface of the Earth (rain, sleet, snow,
frost, and dew)
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Read aloud Mojave by Diane Siebert to introduce the unit.
b. Prepare a KWL chart
(1) K: Students will brainstorm what they think they know about
deserts. Teacher will put ideas on chart paper.
(2) W: Students will brainstorm several questions about deserts
they would like answered
(3) L: Complete at the end of the unit (optional)
c. Show video Eyewitness: Desert: students will take notes from video on
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
will complete study guide.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students on oral responses following the video.
b. Teacher will check students’ study guides for completeness and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Oral communication
b. Listening skills
B. Lesson Two (1 Day): Formation of Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify ways deserts are formed by presenting an oral summary of information
b. Students will illustrate ways deserts are formed.
2. Materials
a. Manila paper (12x18 sheet) and crayons for each student
b. Overhead projector
c. Transparencies
(1) Weather Patterns (Appendix B)
(2) Cloud Cover (Appendix C)
(3) Rain Shadow (Appendix D)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Desertification: the creation of new deserts and dry areas from more moist or damper lands by human activities like farming or draining away water
b. Rain shadow: rain falls on the sides of mountains that face a water source
rather than on the sheltered sides of mountains
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Review study guide from Lesson One
b. Discuss weather patterns, cloud cover, rain shadow, and desertification
using transparencies
c. On manila paper, illustrate how deserts are formed.
(1) Title a piece of manila paper “How Deserts are Formed.”
(2) Fold the paper into four equal rectangles and draw pictures to
illustrate (label illustrations).
(a) Weather patterns
(b) Cloud cover
(c) Rain shadow
(d) Desertification
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ illustrations for understanding of the four
concepts presented in the lesson.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Listening skills
b. Identifying main ideas
C. Lesson Three (2 Days): Desert Landforms
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify various hot and cold desert landforms.
b. Students will identify causes of desert landforms.
2. Materials
a. Paper and pencil for each student
b. Research materials from school library
c. Vocabulary list for each student created by teacher (Appendix E)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped deposit of sedimentary materials at the mouth
of a ravine
b. Arroyo: a deep gully cut by an intermittent stream
c. Butte: a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping
sides and a flat top
d. Dune: a ridge or hill of wind-blown sand
e. Erosion: wearing away the land by physical methods such as rubbing and
scraping, and carrying away the eroded results such as rock particles
f. Groundwater: water under the ground, in spongy rocks and in cracks,
crevices, caves, and tunnels
g. Mesa: a flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides
crevices, caves, and tunnels
h. Mirage: an optical phenomenon creating the illusion of water
i. Oasis: a fertile area in a desert where groundwater can reach the surface
because of the rock formations
j. Sediment: finely divided solid material that settles to the bottom of a
liquid
k. Wadi: a valley, gully, or riverbed that remains dry except during the
rainy season
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will briefly discuss desert landforms with class.
b. Students will go to the library to complete “Desert Landforms Vocabulary.” (Students may work in pairs, but each student should complete written work.)
c. Students should write descriptive paragraphs about desert landforms incorporating their notes and vocabulary from “Desert Landforms
Vocabulary” into their final paragraphs.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ definitions for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ paragraphs for accuracy and for the components of a well-written descriptive paragraph.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Descriptive writing
c. English grammar/mechanics
D. Lesson Four (1 Day): Life in the Desert
1. Objectives
a. Students will list how plants have adapted to desert life.
b. Students will list how animals have adapted to desert life.
c. Students will compare and contrast adaptions made by plants and animals.
2. Materials
a. Chart paper and markers
b. Pictures of desert plants and animals
c. “Life in the Desert” handout prepared by teacher (Appendix F)
d. Venn Diagram prepared by teacher (Appendix G)
e. Pencils and paper for students
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Adapt: to make fit
b. Dormant: when a living thing remains still and inactive, as though asleep,
to save energy and survive bad conditions
c. Photosynthesis: catching the energy in sunlight and converting it into the
energy in foods and nutrients for living and growing
d. Nocturnal: active at night
e. Succulent: having fleshy tissues designed to conserve moisture
f. Bactrain: a camel with two humps
g. Dromedary: a camel with one hump
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will discuss desert plant and animal life (showing pictures of plants and animals that live in the desert).
b. Students will read “Life in the Desert” and make list of adaptations made by plants and list of adaptations made by animals.
c. Teacher and class will discuss individual lists and make one class list of adaptations on chart paper.
d. Students will complete Venn Diagrams comparing plant and animal adaptations.
5. Evaluations/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check Venn Diagrams for accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Reading comprehension
b. Comparison and contrast
E. Lesson Five (3 Days): Great Deserts of the World
1.Objectives
a. Students will locate world’s greatest deserts on map.
b. Students will research specific information about world’s greatest deserts.
c. Students will orally present information from their research.
2. Materials
a. Blank world map prepared by teacher for each student (Appendix H)
b. Markers or colored pencils and paper
c. Atlases
d. Research materials available in the library
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Erg: continuous expanse of sand
b. Sahel: narrow band of grassland that separates the desert from the grasslands of the central African plains
c. Shamel: northwesterly wind on Arabian Peninsula causing frequent sandstorms
d. Sinks: low areas that may hold water; they lie in valleys
e. Steppe: dry grassland in the Gobi Desert
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Students will be given a blank map and will locate greatest deserts. (1) Arabian Peninsula
(2) Australia
(3) Chihuahuan Desert
(4) Gobi Desert
(5) Kalahari Desert
(6) Mojave Desert
(7) Patagonia
(8) Sahara Desert
(9) Sonoran Desert
b. Students will research specific information about each desert and record it.
(1) location
(2) size
(3) temperature
(4) rainfall
(5) interesting fact
c. Students will present information to their 3rd grade buddies and display student-made maps.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ maps for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ research.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Map skills
b. Research skills
D. Lesson Six (One Day): Geography of the Middle East
1. Objectives
a. Students will locate countries of the Middle East.
b. Students will locate major cities, bodies of water, and landforms in the Middle East.
2. Materials
a. Map
b. Globe
c. Pictures or slides of the Middle East
d. Student atlas
e. Blank map of the Middle East for each student (Appendix I)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
b. Gulf: a part of ocean or sea extending into the land
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Brainstorm what countries are in the Middle East and locate them on a map and globe.
b. Show pictures or slides of the Middle East emphasizing the desert areas.
c. Locate the following places in the Middle East and place them on blank map:
(1) Landforms and geographic areas
(a) Arabian Peninsula
(b) Anatolian Peninsula
(c) Taurus Mountains
(d) Atlas Mountains
(e) Sahara Desert
(f) Arabian Desert
(g) Mesopotamia
(2) Bodies of water
(a) Tigres River
(b) Euphrates River
(c) Mediterranean Sea
(d) Red Sea
(e) Black Sea
(f) Arabian Sea
(g) Persian Gulf
(3) Major cities
(a) Alexandria
(b) Cairo
(c) Mecca
(d) Jerusalem
(e) Damascus
(f) Baghdad
(g) Teheran
(h) Istanbul
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ maps for completion and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Geographical terms
b. Map and globe skills
G. Lesson Seven (3 Days): Desert Travel Brochure
1. Objectives
a. Students will research information about a specific desert.
b. Students will create a travel brochure of a specific desert.
2. Materials
a. Research materials found in library
b. White paper (8 1/2x11)
c. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
d. Travel brochure assignment (Appendix J)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Brochure: pamphlet or booklet, particularly containing descriptive or
advertising information
b. Pamphlet: unbound booklet
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss travel brochures (Appendix J) and assign students to make a travel brochure about a desert of their choice.
b. Research individual deserts.
c. Create travel brochure.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ research skills.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ travel brochures.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Advertising techniques
H. Lesson Eight (2 Days): Desert Haiku
1. Objectives
a. Students will recall information about deserts.
b. Students will create original haikus.
2. Materials
a. Research materials about deserts.
b. White construction paper (9x12)
c. Water colors
d. Fine tipped black markers
e. Paper and pencils
f. Examples of haiku poetry
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Haiku: an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, usually about nature
b. Water color wash: to cover with a thin coat of water color paint
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Introduce haiku poetry to students.
b. Create individual haiku about deserts.
c. Using water colors of desert colors, have students apply a water color wash to white construction paper; allow to dry overnight.
d. On dry water color wash, use fine tipped black pen to write haiku and illustrate.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ understanding of deserts from information in haiku.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ haikus for proper poetic form.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Poetic form
I. Lesson Nine (2 Days): Desert Business Letter
1. Objectives
a. Students will compose a business letter using accepted form.
b. Students will complete business letter using word processing skills.
2. Materials
a. List of organizations to contact about protection of deserts (Appendix K)
b. Paper and pencil
c. #10 envelope and stamp
d. Computer and word processing program
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Business letter: letter written for a specific purpose which includes a heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature
b. #10 Envelope: an envelope measuring approximately 9 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss form of a business letter.
b. Students write business letter to organization requesting information about desert conservation.
c. Students revise and edit letters.
d. Complete final letter on computer and mail.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ letters for content and form.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ use of technology.
6. Standardized Test/State Connections
B. Desert Test
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: Desert Test ( Appendix L)
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: students tested
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate student’s tests
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Test taking skills
b. Recall of information
VII. HANDOUTS/STUDENT WORKSHEETS
A. Appendix A (Deserts: A Study Guide)
B. Appendix B (Weather Patterns)
C. Appendix C (Cloud Cover)
D. Appendix D (Rain Shadow)
E. Appendix E (Desert Landforms Vocabulary)
F. Appendix F (Life in the Desert)
G. Appendix G (Plants and Animals Adapt to Desert Climates)
H. Appendix H (Deserts of the World)
I. Appendix I (The Middle East)
J. Appendix J (Desert Travel Brochure)
K. Appendix K (Environmental Organizations)
L. Appendix L (Desert Test)
Contact us © 1997 Core Knowledge Foundation.
Desert
Introduction
sahara[enlarge]
The desert is a dry, hot, and sometimes waterless place that is very vast. Deserts take up 8.6 million square miles (22 million square kilometers) of the earth's surface. Deserts receive less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually. One of the driest deserts in the world is the Atacama Desert. This desert acquires below one inch (2.5 centimeters) a year. Some of the worlds largest deserts, the Sahara, Australian, and the Arabian, lie between latitude 30° south and latitude 30° north. This latitude belt has constant high pressure, which keeps low-pressure air that forms rain clouds, out of the area.
death valley[enlarge]
Most deserts are very hot. In Death Valley, a part of the Mojave Desert, temperatures are known to reach 190° F (88° C). The Great Basin desert, however, is at a higher elevation and can get very cold in the winter. Even hot deserts can get cold during the night, because hot air dissipates very quickly once the sun goes down.
great basin[enlarge]
The Mojave and the Great Basin in the southwestern United States are sheltered by mountain ranges, which stop rain clouds from advancing into the deserts.
The Atacama rarely accumulates rain clouds because of the cold Humboldt currents in the Pacific Ocean. When rain clouds pass over this cold current they lose their rain before reaching land.
Location
map of deserts [enlarge]
Some major deserts can be found in North America; namely the Sonoran, Chihuahua, Mojave, and the Great Basin. Other deserts, which can be found in Australia, are the Great Victoria and the Great Sandy. South America has deserts in Patagonia and Argentina. The Atacama region can also be found in South America. Most of the Arabian Peninsula is covered in desert. This massive desert extends northward into Syria. The Negev desert of Israel is also considered a part of this desert. Deserts also cover large areas in Africa. In fact, the Sahara, which is the largest desert in the world, covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers), almost a quarter of the entire northern portion of Africa. Other African deserts include the Kalahari of Southwestern Africa, and the Danakil of Ethiopia. Quick Question:The largest desert in the world, the Sahara in Africa, covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers).
Climate
Deserts are all dry, arid places, but they are not always hot. Some deserts can be cold most of the year depending on their location. At night, hot air from the day dissipates and, in some areas, temperatures can drop below freezing.
namib desert[enlarge]
Many hot deserts lie in the subtropical zones. The Sahara Desert is the World's largest desert and covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers), making it larger than the whole Australian continent. Temperatures during the day can soar over 100° F (38° C), but drop below freezing at night. Another hot desert can be found in the Namib Desert in southern Africa. Most cold deserts are found in higher latitudes and higher elevations. They are usually found between the subtropics and polar regions. Some cold deserts include the Gobi Desert of central Asia, the Pataonian Desert of South America, and the Great Basin Desert in the southwestern United States.
Hot and cold deserts, no matter where they are located, are always dry. Arid regions are characterized by having less than 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain annually. Although, most deserts only receive 10 inches (25 centimeters) per year.
Quick Question:Even at night, hot air from the day continues to linger in hot deserts.
Land Formation
Scientists have discovered that deserts used to be lands where water and grasslands ruled. The Sahara used to be a place where ancient humans roamed and lived with many other animals only 10,000 years ago. Cave paintings show animals wandering in grass, yet the Sahara became a barren desert some 5,000 years later. Some scientists believe that slow temperature change probably caused plants to die and the soil to erode.
alluvial fan[enlarge]
Water and wind erosion has slowly shaped deserts and will continue to do so. When rare, heavy rains flood the deserts, rocks and sand are swept away. As the rocks and sand are swept through valleys they make them deeper and wider. The water eventually pushes the rocks in low areas of the valley, called playas, or to the foot of slopes. This loose rock can pile up at the foot of these slopes and form large piles of rocks, called alluvial fans or cones. When other alluvial fans collide, together they form bajadas (or bahadas).
butte[enlarge]
Canyons, plateaus, buttes, and mesas are all formed by water erosion. Plateaus are high areas that have not been affected by water erosion, except when canyons slice into them. Rivers that wash away soft rocks and sand slowly form canyons. Parts of plateaus can also be eroded away into large islands called mesas. As water and wind erode mesas, slowly they shrink in size and become a butte.
yardang[enlarge]
Winds also work with water to cause erosion. As powerful winds pick up dust, they can create dust and sandstorms that can reach 9,500 feet (3,000 meters) into the air. Winds can even roll large rocks on the ground. Pebbles and sands are usually lifted 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the ground. Most of the erosion in the deserts are caused by the wind. Wind erosion causes different formations in cliffs and large rocks. The wind can wear out small caves in cliffs, form rock pillars, arches, mushroom rocks, and yardangs. Mushroom rocks look like large rocks leaning on skinny pillars. Yardangs are overhanging ridges with steep sides.
arc formed by errosion[enlarge]
The sand itself and rocks are also shaped by the wind. Rocks can be rounded by wind and also form strange shapes called zeugen. Zeugens usually take the shape of a wave when they have been undercut by the wind (Lye,14). The desert surface itself can be changed by the wind. Wind can cause depressions in the desert surface in a process called deflation. As loose dust and sand grains are blown away, basins are formed. Eventually these basins turn into aquifers. Water helps stabilize rocks and sand in the area.
transverse dunes[enlarge]
The largest basin formed by the wind can be found in the Quattara depression in Egypt. One-fifth of the world's deserts are covered in sand. The others are covered in rocks or hard, bare rock. The ones covered in sand have ever moving sand dunes. There are three different types of sand dunes, all of which are formed by the wind. Transverse dunes form at right angles to strong, prevailing winds. Crescent dunes form crescent shaped dunes ahead of the prevailing winds. Star shaped dunes are formed when winds frequently change direction.Quick Question:Canyons, plateaus, buttes, and mesas are all formed by wind erosion.
Plant Adaptations
flowers after a rain[enlarge]
Plants need to conserve moisture and energy in the dry desert. Many plants slow down growth for half of the year to conserve moisture. Many others also lose their leaves when temperatures become too intense. When the short rain season comes, plants burst into color, sprouting leaves and flowers.
organ pipe cactus[enlarge]
Many large cacti, like the barrel and organ-pipe cacti, store large amounts of water in their thick stems and pulpy interior. Another large cacti that has adapted perfectly to the desert environment is the saguaro cactus. The saguaro grows on the northern and southern slopes of the Sonoran Desert. Here it grows in gravel and rocky soils, usually between he heights of 2,000 and 3,500 feet (610 to 1,068 meters).
saguaro[enlarge]
The saguaro extracts water from its environment every chance it gets. Its roots are only a few inches (2.5 centimeters) deep in the soil, so it can soak up as much rain and dew before it evaporates. A giant saguaro can soak up to a ton of water during a heavy rain.
The saguaro also has a spongy inside layer that helps distribute water in the plant. Its outside skin is pleated, so when more water is absorbed its outside can expend to make room.
Growth is also very slow for the saguaro. It can take thirty years or more before the saguaro can reach a few feet (1.5 meters) high. After eighty years pass, the plant can be 20 feet (6 meters) tall and still not be full-grown. Two centuries may pass before the plant reaches its mature height. By growing slowly, the saguaro expends less energy, food, and water, making it fully adapted to the desert.
octillo[enlarge]
Water conservation is very important for all plants in the desert. Many plants achieve this by losing their leaves in one fashion or another. Acacia trees and the ocotillo, a shrub, both shed their leaves during long bouts of dryness. Shedding leaves not only prevents the loss of moisture from evaporation, but also slows the growth of the plant. Slowing growth helps plants use less water, food, and energy during hot seasons.
A large number of desert plants begin as seeds. Seeds can survive without water for indefinite periods of time. Seeds only begin to sprout when the rain washes away anti-sprouting chemicals on their shells. After the rains, the seeds will sprout when the temperatures become more moderate. After these plants sprout they may not live very long, because many desert plants sprout, mature, flower, and then die in a very short period of time.
joshua tree[enlarge]
Other plants don thin, knife-like leaves that prevent water loss by giving the sun a smaller area to evaporate water. Others, like the Joshua tree, have needle-like leaves with a waxy resin that prevents much water from evaporating. Another type of plant, called living stones, exposes only a few of its leaves to the sun. The rest of the plant remains underground, safe from the sun and heat. Other plants remain hydrated with their deep roots. The mesquite tree has roots that can extend 100 feet (30.5 meters) into the ground, tapping water from underground aquifers.
creosote[enlarge]
Many plants in the desert are located many feet (meters) away from one another. One reason may be that moisture is limited so plants must space out. Another concept is that some plants are poisonous to others. Roots of the creosote bush have chemicals on them just for the purpose of keeping other plants out of their way.
One problem to plants living in or near sand dunes was the constant changing and movement of the dunes. When dunes move, it can uproot plants. Plants needed to adapt to dune areas. So, grasses and shrubs living in dune areas have developed long, tough roots to hold onto sand dunes. After more plants move into the area, they anchor the dune down with their roots and not even wind can move them.
Quick Question:The saguaro cactus reaches maturity and its full height in ten years.
Animals
african elephant[enlarge]
Most desert animals are medium to small in size. However, some larger animals live on the edges of deserts. Elephants are known to live in areas of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. These large animals maintain their body heat through their ears. When blood vessels in their ears enlarge, heat from the blood and skin is then released into the air. Lions can also be seen in the Kalahari. However, they only stay there for short periods of time, maybe just to catch a meal, because they are not quite adapted to the desert.
Quite a few of the animals that live in the deserts get water through their food. Roadrunners extract their water from lizards, insects, small snakes, and other animals. Tortoises get their water from cacti and other plants. Lizards obtain their water supply from plants and insects.
gemsbok[enlarge]
The gemsbok, which is a type of oryx, or antelope, roam free in the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. In order to obtain food and water, the gemsbok eats a melon called the tschamma. They dig with their front teeth to find the fruit and its roots under the soil.
addax[enlarge]
Probably the best adapted animal in the desert is the addax, which is a close relative to the oryx. It does not need to drink because it receives enough water to survive from the plants it eats. Scientists believe that the addax has a special lining in its stomach that stores water in pouches to use in times of dehydration.Storing water is also necessary for the survival of the desert tortoise. It has two water saving cabins under its shell that holds water it gets from the cacti it eats.
gila monster[enlarge]
Some animals store fat instead of water to survive. The Gila monster and Egyptian spiny tailed lizard save fat in their large tails. When food is unattainable, they live off of this fat and even the moisture it provides.Conserving energy and water is very important to every animal in the desert. They conserve water by keeping cool. Some animals, like the addax, are active during the coolest times of the day: in the morning, evening, and after dark. During the hottest times of the day, the addax digs a hole with its hooves and lies down in it until the temperature goes down.
Most animals in the desert are light in color. Colors which are light, absorb less heat from the sun than those that are dark. This is why most animals have light skin, fur, scales, or wings.
fennec fox[enlarge]
Finding food and avoiding predators is very important to all animals in the desert. Since most desert animals search for food at night, they must adapt to the night life. An example of this is the numerous species of the desert fox. They will hunt rodents, insects, lizards, and other small creatures. Some of these foxes are the kit fox of North America, the sandfox of Asia, and the bat-eared fox and fennec of Africa. All of these foxes have large ears that get rid of excess heat and provide them with sensitive hearing so that they can catch their prey in the dark.
bat-eared fox[enlarge]
Deserts foxes, like the bat-eared and fennec fox of Africa, also burrow into the ground. These burrows have several chambers that are lined with vegetation. A whole fox family can live in these chambers. Other animals that use burrows for underground homes are skunks, badgers, and other medium sized mammals.Birds, like hawks and eagles, however, do not hunt at night. They rely on their keen vision during the day to catch their prey.
kangaroo rat[enlarge]
Some animals use great defenses to discourage their predators. The tiny kangaroo rat, which is no larger than a few inches (centimeters), has powerful hind legs and feet. Their incredible speed makes them hard to catch. They can cover almost 1,200 feet (366 meters) in a minute. They can even jump and change directions in mid air.
pupfish[enlarge]
Amazingly, fish also live in the desert. They live in springs and small rivers. In Death Valley National Monument, located in Nevada, a few hundred Devil's Hole pupfish live above a limestone shelf in a spring hole. This spring hole is only 30 square yards (25 square meters) in area. All the pupfish members breed and carry out their whole life in this tiny spring hole. This is the closest known range any vertebrate has ever lived in. Other fish that live in springs and streams are the Moapa dace and the Leon Springs pupfish.
Quick Question:The addax does not need to drink water because it receives enough water to survive from the plants it eats.
Animal Adaptations
desert tortoise[enlarge]
Animals need to be well adapted to the arid climate of the desert. They need to regulate their body temperature all day and all night. Mammals and birds have it the easiest when it comes to body heat regulation. Their body heat remains stable as long as they are not in the heat for prolonged periods of time. In the cold night weather, they remain warm as long as they eat enough food to produce energy. Reptiles and amphibians body temperatures mirror that of the deserts. They have no internal way to regulate their body temperature.
desert hedgehog [enlarge]
To prevent over heating, both reptiles and animals make burrows to escape the heat. Burrows can remain at a much cooler temperature during the day and a much warmer temperature during the night. Some animals come out of their burrows in the early morning and afternoon, before the heat gets too overwhelming. Other animals only come out during the night, which is one reason why the daytime in the desert can seem so lifeless.
During the hottest, driest times of the year, some animals estivate. Estivation is like hibernation except these animals are not avoiding the cold, but the sweltering heat. By estivating, animals conserve more moisture.
Quick Question:Reptiles have no internal way to regulate their body temperature.
Insects / Other Animals
trap door spider[enlarge]
There are countless insects and animals that live under the desert floor. Deserts are especially populated with a group of invertebrates called arachnids. Arachnids have a hard outer covering called an exoskeleton. Exoskeletons prevent moisture from escaping their bodies. This feature makes them well adapted to the desert. Arachnids include spiders and scorpions that get their water source from the animals they eat. A common arachnid in North American and Australian deserts is the trap-door spider. This clever spider sets traps for its prey. The trap-door spider digs a long, narrow burrow in the ground and then lines the inside and opening of the burrow with webbing. The spider then covers the opening with soil and vegetation and waits in the burrow until an insect stops over the hole. The spider then jumps out, grabs the insect, and drags it forcefully into the hole.
tarantula[enlarge]
A large spider that lives in the Americas and the Mediterranean is the tarantula. These spiders can grow to be bigger than a person's hand. Tarantulas hunt snakes, insects, baby birds, and lizards. These spiders will bite people, yet they are not poisonous. Some poisonous spiders include the black widow and the brown recluse.
desert scorpion[enlarge]
Scorpions are another group of arachnids that have large, and sometimes poisonous, pinchers. They use these pincers to catch their prey. Scorpions eat a diet that consists mostly of insects. They do not always use their stingers against prey; sometimes they are used for defense. There are two other groups of arachnids that are harmless to people. These are whip scorpions and wind scorpions. Both groups do not have stingers or pincers like other scorpions. Wind scorpions burrow under the sand during the day and only come out at night to hunt for small insects.
Some desert animals live only a short time to mate and deposit eggs before they die. Sometimes there may be many years between the time the adults mate and when the eggs actually hatch. A scientific study done in 1955 in the Mojave Desert proved this seemingly impossible delay in hatching true. The study started when a dry lake bed was flooded for the first time in twenty-five years. Shrimp from eggs laid twenty-five years ago, when the lake last held water, hatched. These eggs held enough moisture all those years to survive until conditions were right for them to hatch.
The sidewinder rattle snake travels easily over the sand in an s-shaped loop. The looped part anchors the snake to the sand while the rest of its body pulls it foreword.Another desert snake is the sand viper. The snake uses camouflage to hide itself in the sand. It hides by partly covering itself with sand which matches perfectly with its pale skin color.
Quick Question:Arachnids are a group of vertebrates that include spiders and scorpions.
Can you imagine a desert that stretches all the way from New York to California? Or one that runs all the way from Maine to Mexico? The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world!
The Sahara Desert is not only big - it's also hot. It's one of the hottest places on earth. During the day, the temperature can be 130 degrees. As miserable as you would be from the heat, it’s the dryness that makes it a desert. There is so little water. It hardly ever rains. The Sahara perhaps enjoys three inches of rain a year, and even that is speckled. It might rain in one place and not rain again in the same place for years. It’s no wonder that the Sahara Desert is called the Sea of Sand.
Oasis: An oasis is a wet rest stop. It’s a small section of desert that is fed by underground streams of water. In these tiny sections of the desert, there are green plants and cool water. Even though there are many oases in the Sahara, the Sahara is so big that you might have to travel a day or even weeks to reach one. In the meantime, you are exposed to hot, very hot shifting sand dunes that seem to run forever.
Desert Life: In spite of the horrible conditions for humans, there is life in the desert. There are poisonous snakes and poisonous spiders. There are many animals and plants in the desert, but the Sahara is not a geographically friendly place for humans. You can see why people were a bit reluctant to cross the Sahara in search of anything, including trading partners.
The Gobi Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. In the Gobi, there is at least the hope of water, although an oasis is rare.
The Taklamakan Desert, China's other desert, is nicknamed the Sea of Death. It offers poisonous snakes, frequent sand storms, boiling days, freezing nights, and intense water shortages. The Sea of Death is not a small desert. In fact, it is the second largest desert in the world.
DESERTS
Grade Level: 6th gradePresented by: Jane Conner and Elaine Benen, Forestville Elementary School, Great Falls, VALength of Unit: Nine Lessons (16 Days)
I. ABSTRACT
This unit, Deserts, explores the mysteries of some of the most unfriendly but beautiful places on earth, and it introduces students to the geography of the Middle East. Students will learn the definition of a desert, how and why deserts have developed in certain areas; they will also learn about the location, landforms and special features of the world’s greatest deserts. This geography unit is integrated into other disciplines, including reading and research, writing, and art. Activities designed to accommodate the four learning styles are included in each lesson.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Concept Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the geology of the world’s greatest deserts.
2. Students will develop an understanding of desert formation, naturally and
man-made.
3. Students will develop an awareness of the variety and uniqueness of desert landforms.
4. Students will develop an awareness of the adaptations living things must make in
order to survive in desert environments.
5. Students will develop an awareness of the location of the Middle East.
B. Core Knowledge Sequence to be covered
1. Formation of deserts
2. Great deserts of the world
3. Geography of the Middle East
4. Composition of a business letter
5. Writing poetry
C. Specific skills to be taught
1. Define and identify various desert features.
2. Identify the way deserts are formed.
3. Compare and contrast adaptions of living things to a desert habitat.
4. Locate the world’s greatest deserts.
5. Research information about the world’s greatest deserts.
6. Access web sites for information about a specific desert from bookmarked sites on the internet.
7. Locate countries, major cities and major landforms of the Middle East.
8. Create a haiku about a specific desert.
9. Produce a standard business letter.
III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
A. For teachers
1. Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
2. MacQuitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
3. Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts & Dry Lands. San Diego:
Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
B. For students
1. Maps and globes
2. Deserts
3. Mediterranean region
4. Weather/meteorology
IV. RESOURCES
A. Audio-Visual Aids
Desert Dwellers. Poster. Scholastic, Inc.
Deserts. Filmstrip. National Geographic Society, 1987.
Exploring a Desert Habitat. Poster. Frank Schaffer Publications.
Eyewitness: Desert. Videotape. DK Vision, 1996. 35 min.
B. Books
Amsel, Sheri. Habitats of the World: Deserts. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck- Vaughn Publishers, 1993.
Arnold, Caroline. First Facts: A Walk in the Desert. New Jersey: Silver Press, 1990.
Arnold, Caroline. Watching Desert Wildlife. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1994.
Bernard, Robin. Deserts. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1995.
Berry, C. E., ed. Sky and Earth. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992.
Clark, John, et al. Encyclopedia of Our Earth. New York: Shooting Star Press, Inc., 1995.
Cloudsley-Thompson, John. The Living Earth: Desert Life. London: Aldus Books Limited, 1975.
Dixon, Dougal, ed. The Planet Earth (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992.
Follman, Ilene. Life in the Desert. St. Louis, Missouri: Milliken Publishing Company, 1995.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Cactus Hotel. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1991.
Higginson, Mel. This Earth of Ours: Deserts. Vero Beach, Florida: The Rourke Corporation, Inc. 1994.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1996.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education. New York: Dell Publishing, 1993.
Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
Macquitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Madgwick, Wendy. Cacti and Other Succulents. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn Library, 1992.
Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts and Dry Lands. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
Sands, Stella. Kids Discover: Deserts. New York: Kids Discover, 1994.
Sayre, April Pulley. Exploring Earth’s Biomes: Desert. New York; Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.
Sebranek, Patrick and Meyer, Verne and Kemper, Dave. Write Source 2000. Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1995.
Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988.
Taylor, Barbara. Desert Life. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1992.
Classroom Atlas. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1996.
World Book’s Young Scientist (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1993.
C. Compact Disks
ClarisWorks 4.0. Compact Disk. Claris Corporation, 1996.
Earth Explorer. Compact Disk. Sunburst, 1996.
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Science. Compact Disk. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Compact Disk. Mindscape, Inc., 1997.
Maps and Facts. Compact Disk. Broderbund, 1994.
Microsoft Bookshelf ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
Microsoft Encarta ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
3D Atlas. Compact Disk. Multimedia Corporation, 1994.
The Writing Center. Compact Disk. The Learning Company, 1993.
D. Encyclopedia: “Desert.” World Book Encyclopedia, 1994.
E. Internet Addresses
“The A-Z of Camels.” [Online] Available http://ww.arab.net/camels/, (17 November 1997).
“The Desert.” [Online] Available http://hagar.up.ac.za/egypt/odyssey/week1/desert.
html (05 November 1997).
“Desert Environment.” [Online] Available http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html
(17 November 1997).
V. LESSONS
A. Lesson One (1 day): Introduction to Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will define “desert.”
b. Students will identify and define various features of deserts.
2. Materials
a. Children’s Book: Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988 (A similar children’s book about deserts may be substituted.)
b. Chart paper and markers
c. Video: Eyewitness: Desert, 1996.
d. Teacher prepared study guide (Appendix A)
e. Student pencils
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Arid: dry
b. Desert: an area of land where less than 10 inches of rain falls per year
c. Evaporation: when a liquid turns into vapor or gas
d. Precipitation: water reaching the surface of the Earth (rain, sleet, snow,
frost, and dew)
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Read aloud Mojave by Diane Siebert to introduce the unit.
b. Prepare a KWL chart
(1) K: Students will brainstorm what they think they know about
deserts. Teacher will put ideas on chart paper.
(2) W: Students will brainstorm several questions about deserts
they would like answered
(3) L: Complete at the end of the unit (optional)
c. Show video Eyewitness: Desert: students will take notes from video on
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
will complete study guide.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students on oral responses following the video.
b. Teacher will check students’ study guides for completeness and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Oral communication
b. Listening skills
B. Lesson Two (1 Day): Formation of Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify ways deserts are formed by presenting an oral summary of information
b. Students will illustrate ways deserts are formed.
2. Materials
a. Manila paper (12x18 sheet) and crayons for each student
b. Overhead projector
c. Transparencies
(1) Weather Patterns (Appendix B)
(2) Cloud Cover (Appendix C)
(3) Rain Shadow (Appendix D)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Desertification: the creation of new deserts and dry areas from more moist or damper lands by human activities like farming or draining away water
b. Rain shadow: rain falls on the sides of mountains that face a water source
rather than on the sheltered sides of mountains
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Review study guide from Lesson One
b. Discuss weather patterns, cloud cover, rain shadow, and desertification
using transparencies
c. On manila paper, illustrate how deserts are formed.
(1) Title a piece of manila paper “How Deserts are Formed.”
(2) Fold the paper into four equal rectangles and draw pictures to
illustrate (label illustrations).
(a) Weather patterns
(b) Cloud cover
(c) Rain shadow
(d) Desertification
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ illustrations for understanding of the four
concepts presented in the lesson.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Listening skills
b. Identifying main ideas
C. Lesson Three (2 Days): Desert Landforms
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify various hot and cold desert landforms.
b. Students will identify causes of desert landforms.
2. Materials
a. Paper and pencil for each student
b. Research materials from school library
c. Vocabulary list for each student created by teacher (Appendix E)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped deposit of sedimentary materials at the mouth
of a ravine
b. Arroyo: a deep gully cut by an intermittent stream
c. Butte: a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping
sides and a flat top
d. Dune: a ridge or hill of wind-blown sand
e. Erosion: wearing away the land by physical methods such as rubbing and
scraping, and carrying away the eroded results such as rock particles
f. Groundwater: water under the ground, in spongy rocks and in cracks,
crevices, caves, and tunnels
g. Mesa: a flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides
h. Mirage: an optical phenomenon creating the illusion of water
i. Oasis: a fertile area in a desert where groundwater can reach the surface
because of the rock formations
j. Sediment: finely divided solid material that settles to the bottom of a
liquid
k. Wadi: a valley, gully, or riverbed that remains dry except during the
rainy season
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will briefly discuss desert landforms with class.
b. Students will go to the library to complete “Desert Landforms Vocabulary.” (Students may work in pairs, but each student should complete written work.)
c. Students should write descriptive paragraphs about desert landforms incorporating their notes and vocabulary from “Desert Landforms
Vocabulary” into their final paragraphs.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ definitions for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ paragraphs for accuracy and for the components of a well-written descriptive paragraph.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Descriptive writing
c. English grammar/mechanics
D. Lesson Four (1 Day): Life in the Desert
1. Objectives
a. Students will list how plants have adapted to desert life.
b. Students will list how animals have adapted to desert life.
c. Students will compare and contrast adaptions made by plants and animals.
2. Materials
a. Chart paper and markers
b. Pictures of desert plants and animals
c. “Life in the Desert” handout prepared by teacher (Appendix F)
d. Venn Diagram prepared by teacher (Appendix G)
e. Pencils and paper for students
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Adapt: to make fit
b. Dormant: when a living thing remains still and inactive, as though asleep,
to save energy and survive bad conditions
c. Photosynthesis: catching the energy in sunlight and converting it into the
energy in foods and nutrients for living and growing
d. Nocturnal: active at night
e. Succulent: having fleshy tissues designed to conserve moisture
f. Bactrain: a camel with two humps
g. Dromedary: a camel with one hump
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will discuss desert plant and animal life (showing pictures of plants and animals that live in the desert).
b. Students will read “Life in the Desert” and make list of adaptations made by plants and list of adaptations made by animals.
c. Teacher and class will discuss individual lists and make one class list of adaptations on chart paper.
d. Students will complete Venn Diagrams comparing plant and animal adaptations.
5. Evaluations/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check Venn Diagrams for accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Reading comprehension
b. Comparison and contrast
E. Lesson Five (3 Days): Great Deserts of the World
1.Objectives
a. Students will locate world’s greatest deserts on map.
b. Students will research specific information about world’s greatest deserts.
c. Students will orally present information from their research.
2. Materials
a. Blank world map prepared by teacher for each student (Appendix H)
b. Markers or colored pencils and paper
c. Atlases
d. Research materials available in the library
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Erg: continuous expanse of sand
b. Sahel: narrow band of grassland that separates the desert from the grasslands of the central African plains
c. Shamel: northwesterly wind on Arabian Peninsula causing frequent sandstorms
d. Sinks: low areas that may hold water; they lie in valleys
e. Steppe: dry grassland in the Gobi Desert
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Students will be given a blank map and will locate greatest deserts. (1) Arabian Peninsula
(2) Australia
(3) Chihuahuan Desert
(4) Gobi Desert
(5) Kalahari Desert
(6) Mojave Desert
(7) Patagonia
(8) Sahara Desert
(9) Sonoran Desert
b. Students will research specific information about each desert and record it.
(1) location
(2) size
(3) temperature
(4) rainfall
(5) interesting fact
c. Students will present information to their 3rd grade buddies and display student-made maps.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ maps for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ research.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Map skills
b. Research skills
D. Lesson Six (One Day): Geography of the Middle East
1. Objectives
a. Students will locate countries of the Middle East.
b. Students will locate major cities, bodies of water, and landforms in the Middle East.
2. Materials
a. Map
b. Globe
c. Pictures or slides of the Middle East
d. Student atlas
e. Blank map of the Middle East for each student (Appendix I)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
b. Gulf: a part of ocean or sea extending into the land
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Brainstorm what countries are in the Middle East and locate them on a map and globe.
b. Show pictures or slides of the Middle East emphasizing the desert areas.
c. Locate the following places in the Middle East and place them on blank map:
(1) Landforms and geographic areas
(a) Arabian Peninsula
(b) Anatolian Peninsula
(c) Taurus Mountains
(d) Atlas Mountains
(e) Sahara Desert
(f) Arabian Desert
(g) Mesopotamia
(2) Bodies of water
(a) Tigres River
(b) Euphrates River
(c) Mediterranean Sea
(d) Red Sea
(e) Black Sea
(f) Arabian Sea
(g) Persian Gulf
(3) Major cities
(a) Alexandria
(b) Cairo
(c) Mecca
(d) Jerusalem
(e) Damascus
(f) Baghdad
(g) Teheran
(h) Istanbul
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ maps for completion and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Geographical terms
b. Map and globe skills
G. Lesson Seven (3 Days): Desert Travel Brochure
1. Objectives
a. Students will research information about a specific desert.
b. Students will create a travel brochure of a specific desert.
2. Materials
a. Research materials found in library
b. White paper (8 1/2x11)
c. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
d. Travel brochure assignment (Appendix J)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Brochure: pamphlet or booklet, particularly containing descriptive or
advertising information
b. Pamphlet: unbound booklet
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss travel brochures (Appendix J) and assign students to make a travel brochure about a desert of their choice.
b. Research individual deserts.
c. Create travel brochure.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ research skills.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ travel brochures.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Advertising techniques
H. Lesson Eight (2 Days): Desert Haiku
1. Objectives
a. Students will recall information about deserts.
b. Students will create original haikus.
2. Materials
a. Research materials about deserts.
b. White construction paper (9x12)
c. Water colors
d. Fine tipped black markers
e. Paper and pencils
f. Examples of haiku poetry
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Haiku: an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, usually about nature
b. Water color wash: to cover with a thin coat of water color paint
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Introduce haiku poetry to students.
b. Create individual haiku about deserts.
c. Using water colors of desert colors, have students apply a water color wash to white construction paper; allow to dry overnight.
d. On dry water color wash, use fine tipped black pen to write haiku and illustrate.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ understanding of deserts from information in haiku.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ haikus for proper poetic form.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Poetic form
I. Lesson Nine (2 Days): Desert Business Letter
1. Objectives
a. Students will compose a business letter using accepted form.
b. Students will complete business letter using word processing skills.
2. Materials
a. List of organizations to contact about protection of deserts (Appendix K)
b. Paper and pencil
c. #10 envelope and stamp
d. Computer and word processing program
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Business letter: letter written for a specific purpose which includes a heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature
b. #10 Envelope: an envelope measuring approximately 9 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss form of a business letter.
b. Students write business letter to organization requesting information about desert conservation.
c. Students revise and edit letters.
d. Complete final letter on computer and mail.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ letters for content and form.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ use of technology.
6. Standardized Test/State Connections
a. Business letter form
b. Technology skills
VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY
A. Desert Review
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: KWL Chart from Lesson One
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: complete KWL Chart (what students have learned about deserts) as a class and record on chart.
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate students’s responses to KWL Chart.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections: recall of information
B. Desert Test
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: Desert Test ( Appendix L)
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: students tested
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate student’s tests
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Test taking skills
b. Recall of information
VII. HANDOUTS/STUDENT WORKSHEETS
A. Appendix A (Deserts: A Study Guide)
B. Appendix B (Weather Patterns)
C. Appendix C (Cloud Cover)
D. Appendix D (Rain Shadow)
E. Appendix E (Desert Landforms Vocabulary)
F. Appendix F (Life in the Desert)
G. Appendix G (Plants and Animals Adapt to Desert Climates)
H. Appendix H (Deserts of the World)
I. Appendix I (The Middle East)
J. Appendix J (Desert Travel Brochure)
K. Appendix K (Environmental Organizations)
L. Appendix L (Desert Test)
The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world
Its parched, forbidding landscape took shape over thousands of years, but even today, the Sahara is constantly changing.
Why is this desert so important to Africans? How do people survive its harsh, dry climate? And is the Sahara getting bigger, or smaller?
By studying satellite photos, some scientists have come to believe that the Sahara regularly shrinks and grows. In the early 1980s, the Sahara's southern edge expanded into the Sahel, a dry band that separates the desert from the savanna. But by the mid-1980s this area was green and wet again.
The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain a year; Chicago's annual precipitation, its combined rainfall, snow and sleet, is 33.34 inches (84.68 cm). Even in the Sahara's wettest areas, it may rain twice one week and not rain again for years.
For centuries caravaneers have traveled through the Sahara desert. Even though there are many oases in the Sahara, the desert is so immense that travelers may go for days to reach them.
Oases make trade possible between the ports of North Africa and savanna markets further south. Without these wet rest stops for humans and animals, crossing the desert would be almost impossible.
As the world's biggest desert, the Sahara covers a third of the African continent-an area about the size of the United States.
What makes the Sahara a desert?
The Sahara is one of the hottest places on Earth. Even though temperatures there may rise to 136 F (57.7 C), its dryness, not heat, that makes a place like the Sahara a desert. The frozen continent of Antarctica is so dry that some scientists consider it a desert, too.
As the world's largest desert, the Sahara receives less than three inches (7.6 cm) of rain a year. Even in its wettest areas, rain may arrive twice in one week, then not return for years.
Image of oasis from University of Pennsylvania Multimedia database.
The Sahara is blown dry
Many thousands of years ago, the Sahara was a green home to water-loving animals, like hippos. Then the climate changed. Today rising and falling winds pull moisture away from the desert, but they rarely bring rain.
A wind by any other name...
Many of the Sahara's winds have special names:
Haboob is the Arabic name for a wild, sand-laden wind.
Khamsin, also Arabic, means "50 days." This wind sweeps across the desert from March through May, filling the air with sand.
The name of the desert wind harmattan comes from a word in the West African language Twi that means "to tear your breath apart."
Image of hippos from University of Pennsylvania Multimedia database. The Sahara is more than sand dunes
Sand dunes make up only about 15 percent of the Sahara, but the desert is so huge (about three and a half million square miles or 5.63 million sq km) that even a single dune may be enormous. The sand dune known as the Libyan Erg is as big as France.
About 70 percent of the Sahara consists of rocky plains covered with stones and gravel. Shale and limestone plateaus or mountain ranges make up the rest. S
This desert is in south California. It is called Death Valley. Death Valley is part of a bigger desert. All deserts are very dry. Many deserts are very hot. The plants that you see in this picture are sometimes called sagebrush. Some of the plants that grow in this desert can dry up and blow around. The plants that are blown around are called tumbleweeds.
What is a Desert Like?
The hot desert is a land of extremes: extreme heat and extreme dryness; sudden flash floods and cold nights. Because deserts are such a harsh environment, deserts often have names likes "Death Valley," "the empty quarter," and "the place from where there is no return."
Dryness Deserts are usually very, very dry. Even the wettest deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation a year.
In most places, rain falls steadily throughout the year. But in the desert, there may be only a few periods of rains per year with a lot of time between rains. When it does rain, there may be quite a downpour! After the rain, desert flowers bloom.
Hot During the Day, Cool at Night Everyone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot. Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit are not uncommon. Yet at night, the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40s or 50s? Why?
Other biomes are insulated by their humidity (water vapor in the air). Temperate deciduous forests, for example, may have 80 percent humidity or more during the day. This water reflects and absorbs sunlight and the energy it brings. At night the water acts like a blanket, trapping heat inside the forest.
Since deserts usually have only between 10 and 20 percent humidity to trap temperatures and have so few trees and other vegetation to retain heat, they cool down rapidly when the sun sets, and heat up quickly after the sun rises.
DESERTS
Grade Level: 6th gradePresented by: Jane Conner and Elaine Benen, Forestville Elementary School, Great Falls, VALength of Unit: Nine Lessons (16 Days)
I. ABSTRACT
This unit, Deserts, explores the mysteries of some of the most unfriendly but beautiful places on earth, and it introduces students to the geography of the Middle East. Students will learn the definition of a desert, how and why deserts have developed in certain areas; they will also learn about the location, landforms and special features of the world’s greatest deserts. This geography unit is integrated into other disciplines, including reading and research, writing, and art. Activities designed to accommodate the four learning styles are included in each lesson.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Concept Objectives
1. Students will gain an understanding of the geology of the world’s greatest deserts.
2. Students will develop an understanding of desert formation, naturally and
man-made.
3. Students will develop an awareness of the variety and uniqueness of desert landforms.
4. Students will develop an awareness of the adaptations living things must make in
order to survive in desert environments.
5. Students will develop an awareness of the location of the Middle East.
B. Core Knowledge Sequence to be covered
1. Formation of deserts
2. Great deserts of the world
3. Geography of the Middle East
4. Composition of a business letter
5. Writing poetry
C. Specific skills to be taught
1. Define and identify various desert features.
2. Identify the way deserts are formed.
3. Compare and contrast adaptions of living things to a desert habitat.
4. Locate the world’s greatest deserts.
5. Research information about the world’s greatest deserts.
6. Access web sites for information about a specific desert from bookmarked sites on
the internet.
7. Locate countries, major cities and major landforms of the Middle East.
8. Create a haiku about a specific desert.
9. Produce a standard business letter.
III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
A. For teachers
1. Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
2. MacQuitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
3. Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts & Dry Lands. San Diego:
Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
B. For students
1. Maps and globes
2. Deserts
3. Mediterranean region
4. Weather/meteorology
IV. RESOURCES
A. Audio-Visual Aids
Desert Dwellers. Poster. Scholastic, Inc.
Deserts. Filmstrip. National Geographic Society, 1987.
Exploring a Desert Habitat. Poster. Frank Schaffer Publications.
Eyewitness: Desert. Videotape. DK Vision, 1996. 35 min.
B. Books
Amsel, Sheri. Habitats of the World: Deserts. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck- Vaughn Publishers, 1993.
Arnold, Caroline. First Facts: A Walk in the Desert. New Jersey: Silver Press, 1990.
Arnold, Caroline. Watching Desert Wildlife. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1994.
Bernard, Robin. Deserts. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1995.
Berry, C. E., ed. Sky and Earth. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992.
Clark, John, et al. Encyclopedia of Our Earth. New York: Shooting Star Press, Inc., 1995.
Cloudsley-Thompson, John. The Living Earth: Desert Life. London: Aldus Books Limited, 1975.
Dixon, Dougal, ed. The Planet Earth (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992.
Follman, Ilene. Life in the Desert. St. Louis, Missouri: Milliken Publishing Company, 1995.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Cactus Hotel. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1991.
Higginson, Mel. This Earth of Ours: Deserts. Vero Beach, Florida: The Rourke Corporation, Inc. 1994.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1996.
Hirsch, E. D., ed. What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education. New York: Dell Publishing, 1993.
Lerner, Carol. A Desert Year. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991.
Macquitty, Miranda. Eyewitness Books: Desert. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Madgwick, Wendy. Cacti and Other Succulents. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn Library, 1992.
Parker, Steve and Jane. The Changing World: Deserts and Dry Lands. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press, 1996.
Sands, Stella. Kids Discover: Deserts. New York: Kids Discover, 1994.
Sayre, April Pulley. Exploring Earth’s Biomes: Desert. New York; Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.
Sebranek, Patrick and Meyer, Verne and Kemper, Dave. Write Source 2000. Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1995.
Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988.
Taylor, Barbara. Desert Life. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1992.
Classroom Atlas. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1996.
World Book’s Young Scientist (Volume 4). Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1993.
C. Compact Disks
ClarisWorks 4.0. Compact Disk. Claris Corporation, 1996.
Earth Explorer. Compact Disk. Sunburst, 1996.
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Science. Compact Disk. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Compact Disk. Mindscape, Inc., 1997.
Maps and Facts. Compact Disk. Broderbund, 1994.
Microsoft Bookshelf ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
Microsoft Encarta ‘95. Compact Disk. Microsoft Corporation, 1995.
3D Atlas. Compact Disk. Multimedia Corporation, 1994.
The Writing Center. Compact Disk. The Learning Company, 1993.
D. Encyclopedia: “Desert.” World Book Encyclopedia, 1994.
E. Internet Addresses
“The A-Z of Camels.” [Online] Available http://ww.arab.net/camels/, (17 November1997).
“The Desert.” [Online] Available http://hagar.up.ac.za/egypt/odyssey/week1/desert.
html (05 November 1997).
“Desert Environment.” [Online] Available http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html
(17 November 1997).
V. LESSONS
A. Lesson One (1 day): Introduction to Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will define “desert.”
b. Students will identify and define various features of deserts.
2. Materials
a. Children’s Book: Siebert, Diane. Mojave. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1988 (A similar children’s book about deserts may be substituted.)
b. Chart paper and markers
c. Video: Eyewitness: Desert, 1996.
d. Teacher prepared study guide (Appendix A)
e. Student pencils
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Arid: dry
b. Desert: an area of land where less than 10 inches of rain falls per year
c. Evaporation: when a liquid turns into vapor or gas
d. Precipitation: water reaching the surface of the Earth (rain, sleet, snow,
frost, and dew)
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Read aloud Mojave by Diane Siebert to introduce the unit.
b. Prepare a KWL chart
(1) K: Students will brainstorm what they think they know about
deserts. Teacher will put ideas on chart paper.
(2) W: Students will brainstorm several questions about deserts
they would like answered
(3) L: Complete at the end of the unit (optional)
c. Show video Eyewitness: Desert: students will take notes from video on
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
study guide provided by teacher.
d. Class discussion about desert features will follow the video and students
will complete study guide.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students on oral responses following the video.
b. Teacher will check students’ study guides for completeness and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Oral communication
b. Listening skills
B. Lesson Two (1 Day): Formation of Deserts
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify ways deserts are formed by presenting an oral summary of information
b. Students will illustrate ways deserts are formed.
2. Materials
a. Manila paper (12x18 sheet) and crayons for each student
b. Overhead projector
c. Transparencies
(1) Weather Patterns (Appendix B)
(2) Cloud Cover (Appendix C)
(3) Rain Shadow (Appendix D)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Desertification: the creation of new deserts and dry areas from more moist or damper lands by human activities like farming or draining away water
b. Rain shadow: rain falls on the sides of mountains that face a water source
rather than on the sheltered sides of mountains
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Review study guide from Lesson One
b. Discuss weather patterns, cloud cover, rain shadow, and desertification
using transparencies
c. On manila paper, illustrate how deserts are formed.
(1) Title a piece of manila paper “How Deserts are Formed.”
(2) Fold the paper into four equal rectangles and draw pictures to
illustrate (label illustrations).
(a) Weather patterns
(b) Cloud cover
(c) Rain shadow
(d) Desertification
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ illustrations for understanding of the four
concepts presented in the lesson.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Listening skills
b. Identifying main ideas
C. Lesson Three (2 Days): Desert Landforms
1. Objectives
a. Students will identify various hot and cold desert landforms.
b. Students will identify causes of desert landforms.
2. Materials
a. Paper and pencil for each student
b. Research materials from school library
c. Vocabulary list for each student created by teacher (Appendix E)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Alluvial fan: a fan-shaped deposit of sedimentary materials at the mouth
of a ravine
b. Arroyo: a deep gully cut by an intermittent stream
c. Butte: a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping
sides and a flat top
d. Dune: a ridge or hill of wind-blown sand
e. Erosion: wearing away the land by physical methods such as rubbing and
scraping, and carrying away the eroded results such as rock particles
f. Groundwater: water under the ground, in spongy rocks and in cracks,
crevices, caves, and tunnels
g. Mesa: a flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides
crevices, caves, and tunnels
h. Mirage: an optical phenomenon creating the illusion of water
i. Oasis: a fertile area in a desert where groundwater can reach the surface
because of the rock formations
j. Sediment: finely divided solid material that settles to the bottom of a
liquid
k. Wadi: a valley, gully, or riverbed that remains dry except during the
rainy season
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will briefly discuss desert landforms with class.
b. Students will go to the library to complete “Desert Landforms Vocabulary.” (Students may work in pairs, but each student should complete written work.)
c. Students should write descriptive paragraphs about desert landforms incorporating their notes and vocabulary from “Desert Landforms
Vocabulary” into their final paragraphs.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ definitions for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ paragraphs for accuracy and for the components of a well-written descriptive paragraph.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Descriptive writing
c. English grammar/mechanics
D. Lesson Four (1 Day): Life in the Desert
1. Objectives
a. Students will list how plants have adapted to desert life.
b. Students will list how animals have adapted to desert life.
c. Students will compare and contrast adaptions made by plants and animals.
2. Materials
a. Chart paper and markers
b. Pictures of desert plants and animals
c. “Life in the Desert” handout prepared by teacher (Appendix F)
d. Venn Diagram prepared by teacher (Appendix G)
e. Pencils and paper for students
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Adapt: to make fit
b. Dormant: when a living thing remains still and inactive, as though asleep,
to save energy and survive bad conditions
c. Photosynthesis: catching the energy in sunlight and converting it into the
energy in foods and nutrients for living and growing
d. Nocturnal: active at night
e. Succulent: having fleshy tissues designed to conserve moisture
f. Bactrain: a camel with two humps
g. Dromedary: a camel with one hump
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher will discuss desert plant and animal life (showing pictures of plants and animals that live in the desert).
b. Students will read “Life in the Desert” and make list of adaptations made by plants and list of adaptations made by animals.
c. Teacher and class will discuss individual lists and make one class list of adaptations on chart paper.
d. Students will complete Venn Diagrams comparing plant and animal adaptations.
5. Evaluations/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check Venn Diagrams for accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Reading comprehension
b. Comparison and contrast
E. Lesson Five (3 Days): Great Deserts of the World
1.Objectives
a. Students will locate world’s greatest deserts on map.
b. Students will research specific information about world’s greatest deserts.
c. Students will orally present information from their research.
2. Materials
a. Blank world map prepared by teacher for each student (Appendix H)
b. Markers or colored pencils and paper
c. Atlases
d. Research materials available in the library
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Erg: continuous expanse of sand
b. Sahel: narrow band of grassland that separates the desert from the grasslands of the central African plains
c. Shamel: northwesterly wind on Arabian Peninsula causing frequent sandstorms
d. Sinks: low areas that may hold water; they lie in valleys
e. Steppe: dry grassland in the Gobi Desert
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Students will be given a blank map and will locate greatest deserts. (1) Arabian Peninsula
(2) Australia
(3) Chihuahuan Desert
(4) Gobi Desert
(5) Kalahari Desert
(6) Mojave Desert
(7) Patagonia
(8) Sahara Desert
(9) Sonoran Desert
b. Students will research specific information about each desert and record it.
(1) location
(2) size
(3) temperature
(4) rainfall
(5) interesting fact
c. Students will present information to their 3rd grade buddies and display student-made maps.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ maps for accuracy.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ research.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Map skills
b. Research skills
D. Lesson Six (One Day): Geography of the Middle East
1. Objectives
a. Students will locate countries of the Middle East.
b. Students will locate major cities, bodies of water, and landforms in the Middle East.
2. Materials
a. Map
b. Globe
c. Pictures or slides of the Middle East
d. Student atlas
e. Blank map of the Middle East for each student (Appendix I)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
b. Gulf: a part of ocean or sea extending into the land
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Brainstorm what countries are in the Middle East and locate them on a map and globe.
b. Show pictures or slides of the Middle East emphasizing the desert areas.
c. Locate the following places in the Middle East and place them on blank map:
(1) Landforms and geographic areas
(a) Arabian Peninsula
(b) Anatolian Peninsula
(c) Taurus Mountains
(d) Atlas Mountains
(e) Sahara Desert
(f) Arabian Desert
(g) Mesopotamia
(2) Bodies of water
(a) Tigres River
(b) Euphrates River
(c) Mediterranean Sea
(d) Red Sea
(e) Black Sea
(f) Arabian Sea
(g) Persian Gulf
(3) Major cities
(a) Alexandria
(b) Cairo
(c) Mecca
(d) Jerusalem
(e) Damascus
(f) Baghdad
(g) Teheran
(h) Istanbul
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ oral responses.
b. Teacher will check students’ maps for completion and accuracy.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Geographical terms
b. Map and globe skills
G. Lesson Seven (3 Days): Desert Travel Brochure
1. Objectives
a. Students will research information about a specific desert.
b. Students will create a travel brochure of a specific desert.
2. Materials
a. Research materials found in library
b. White paper (8 1/2x11)
c. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
d. Travel brochure assignment (Appendix J)
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Brochure: pamphlet or booklet, particularly containing descriptive or
advertising information
b. Pamphlet: unbound booklet
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss travel brochures (Appendix J) and assign students to make a travel brochure about a desert of their choice.
b. Research individual deserts.
c. Create travel brochure.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ research skills.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ travel brochures.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Advertising techniques
H. Lesson Eight (2 Days): Desert Haiku
1. Objectives
a. Students will recall information about deserts.
b. Students will create original haikus.
2. Materials
a. Research materials about deserts.
b. White construction paper (9x12)
c. Water colors
d. Fine tipped black markers
e. Paper and pencils
f. Examples of haiku poetry
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Haiku: an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, usually about nature
b. Water color wash: to cover with a thin coat of water color paint
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Introduce haiku poetry to students.
b. Create individual haiku about deserts.
c. Using water colors of desert colors, have students apply a water color wash to white construction paper; allow to dry overnight.
d. On dry water color wash, use fine tipped black pen to write haiku and illustrate.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ understanding of deserts from information in haiku.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ haikus for proper poetic form.
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Research skills
b. Poetic form
I. Lesson Nine (2 Days): Desert Business Letter
1. Objectives
a. Students will compose a business letter using accepted form.
b. Students will complete business letter using word processing skills.
2. Materials
a. List of organizations to contact about protection of deserts (Appendix K)
b. Paper and pencil
c. #10 envelope and stamp
d. Computer and word processing program
3. Key Vocabulary
a. Business letter: letter written for a specific purpose which includes a heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature
b. #10 Envelope: an envelope measuring approximately 9 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.
4. Procedures/Activities
a. Discuss form of a business letter.
b. Students write business letter to organization requesting information about desert conservation.
c. Students revise and edit letters.
d. Complete final letter on computer and mail.
5. Evaluation/Assessment
a. Teacher will evaluate students’ letters for content and form.
b. Teacher will evaluate students’ use of technology.
6. Standardized Test/State Connections
B. Desert Test
1. Objective: to measure what students learned about deserts
2. Materials: Desert Test ( Appendix L)
3. Key Vocabulary: no new vocabulary introduced
4. Procedures/Activities: students tested
5. Evaluation/Assessment: teacher will evaluate student’s tests
6. Standardized Test/State Test Connections
a. Test taking skills
b. Recall of information
VII. HANDOUTS/STUDENT WORKSHEETS
A. Appendix A (Deserts: A Study Guide)
B. Appendix B (Weather Patterns)
C. Appendix C (Cloud Cover)
D. Appendix D (Rain Shadow)
E. Appendix E (Desert Landforms Vocabulary)
F. Appendix F (Life in the Desert)
G. Appendix G (Plants and Animals Adapt to Desert Climates)
H. Appendix H (Deserts of the World)
I. Appendix I (The Middle East)
J. Appendix J (Desert Travel Brochure)
K. Appendix K (Environmental Organizations)
L. Appendix L (Desert Test)
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Desert
Introduction
sahara[enlarge]
The desert is a dry, hot, and sometimes waterless place that is very vast. Deserts take up 8.6 million square miles (22 million square kilometers) of the earth's surface. Deserts receive less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually. One of the driest deserts in the world is the Atacama Desert. This desert acquires below one inch (2.5 centimeters) a year. Some of the worlds largest deserts, the Sahara, Australian, and the Arabian, lie between latitude 30° south and latitude 30° north. This latitude belt has constant high pressure, which keeps low-pressure air that forms rain clouds, out of the area.
death valley[enlarge]
Most deserts are very hot. In Death Valley, a part of the Mojave Desert, temperatures are known to reach 190° F (88° C). The Great Basin desert, however, is at a higher elevation and can get very cold in the winter. Even hot deserts can get cold during the night, because hot air dissipates very quickly once the sun goes down.
great basin[enlarge]
The Mojave and the Great Basin in the southwestern United States are sheltered by mountain ranges, which stop rain clouds from advancing into the deserts.
The Atacama rarely accumulates rain clouds because of the cold Humboldt currents in the Pacific Ocean. When rain clouds pass over this cold current they lose their rain before reaching land.
Location
map of deserts [enlarge]
Some major deserts can be found in North America; namely the Sonoran, Chihuahua, Mojave, and the Great Basin. Other deserts, which can be found in Australia, are the Great Victoria and the Great Sandy. South America has deserts in Patagonia and Argentina. The Atacama region can also be found in South America. Most of the Arabian Peninsula is covered in desert. This massive desert extends northward into Syria. The Negev desert of Israel is also considered a part of this desert. Deserts also cover large areas in Africa. In fact, the Sahara, which is the largest desert in the world, covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers), almost a quarter of the entire northern portion of Africa. Other African deserts include the Kalahari of Southwestern Africa, and the Danakil of Ethiopia. Quick Question:The largest desert in the world, the Sahara in Africa, covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers).
Climate
Deserts are all dry, arid places, but they are not always hot. Some deserts can be cold most of the year depending on their location. At night, hot air from the day dissipates and, in some areas, temperatures can drop below freezing.
namib desert[enlarge]
Many hot deserts lie in the subtropical zones. The Sahara Desert is the World's largest desert and covers 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers), making it larger than the whole Australian continent. Temperatures during the day can soar over 100° F (38° C), but drop below freezing at night. Another hot desert can be found in the Namib Desert in southern Africa. Most cold deserts are found in higher latitudes and higher elevations. They are usually found between the subtropics and polar regions. Some cold deserts include the Gobi Desert of central Asia, the Pataonian Desert of South America, and the Great Basin Desert in the southwestern United States.
Hot and cold deserts, no matter where they are located, are always dry. Arid regions are characterized by having less than 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain annually. Although, most deserts only receive 10 inches (25 centimeters) per year.
Quick Question:Even at night, hot air from the day continues to linger in hot deserts.
Land Formation
Scientists have discovered that deserts used to be lands where water and grasslands ruled. The Sahara used to be a place where ancient humans roamed and lived with many other animals only 10,000 years ago. Cave paintings show animals wandering in grass, yet the Sahara became a barren desert some 5,000 years later. Some scientists believe that slow temperature change probably caused plants to die and the soil to erode.
alluvial fan[enlarge]
Water and wind erosion has slowly shaped deserts and will continue to do so. When rare, heavy rains flood the deserts, rocks and sand are swept away. As the rocks and sand are swept through valleys they make them deeper and wider. The water eventually pushes the rocks in low areas of the valley, called playas, or to the foot of slopes. This loose rock can pile up at the foot of these slopes and form large piles of rocks, called alluvial fans or cones. When other alluvial fans collide, together they form bajadas (or bahadas).
butte[enlarge]
Canyons, plateaus, buttes, and mesas are all formed by water erosion. Plateaus are high areas that have not been affected by water erosion, except when canyons slice into them. Rivers that wash away soft rocks and sand slowly form canyons. Parts of plateaus can also be eroded away into large islands called mesas. As water and wind erode mesas, slowly they shrink in size and become a butte.
yardang[enlarge]
Winds also work with water to cause erosion. As powerful winds pick up dust, they can create dust and sandstorms that can reach 9,500 feet (3,000 meters) into the air. Winds can even roll large rocks on the ground. Pebbles and sands are usually lifted 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the ground. Most of the erosion in the deserts are caused by the wind. Wind erosion causes different formations in cliffs and large rocks. The wind can wear out small caves in cliffs, form rock pillars, arches, mushroom rocks, and yardangs. Mushroom rocks look like large rocks leaning on skinny pillars. Yardangs are overhanging ridges with steep sides.
arc formed by errosion[enlarge]
The sand itself and rocks are also shaped by the wind. Rocks can be rounded by wind and also form strange shapes called zeugen. Zeugens usually take the shape of a wave when they have been undercut by the wind (Lye,14). The desert surface itself can be changed by the wind. Wind can cause depressions in the desert surface in a process called deflation. As loose dust and sand grains are blown away, basins are formed. Eventually these basins turn into aquifers. Water helps stabilize rocks and sand in the area.
transverse dunes[enlarge]
The largest basin formed by the wind can be found in the Quattara depression in Egypt. One-fifth of the world's deserts are covered in sand. The others are covered in rocks or hard, bare rock. The ones covered in sand have ever moving sand dunes. There are three different types of sand dunes, all of which are formed by the wind. Transverse dunes form at right angles to strong, prevailing winds. Crescent dunes form crescent shaped dunes ahead of the prevailing winds. Star shaped dunes are formed when winds frequently change direction.Quick Question:Canyons, plateaus, buttes, and mesas are all formed by wind erosion.
Plant Adaptations
flowers after a rain[enlarge]
Plants need to conserve moisture and energy in the dry desert. Many plants slow down growth for half of the year to conserve moisture. Many others also lose their leaves when temperatures become too intense. When the short rain season comes, plants burst into color, sprouting leaves and flowers.
organ pipe cactus[enlarge]
Many large cacti, like the barrel and organ-pipe cacti, store large amounts of water in their thick stems and pulpy interior. Another large cacti that has adapted perfectly to the desert environment is the saguaro cactus. The saguaro grows on the northern and southern slopes of the Sonoran Desert. Here it grows in gravel and rocky soils, usually between he heights of 2,000 and 3,500 feet (610 to 1,068 meters).
saguaro[enlarge]
The saguaro extracts water from its environment every chance it gets. Its roots are only a few inches (2.5 centimeters) deep in the soil, so it can soak up as much rain and dew before it evaporates. A giant saguaro can soak up to a ton of water during a heavy rain.
The saguaro also has a spongy inside layer that helps distribute water in the plant. Its outside skin is pleated, so when more water is absorbed its outside can expend to make room.
Growth is also very slow for the saguaro. It can take thirty years or more before the saguaro can reach a few feet (1.5 meters) high. After eighty years pass, the plant can be 20 feet (6 meters) tall and still not be full-grown. Two centuries may pass before the plant reaches its mature height. By growing slowly, the saguaro expends less energy, food, and water, making it fully adapted to the desert.
octillo[enlarge]
Water conservation is very important for all plants in the desert. Many plants achieve this by losing their leaves in one fashion or another. Acacia trees and the ocotillo, a shrub, both shed their leaves during long bouts of dryness. Shedding leaves not only prevents the loss of moisture from evaporation, but also slows the growth of the plant. Slowing growth helps plants use less water, food, and energy during hot seasons.
A large number of desert plants begin as seeds. Seeds can survive without water for indefinite periods of time. Seeds only begin to sprout when the rain washes away anti-sprouting chemicals on their shells. After the rains, the seeds will sprout when the temperatures become more moderate. After these plants sprout they may not live very long, because many desert plants sprout, mature, flower, and then die in a very short period of time.
joshua tree[enlarge]
Other plants don thin, knife-like leaves that prevent water loss by giving the sun a smaller area to evaporate water. Others, like the Joshua tree, have needle-like leaves with a waxy resin that prevents much water from evaporating. Another type of plant, called living stones, exposes only a few of its leaves to the sun. The rest of the plant remains underground, safe from the sun and heat. Other plants remain hydrated with their deep roots. The mesquite tree has roots that can extend 100 feet (30.5 meters) into the ground, tapping water from underground aquifers.
creosote[enlarge]
Many plants in the desert are located many feet (meters) away from one another. One reason may be that moisture is limited so plants must space out. Another concept is that some plants are poisonous to others. Roots of the creosote bush have chemicals on them just for the purpose of keeping other plants out of their way.
One problem to plants living in or near sand dunes was the constant changing and movement of the dunes. When dunes move, it can uproot plants. Plants needed to adapt to dune areas. So, grasses and shrubs living in dune areas have developed long, tough roots to hold onto sand dunes. After more plants move into the area, they anchor the dune down with their roots and not even wind can move them.
Quick Question:The saguaro cactus reaches maturity and its full height in ten years.
Animals
african elephant[enlarge]
Most desert animals are medium to small in size. However, some larger animals live on the edges of deserts. Elephants are known to live in areas of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. These large animals maintain their body heat through their ears. When blood vessels in their ears enlarge, heat from the blood and skin is then released into the air. Lions can also be seen in the Kalahari. However, they only stay there for short periods of time, maybe just to catch a meal, because they are not quite adapted to the desert.
Quite a few of the animals that live in the deserts get water through their food. Roadrunners extract their water from lizards, insects, small snakes, and other animals. Tortoises get their water from cacti and other plants. Lizards obtain their water supply from plants and insects.
gemsbok[enlarge]
The gemsbok, which is a type of oryx, or antelope, roam free in the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. In order to obtain food and water, the gemsbok eats a melon called the tschamma. They dig with their front teeth to find the fruit and its roots under the soil.
addax[enlarge]
Probably the best adapted animal in the desert is the addax, which is a close relative to the oryx. It does not need to drink because it receives enough water to survive from the plants it eats. Scientists believe that the addax has a special lining in its stomach that stores water in pouches to use in times of dehydration.Storing water is also necessary for the survival of the desert tortoise. It has two water saving cabins under its shell that holds water it gets from the cacti it eats.
gila monster[enlarge]
Some animals store fat instead of water to survive. The Gila monster and Egyptian spiny tailed lizard save fat in their large tails. When food is unattainable, they live off of this fat and even the moisture it provides.Conserving energy and water is very important to every animal in the desert. They conserve water by keeping cool. Some animals, like the addax, are active during the coolest times of the day: in the morning, evening, and after dark. During the hottest times of the day, the addax digs a hole with its hooves and lies down in it until the temperature goes down.
Most animals in the desert are light in color. Colors which are light, absorb less heat from the sun than those that are dark. This is why most animals have light skin, fur, scales, or wings.
fennec fox[enlarge]
Finding food and avoiding predators is very important to all animals in the desert. Since most desert animals search for food at night, they must adapt to the night life. An example of this is the numerous species of the desert fox. They will hunt rodents, insects, lizards, and other small creatures. Some of these foxes are the kit fox of North America, the sandfox of Asia, and the bat-eared fox and fennec of Africa. All of these foxes have large ears that get rid of excess heat and provide them with sensitive hearing so that they can catch their prey in the dark.
bat-eared fox[enlarge]
Deserts foxes, like the bat-eared and fennec fox of Africa, also burrow into the ground. These burrows have several chambers that are lined with vegetation. A whole fox family can live in these chambers. Other animals that use burrows for underground homes are skunks, badgers, and other medium sized mammals.Birds, like hawks and eagles, however, do not hunt at night. They rely on their keen vision during the day to catch their prey.
kangaroo rat[enlarge]
Some animals use great defenses to discourage their predators. The tiny kangaroo rat, which is no larger than a few inches (centimeters), has powerful hind legs and feet. Their incredible speed makes them hard to catch. They can cover almost 1,200 feet (366 meters) in a minute. They can even jump and change directions in mid air.
pupfish[enlarge]
Amazingly, fish also live in the desert. They live in springs and small rivers. In Death Valley National Monument, located in Nevada, a few hundred Devil's Hole pupfish live above a limestone shelf in a spring hole. This spring hole is only 30 square yards (25 square meters) in area. All the pupfish members breed and carry out their whole life in this tiny spring hole. This is the closest known range any vertebrate has ever lived in. Other fish that live in springs and streams are the Moapa dace and the Leon Springs pupfish.
Quick Question:The addax does not need to drink water because it receives enough water to survive from the plants it eats.
Animal Adaptations
desert tortoise[enlarge]
Animals need to be well adapted to the arid climate of the desert. They need to regulate their body temperature all day and all night. Mammals and birds have it the easiest when it comes to body heat regulation. Their body heat remains stable as long as they are not in the heat for prolonged periods of time. In the cold night weather, they remain warm as long as they eat enough food to produce energy. Reptiles and amphibians body temperatures mirror that of the deserts. They have no internal way to regulate their body temperature.
desert hedgehog [enlarge]
To prevent over heating, both reptiles and animals make burrows to escape the heat. Burrows can remain at a much cooler temperature during the day and a much warmer temperature during the night. Some animals come out of their burrows in the early morning and afternoon, before the heat gets too overwhelming. Other animals only come out during the night, which is one reason why the daytime in the desert can seem so lifeless.
During the hottest, driest times of the year, some animals estivate. Estivation is like hibernation except these animals are not avoiding the cold, but the sweltering heat. By estivating, animals conserve more moisture.
Quick Question:Reptiles have no internal way to regulate their body temperature.
Insects / Other Animals
trap door spider[enlarge]
There are countless insects and animals that live under the desert floor. Deserts are especially populated with a group of invertebrates called arachnids. Arachnids have a hard outer covering called an exoskeleton. Exoskeletons prevent moisture from escaping their bodies. This feature makes them well adapted to the desert. Arachnids include spiders and scorpions that get their water source from the animals they eat. A common arachnid in North American and Australian deserts is the trap-door spider. This clever spider sets traps for its prey. The trap-door spider digs a long, narrow burrow in the ground and then lines the inside and opening of the burrow with webbing. The spider then covers the opening with soil and vegetation and waits in the burrow until an insect stops over the hole. The spider then jumps out, grabs the insect, and drags it forcefully into the hole.
tarantula[enlarge]
A large spider that lives in the Americas and the Mediterranean is the tarantula. These spiders can grow to be bigger than a person's hand. Tarantulas hunt snakes, insects, baby birds, and lizards. These spiders will bite people, yet they are not poisonous. Some poisonous spiders include the black widow and the brown recluse.
desert scorpion[enlarge]
Scorpions are another group of arachnids that have large, and sometimes poisonous, pinchers. They use these pincers to catch their prey. Scorpions eat a diet that consists mostly of insects. They do not always use their stingers against prey; sometimes they are used for defense. There are two other groups of arachnids that are harmless to people. These are whip scorpions and wind scorpions. Both groups do not have stingers or pincers like other scorpions. Wind scorpions burrow under the sand during the day and only come out at night to hunt for small insects.
Some desert animals live only a short time to mate and deposit eggs before they die. Sometimes there may be many years between the time the adults mate and when the eggs actually hatch. A scientific study done in 1955 in the Mojave Desert proved this seemingly impossible delay in hatching true. The study started when a dry lake bed was flooded for the first time in twenty-five years. Shrimp from eggs laid twenty-five years ago, when the lake last held water, hatched. These eggs held enough moisture all those years to survive until conditions were right for them to hatch.
The sidewinder rattle snake travels easily over the sand in an s-shaped loop. The looped part anchors the snake to the sand while the rest of its body pulls it foreword.Another desert snake is the sand viper. The snake uses camouflage to hide itself in the sand. It hides by partly covering itself with sand which matches perfectly with its pale skin color.
Quick Question:Arachnids are a group of vertebrates that include spiders and scorpions.
Topics in Sociology: Social Institutions
Social institutions are established or standardized patterns of rule-governed behavior. They include the family, education, religion, and economic and political institutions.
Major Perspectives
Marx
Social institutions are determined by their society’s mode of production.
Social institutions serve to maintain the power of the dominant class.
Weber
Social institutions are interdependent but no single institution determines the rest.
The causes and consequences of social institutions cannot be assumed in advance.
Durkheim
Set the stage for later functionalist analyses of institutions by concluding that religion promotes social solidarity and collective conscience.
Functionalist theory
The social institutions listed in this section (along with other social institutions) fulfill functional prerequisites and are essential.
Conflict theory
Social institutions tend to reinforce inequalities and uphold the power of dominant groups.
Emphasizes divisions and conflicts within social institutions.
Symbolic interactionism
Focuses on interactions and other symbolic communications within social institutions.
1. The Family:
A socially defined set of relationships between at least two people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or, in some definitions, long-standing ties of intimacy.
Key Questions
How do families vary across different societies, historical periods, classes, and ethnic groups?
How are authority, resources, and work distributed within families?
How do parents, particularly mothers, balance the demands of work and family?
What are the causes and effects of divorce, domestic violence, and single parenting?
Notes
Marx: The family upholds the capitalist economic order by ensuring the reproduction of the working class and by maintaining housewives as a reserve labor force.
Functionalist theory: Functions of the family include socializing children, regulating sexual behavior and reproduction, distributing resources, providing social support.
2. Education:
A formal process in which knowledge, skills, and values are systematically transmitted from one individual or group to another.
Key Questions
How do educational practices vary across different societies and historical periods?
How does education affect individuals’ subsequent activities and achievements?
What are the effects of class, race, and gender on educational institutions and experiences?
What are the causes and consequences of various trends in education, such as grade inflation, violence in schools, and increasing public funding of religious instruction?
Notes
Marx: Education serves the capitalist order by producing skilled workers with habits such as punctuality and respect for authority.
Functionalist theory: Functions of education include transmitting shared values and beliefs, transmitting specific knowledge and skills, sorting individuals based on skill, and establishing social control over youths.
Conflict theory: Educational tracking systems and other differential treatment of students reinforce social inequalities.
Symbolic interactionism: Face-to-face interactions in the classroom can have long-range consequences for students’ educational achievements.
3. Religion:
A unified system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural and to norms about the right way to live that is shared by a group of believers. Sociologists treat religion as a social rather than supernatural phenomenon.
Key Questions
How do the world religions differ? How are they similar?
How have religions developed and changed, and why do people engage with them?
What is the relationship between religion and other aspects of social life such as stratification, deviance, and conflict?
What are the causes and consequences of contemporary trends such as secularization, the splintering of religious groups, and shifting church–state relationships?
Notes
Marx: Religion is the “opium of the people”—it masks domination and diverts workers from rebelling against exploitation.
Weber: Classified religions by their approach to salvation:
Ascetic religions require active self-mastery; mystical religions require passive contemplation.
Other-worldly religions require focus on the next life (e.g., heaven); this-worldly religions require focus on earthly life.
Durkheim: Religion provides social solidarity and collective conscience; it expresses and celebrates the force of society over the individual.
Functionalist theory: Functions of religion include providing meaning for life, reinforcing social norms, strengthening social bonds, and marking status changes (e.g., marriage).Dysfunctions, according to some, include justifying persecution.
4. Economic Institutions:
Sociologists understand the economy as the set of arrangements by which a society produces, distributes, and consumes goods, services, and other resources.
Key Questions
What institutions and relations characterize different economic systems (e.g., capitalism, socialism, and feudalism)?
How do consumption and leisure patterns differ among various cultures, historical periods, and social groups?
How do the structures of business organizations affect productivity, job satisfaction, and inequalities?
What are the causes and consequences of contemporary trends such as economic liberalization, declining unionization, and increased consumer debt?
Notes
Marx: Economic organization (the means and relations of production) determines the major features of any society.
Functionalist theory: Functions of economic institutions include: production and distribution of goods, assignment of individuals to different social roles such as occupations.
5. Political Institutions:
Institutions that pertain to the governance of a society, its formal distribution of authority, its use of force, and its relationships to other societies and political units. The state, an important political institution in modern societies, is the apparatus of governance over a particular territory.
Key Questions
How do political institutions differ across historical periods and societies?
How do different social groups participate in political institutions, and with what consequences?
How and why do individuals participate in political processes such as voting or joining lobbying groups?
How are political institutions related to other aspects of society, such as the economy and the mass media?
Notes
Weber: Defines the state as an authority that maintains a monopoly on the use of violence in its territory. See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Max Weber > Key Concepts > Legitimate Authority.
Functionalist theory: Functions of political institutions include protection from external enemies, resolving group conflicts, defining societal goals, and strengthening group identity and norms. Pluralism, a particularly functional type of political institution, entails distribution of power among many groups so no one group can gain control.
Conflict theory: Pluralism and democracy are illusions that invite the powerless to believe that they have a voice in governance, when in fact their control is quite limited.
Topics in Sociology: Social Stratification and Mobility
Key Concepts
Social stratification: The division and hierarchical ranking of people into layers associated with different degrees of command over material resources, power, and prestige. Divisions upon which stratification may be based include:
Income and wealth: Closely related to occupational and educational status.
Race and ethnicity: Many sociologists believe that racial categories are false and refer to ethnic differences instead. Race is a socially constructed set of distinctions that categorize people on the basis of biological characteristics. Ethnicity is a way of categorizing people on the basis of their shared cultural, linguistic, or national identities.
Gender: The set of socially constructed meanings, practices, norms, skills, and other characteristics ascribed to people on the basis of biological sex.
Age: In many societies, power, prestige, rights, and obligations are assigned to people on the basis of their age.
Stratification system: A specific set of relationships between stratified groups in a society. Most complex societies have several intersecting stratification systems. Sociologists have identified four major types:
Slavery: Stratification system in which some people own others as their property and control their activities. People become slaves through birth, military defeat, or debt.
Caste: Stratification system in which people are assigned to the social group (caste) of their parents. Their affiliation entails specific rights and duties and determines their lifestyle, occupational choices, wealth, and prestige.
Estate: Stratification system based on legal and customary distinctions between a group that possesses land and power by virtue of noble birth, and a group that works for the first group in exchange for land and protection.
Class:See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Karl Marx > Class and Elements of Society > Social Structure > Key Concepts: Marxism, Weber, and Conflict Theory > Social Class.
Social mobility: The movement of individuals or groups up and down stratification hierarchies. Mobility depends on type of stratification: It is quite rare under slavery and more common under class systems.
Major Perspectives
Marx
See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Karl Marx > Key Concepts > Class.
Weber
Society is stratified by class, status hierarchies, political affiliations, and other designations.
Functionalist theory
Stratification systems reflect values shared throughout society.
Stratification and inequality serve a positive function by ensuring that the most important roles are performed by the most qualified people.
Conflict theory
Contemporary societies are stratified by class, status, ethnicity, gender, and other divisions.
Stratification systems involve domination and exploitation of some groups by others.
Symbolic interactionism
Focuses on face-to-face interactions in stratified societies and groups.
Elements of Society: Social Interaction
The process in which people act toward and respond to each other. Encounters may be face-to-face, or they may be more enduring and complex.
Major Perspectives
Symbolic interactionism and dramaturgy
Interaction is mediated by symbols and meanings.
Participants in an interaction actively create and interpret these symbols and meanings.
Exchange theory and rational choice
Interaction is mediated by the exchange of resources, esteem, prestige, and power.
Interaction participants actively try to maximize their rewards and minimize costs.
Key Concepts: Symbolic Interactionism, Dramaturgy
Gesture: One act in an ongoing interaction among several participants. George Herbert Mead distinguishes two types. Non-significant gestures include automatic reflexes such as breathing or blinking. Significant gestures include actions perceived as intentional; interaction participants try to interpret their intentions before responding to them.
Roles: Expectations about how people will behave in interactions that endure over time and across different situations. Such expectations make interaction more smooth and predictable. Contrast with Social Structure > Key Concepts > Functionalist Approach > Role.
Taking the role of the other: Imaginatively putting oneself in another’s situation. Mead claims this is necessary in attaching meanings to others’ gestures and anticipating their future actions, and is thus essential to all social interaction.
Impression management: Interaction participants’ attempts to control the impressions about themselves that others receive so that they appear to have a particular role or status or simply appear in a favorable light. (Dramaturgy)
Front stage and back stage: Two socially defined regions in which interaction occurs. The front stage is where impression management takes place; the back stage is where participants may relax and prepare for the next performance. (Dramaturgy)
Elements of Society: Culture
The symbols, values, material artifacts, and rules of behavior that a society or group collectively creates and uses.
Major Perspectives
Durkheim (functionalist theory)
Culture provides collective conscience, social solidarity, and social control.
Culture is widely shared; it creates and reflects social harmony.
Marx (conflict theory)
Culture creates and gives meaning to social divisions and conflicts.
Dominant culture reflects the lives and interests of dominant groups.
Culture is an element of a society’s superstructure, shaped by its base. (Marx only)
Weber
Whether culture creates unity or conflict is an empirical question.
Interests are most important in shaping social life, but culture can play an important role in certain instances.
Symbolic interactionism
Culture is understood as the patterns, rules, and meanings of social interaction; these are the foundation of all social order.
Key Concepts
Symbol: A sign that represents one or more meanings. Signs and meanings are linked by social convention. Examples: language, gestures, and art.
Language: A rule-governed system of communication using vocal and written symbols (words) that have common meanings among all members of a linguistic group.
Values: Socially created ideas about what is desirable and worthwhile in life, which may guide people’s goals, choices, and judgments.
Norms: Standards or codes of behavior, including expectations and obligations, that are specific to particular social settings. Examples: manners, customs, and laws. Fulfilling or violating norms often results in positive or negative sanctions.
Material culture: Material culture includes physical artifacts (e.g., adornments, buildings, and weapons) and the ways that societies produce and use them.
Subculture: A system of norms, material artifacts, and other cultural elements shared by a minority of people within a society that distinguishes the minority from the rest. Subcultures are often seen as dominated by their parent cultures.
Cultural capital: Cultural elements such as knowledge or taste used as a form of wealth, often to distinguish oneself from others and gain access to elite circles and opportunities. Seen as a means by which inequalities are maintained alongside formally equal opportunity.
Cultural universals: Elements common to all cultures or societies, though they may take different forms in different societies. Examples: funeral rites, cooperative work.
Cultural relativism: The position that there are no universal cultural values or ideas. A culture can only be understood on its own terms, not from the perspectives of other cultures.
Ethnocentrism: A tendency to judge all cultures in terms of one’s own; a belief that one’s own culture is morally, intellectually, and/or aesthetically superior to all others.
Ideology: A system of ideas and values that justifies a particular political or social program. Conflict theory definition: A system of ideas and values that justifies one group’s subordination of another by presenting a distorted view of reality that conceals power imbalances and reflects only the experiences of the powerful.
Major Perspectives
Marx
Social institutions are determined by their society’s mode of production.
Social institutions serve to maintain the power of the dominant class.
Weber
Social institutions are interdependent but no single institution determines the rest.
The causes and consequences of social institutions cannot be assumed in advance.
Durkheim
Set the stage for later functionalist analyses of institutions by concluding that religion promotes social solidarity and collective conscience.
Functionalist theory
The social institutions listed in this section (along with other social institutions) fulfill functional prerequisites and are essential.
Conflict theory
Social institutions tend to reinforce inequalities and uphold the power of dominant groups.
Emphasizes divisions and conflicts within social institutions.
Symbolic interactionism
Focuses on interactions and other symbolic communications within social institutions.
1. The Family:
A socially defined set of relationships between at least two people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or, in some definitions, long-standing ties of intimacy.
Key Questions
How do families vary across different societies, historical periods, classes, and ethnic groups?
How are authority, resources, and work distributed within families?
How do parents, particularly mothers, balance the demands of work and family?
What are the causes and effects of divorce, domestic violence, and single parenting?
Notes
Marx: The family upholds the capitalist economic order by ensuring the reproduction of the working class and by maintaining housewives as a reserve labor force.
Functionalist theory: Functions of the family include socializing children, regulating sexual behavior and reproduction, distributing resources, providing social support.
2. Education:
A formal process in which knowledge, skills, and values are systematically transmitted from one individual or group to another.
Key Questions
How do educational practices vary across different societies and historical periods?
How does education affect individuals’ subsequent activities and achievements?
What are the effects of class, race, and gender on educational institutions and experiences?
What are the causes and consequences of various trends in education, such as grade inflation, violence in schools, and increasing public funding of religious instruction?
Notes
Marx: Education serves the capitalist order by producing skilled workers with habits such as punctuality and respect for authority.
Functionalist theory: Functions of education include transmitting shared values and beliefs, transmitting specific knowledge and skills, sorting individuals based on skill, and establishing social control over youths.
Conflict theory: Educational tracking systems and other differential treatment of students reinforce social inequalities.
Symbolic interactionism: Face-to-face interactions in the classroom can have long-range consequences for students’ educational achievements.
3. Religion:
A unified system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural and to norms about the right way to live that is shared by a group of believers. Sociologists treat religion as a social rather than supernatural phenomenon.
Key Questions
How do the world religions differ? How are they similar?
How have religions developed and changed, and why do people engage with them?
What is the relationship between religion and other aspects of social life such as stratification, deviance, and conflict?
What are the causes and consequences of contemporary trends such as secularization, the splintering of religious groups, and shifting church–state relationships?
Notes
Marx: Religion is the “opium of the people”—it masks domination and diverts workers from rebelling against exploitation.
Weber: Classified religions by their approach to salvation:
Ascetic religions require active self-mastery; mystical religions require passive contemplation.
Other-worldly religions require focus on the next life (e.g., heaven); this-worldly religions require focus on earthly life.
Durkheim: Religion provides social solidarity and collective conscience; it expresses and celebrates the force of society over the individual.
Functionalist theory: Functions of religion include providing meaning for life, reinforcing social norms, strengthening social bonds, and marking status changes (e.g., marriage).Dysfunctions, according to some, include justifying persecution.
4. Economic Institutions:
Sociologists understand the economy as the set of arrangements by which a society produces, distributes, and consumes goods, services, and other resources.
Key Questions
What institutions and relations characterize different economic systems (e.g., capitalism, socialism, and feudalism)?
How do consumption and leisure patterns differ among various cultures, historical periods, and social groups?
How do the structures of business organizations affect productivity, job satisfaction, and inequalities?
What are the causes and consequences of contemporary trends such as economic liberalization, declining unionization, and increased consumer debt?
Notes
Marx: Economic organization (the means and relations of production) determines the major features of any society.
Functionalist theory: Functions of economic institutions include: production and distribution of goods, assignment of individuals to different social roles such as occupations.
5. Political Institutions:
Institutions that pertain to the governance of a society, its formal distribution of authority, its use of force, and its relationships to other societies and political units. The state, an important political institution in modern societies, is the apparatus of governance over a particular territory.
Key Questions
How do political institutions differ across historical periods and societies?
How do different social groups participate in political institutions, and with what consequences?
How and why do individuals participate in political processes such as voting or joining lobbying groups?
How are political institutions related to other aspects of society, such as the economy and the mass media?
Notes
Weber: Defines the state as an authority that maintains a monopoly on the use of violence in its territory. See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Max Weber > Key Concepts > Legitimate Authority.
Functionalist theory: Functions of political institutions include protection from external enemies, resolving group conflicts, defining societal goals, and strengthening group identity and norms. Pluralism, a particularly functional type of political institution, entails distribution of power among many groups so no one group can gain control.
Conflict theory: Pluralism and democracy are illusions that invite the powerless to believe that they have a voice in governance, when in fact their control is quite limited.
Topics in Sociology: Social Stratification and Mobility
Key Concepts
Social stratification: The division and hierarchical ranking of people into layers associated with different degrees of command over material resources, power, and prestige. Divisions upon which stratification may be based include:
Income and wealth: Closely related to occupational and educational status.
Race and ethnicity: Many sociologists believe that racial categories are false and refer to ethnic differences instead. Race is a socially constructed set of distinctions that categorize people on the basis of biological characteristics. Ethnicity is a way of categorizing people on the basis of their shared cultural, linguistic, or national identities.
Gender: The set of socially constructed meanings, practices, norms, skills, and other characteristics ascribed to people on the basis of biological sex.
Age: In many societies, power, prestige, rights, and obligations are assigned to people on the basis of their age.
Stratification system: A specific set of relationships between stratified groups in a society. Most complex societies have several intersecting stratification systems. Sociologists have identified four major types:
Slavery: Stratification system in which some people own others as their property and control their activities. People become slaves through birth, military defeat, or debt.
Caste: Stratification system in which people are assigned to the social group (caste) of their parents. Their affiliation entails specific rights and duties and determines their lifestyle, occupational choices, wealth, and prestige.
Estate: Stratification system based on legal and customary distinctions between a group that possesses land and power by virtue of noble birth, and a group that works for the first group in exchange for land and protection.
Class:See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Karl Marx > Class and Elements of Society > Social Structure > Key Concepts: Marxism, Weber, and Conflict Theory > Social Class.
Social mobility: The movement of individuals or groups up and down stratification hierarchies. Mobility depends on type of stratification: It is quite rare under slavery and more common under class systems.
Major Perspectives
Marx
See Classical Sociological Thinkers > Karl Marx > Key Concepts > Class.
Weber
Society is stratified by class, status hierarchies, political affiliations, and other designations.
Functionalist theory
Stratification systems reflect values shared throughout society.
Stratification and inequality serve a positive function by ensuring that the most important roles are performed by the most qualified people.
Conflict theory
Contemporary societies are stratified by class, status, ethnicity, gender, and other divisions.
Stratification systems involve domination and exploitation of some groups by others.
Symbolic interactionism
Focuses on face-to-face interactions in stratified societies and groups.
Elements of Society: Social Interaction
The process in which people act toward and respond to each other. Encounters may be face-to-face, or they may be more enduring and complex.
Major Perspectives
Symbolic interactionism and dramaturgy
Interaction is mediated by symbols and meanings.
Participants in an interaction actively create and interpret these symbols and meanings.
Exchange theory and rational choice
Interaction is mediated by the exchange of resources, esteem, prestige, and power.
Interaction participants actively try to maximize their rewards and minimize costs.
Key Concepts: Symbolic Interactionism, Dramaturgy
Gesture: One act in an ongoing interaction among several participants. George Herbert Mead distinguishes two types. Non-significant gestures include automatic reflexes such as breathing or blinking. Significant gestures include actions perceived as intentional; interaction participants try to interpret their intentions before responding to them.
Roles: Expectations about how people will behave in interactions that endure over time and across different situations. Such expectations make interaction more smooth and predictable. Contrast with Social Structure > Key Concepts > Functionalist Approach > Role.
Taking the role of the other: Imaginatively putting oneself in another’s situation. Mead claims this is necessary in attaching meanings to others’ gestures and anticipating their future actions, and is thus essential to all social interaction.
Impression management: Interaction participants’ attempts to control the impressions about themselves that others receive so that they appear to have a particular role or status or simply appear in a favorable light. (Dramaturgy)
Front stage and back stage: Two socially defined regions in which interaction occurs. The front stage is where impression management takes place; the back stage is where participants may relax and prepare for the next performance. (Dramaturgy)
Elements of Society: Culture
The symbols, values, material artifacts, and rules of behavior that a society or group collectively creates and uses.
Major Perspectives
Durkheim (functionalist theory)
Culture provides collective conscience, social solidarity, and social control.
Culture is widely shared; it creates and reflects social harmony.
Marx (conflict theory)
Culture creates and gives meaning to social divisions and conflicts.
Dominant culture reflects the lives and interests of dominant groups.
Culture is an element of a society’s superstructure, shaped by its base. (Marx only)
Weber
Whether culture creates unity or conflict is an empirical question.
Interests are most important in shaping social life, but culture can play an important role in certain instances.
Symbolic interactionism
Culture is understood as the patterns, rules, and meanings of social interaction; these are the foundation of all social order.
Key Concepts
Symbol: A sign that represents one or more meanings. Signs and meanings are linked by social convention. Examples: language, gestures, and art.
Language: A rule-governed system of communication using vocal and written symbols (words) that have common meanings among all members of a linguistic group.
Values: Socially created ideas about what is desirable and worthwhile in life, which may guide people’s goals, choices, and judgments.
Norms: Standards or codes of behavior, including expectations and obligations, that are specific to particular social settings. Examples: manners, customs, and laws. Fulfilling or violating norms often results in positive or negative sanctions.
Material culture: Material culture includes physical artifacts (e.g., adornments, buildings, and weapons) and the ways that societies produce and use them.
Subculture: A system of norms, material artifacts, and other cultural elements shared by a minority of people within a society that distinguishes the minority from the rest. Subcultures are often seen as dominated by their parent cultures.
Cultural capital: Cultural elements such as knowledge or taste used as a form of wealth, often to distinguish oneself from others and gain access to elite circles and opportunities. Seen as a means by which inequalities are maintained alongside formally equal opportunity.
Cultural universals: Elements common to all cultures or societies, though they may take different forms in different societies. Examples: funeral rites, cooperative work.
Cultural relativism: The position that there are no universal cultural values or ideas. A culture can only be understood on its own terms, not from the perspectives of other cultures.
Ethnocentrism: A tendency to judge all cultures in terms of one’s own; a belief that one’s own culture is morally, intellectually, and/or aesthetically superior to all others.
Ideology: A system of ideas and values that justifies a particular political or social program. Conflict theory definition: A system of ideas and values that justifies one group’s subordination of another by presenting a distorted view of reality that conceals power imbalances and reflects only the experiences of the powerful.
Prestige dialect
A prestige dialect is the dialect spoken by the most prestigious people in a speech community which is large enough to sustain more than one dialect. The study of prestige in language use is an important part of sociolinguistics.
Social prestige and the role of language
The most prestigious people are those with the greatest influence on the community. This influence may derive from economic, political, or social power. Prestige is not always overt; covert prestige may be significant too. There may be a tendency to align one's own use of language (idiolect) to that of a favoured dialect (positive prestige), or to move away from a dialect of low esteem (negative prestige).
Positive prestige is more often overt, whilst negative prestige is more often covert (avoidance of the unmentionable). Sociologically, women of the lower middle-class are more likely to notice and adopt overt positive prestige. Among working-class men, there may sometimes be a covert preference for negative prestige.
When a prestige dialect is prescribed as the norm by dominant institutions it is also a standard dialect. Broadcast media have been particularly effective at defining standard dialects.
Prestige dialects differ from state to state, usually the dialect of the capital.
· English In the United Kingdom and in many parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, Standard English is the prestige dialect. (This should not be confused with BBC English, or Received Pronunciation, as these terms refer to accent, not dialect, though this also plays an important role in social prestige.) The United States is said to have no single prestige dialect
· Chinese In mainland China and Taiwan, Standard Mandarin, which is Chinese based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin, is usually regarded as the prestige dialect. However, other varieties of Chinese may be locally prestigious in Hong Kong and Macau where the official variety of Chinese is Cantonese language.
Russian - the standard language is based on (but not identical to) the Moscow dialect, which is also the prestigious and universally understood and accepted dialect in Russia.
Thai Standard language is based on Bangkok dialect.
Turkish Standard language is based on Istanbul dialect.
Punjabi The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect Hindi. Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, is the prestige dialect of the Hindi-speaking states of India.
Dialect and language
It is not uncommon for speakers of a particular dialect, especially a regional dialect which has historically not been regarded as a prestige dialect, to claim that their dialect is in fact a distinct language. This enables them to distance it from the dominant dialect, and to establish prestige and pride in their own variety of the language. Such moves have been made for Scots as distinct from English. Similar issues have affected perceptions of the language
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
· . Wilson, Kenneth G (1993). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. New York: Columbia University Press.
· Labov, W. (1982). "Objectivity and commitment in linguistic science; the case of the Black English trial in Ann Arbor". Language in Society '11': 165–201.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_dialect"
Categories: Language varieties and styles Sociolinguistics
· Punjabi language (section References)
several dialects, though in … Punjabi dialects, but the book is … The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect and spoken in the heart …
· Khariboli (redirect Khariboli dialect)
Khariboli (also Khadiboli, Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, also known as Kauravi … is the prestige dialect of the Hindi-speaking states of …
· Libris Mortis (redirect Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead)
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead is a book which is an official supplement for the … Pelor named Acrinus in a dialect of Celestiial language …
Search results
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social prestige and the role of language
The most prestigious people are those with the greatest influence on the community. This influence may derive from economic, political, or social power. Prestige is not always overt; covert prestige may be significant too. There may be a tendency to align one's own use of language (idiolect) to that of a favoured dialect (positive prestige), or to move away from a dialect of low esteem (negative prestige).
Positive prestige is more often overt, whilst negative prestige is more often covert (avoidance of the unmentionable). Sociologically, women of the lower middle-class are more likely to notice and adopt overt positive prestige. Among working-class men, there may sometimes be a covert preference for negative prestige.
When a prestige dialect is prescribed as the norm by dominant institutions it is also a standard dialect. Broadcast media have been particularly effective at defining standard dialects.
Prestige dialects differ from state to state, usually the dialect of the capital.
· English In the United Kingdom and in many parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, Standard English is the prestige dialect. (This should not be confused with BBC English, or Received Pronunciation, as these terms refer to accent, not dialect, though this also plays an important role in social prestige.) The United States is said to have no single prestige dialect
· Chinese In mainland China and Taiwan, Standard Mandarin, which is Chinese based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin, is usually regarded as the prestige dialect. However, other varieties of Chinese may be locally prestigious in Hong Kong and Macau where the official variety of Chinese is Cantonese language.
Russian - the standard language is based on (but not identical to) the Moscow dialect, which is also the prestigious and universally understood and accepted dialect in Russia.
Thai Standard language is based on Bangkok dialect.
Turkish Standard language is based on Istanbul dialect.
Punjabi The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect Hindi. Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, is the prestige dialect of the Hindi-speaking states of India.
Dialect and language
It is not uncommon for speakers of a particular dialect, especially a regional dialect which has historically not been regarded as a prestige dialect, to claim that their dialect is in fact a distinct language. This enables them to distance it from the dominant dialect, and to establish prestige and pride in their own variety of the language. Such moves have been made for Scots as distinct from English. Similar issues have affected perceptions of the language
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
· . Wilson, Kenneth G (1993). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. New York: Columbia University Press.
· Labov, W. (1982). "Objectivity and commitment in linguistic science; the case of the Black English trial in Ann Arbor". Language in Society '11': 165–201.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_dialect"
Categories: Language varieties and styles Sociolinguistics
· Punjabi language (section References)
several dialects, though in … Punjabi dialects, but the book is … The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect and spoken in the heart …
· Khariboli (redirect Khariboli dialect)
Khariboli (also Khadiboli, Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, also known as Kauravi … is the prestige dialect of the Hindi-speaking states of …
· Libris Mortis (redirect Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead)
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead is a book which is an official supplement for the … Pelor named Acrinus in a dialect of Celestiial language …
Search results
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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