Desert Lesson Plan:
Desert Graphics
Overview:
How do desert climates compare to climates in other areas? In this lesson, students
will learn about how climates differ, and how meteorologists collect all kinds of
weather data, including daily high and low temperatures and average monthly
rainfall, from all over the world. Students will use similar weather data to create a
graph comparing three climates.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science, math
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"
Time:
One to two hours
Materials Required:
Computer with Internet access, or weather statistics for Phoenix, AZ; Washington,
D.C.; and your own town
Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the United States (one for each student)
Graph paper
Red and black markers
Objectives:
Students will compare average daily temperatures and rainfall of a desert region
and a coastal region; plot data on line and bar graphs; analyze their graphs; and add
data from their own hometown to the graphs.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
Suggested Procedure
Opening:
Ask students if they have experienced a desert climate and explain what it was like.
(If they haven't been to a desert climate, what do they imagine it would be like?)
What kinds of animals and plants grow in the desert? Why?
Development:
Have students go to the Weather Channel online and look at the weather statistics
for Phoenix, AZ and Washington, D.C. [Note: Pass out copies of the statistics if
you don't have enough computers for students to look them up on their own.]
Ask students to look at the data on the average daily high temperatures chart. Ask
if someone can explain what these temperatures mean. If necessary, explain that
thermometers record the highest temperature of each day, and that these daily high
temperatures are then averaged together to find the average monthly temperatures.
Ask students to choose a month or two from the average daily high temperatures
chart and calculate the monthly average. They can check their answers on the
monthly averages chart. Have students note the rainfall data on the chart. The
rainfall data for each month was averaged together to get these figures in the same
way that students have just averaged the temperatures.
Have students mark Phoenix, Arizona; Washington, D.C.; and their own
hometown on their outline maps of the United States.
Ask the students what type of climate each area has. They should note that Phoenix
is located in the Sonoran Desert and has a hot desert climate. Washington, D.C., is
on the East Coast and has what is called a humid continental climate. What is the
climate in their hometown?
Ask students to form pairs, but show their work on their own maps. Working
together, they will create line and bar graphs showing temperature and rainfall
differences between Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
First, ask students to plot average monthly temperature data on a line graph, with
the horizontal (x) axis showing the names of the months, and the vertical (y) axis
showing the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, in ten degree increments. Have
them plot points in red for Phoenix and black for Washington, and connect the
lines once they have finished.
Next, have students make two separate bar graphs, one showing the average
monthly rainfall for Phoenix and the other the average monthly rainfall for
Washington, D.C. The horizontal (x) axis should again show the names of the
months, and the vertical (y) axis should show the rainfall amounts in inches, using
0.5 inch increments.
[Note: Calculations in Celsius and centimeters could also be used for each graph in
order to help students practice conversions.]
Closing:
After students have completed their graphs, have them answer the following
questions, either on paper or in a class discussion:
In which months was there the greatest difference in the average daily high
temperatures between Washington, D.C. and Phoenix?
Which area had the higher average temperature in June?
In how many months of the year did Washington, D.C., have more than twice the
amount of rain that Phoenix had?
How do graphs help make data easier to understand?
Why is it important to keep records that show the average temperatures and the
average amount of rainfall in an area?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students research average monthly high temperatures and monthly rainfall
for their own town. Have each student add a line to his or her line graph showing
the average monthly high temperatures in their area, and create a third rainfall
graph showing the average monthly rainfall in their area. Ask students to write a
paragraph below each new graph explaining how their area compares to Phoenix
and Washington, D.C. For example, how do they think differences in temperature
and rainfall reflect what goes on in their area in terms of agriculture or tourism?
Extending the Lesson:
Compare desert climates to other types of climates, such as polar, rain forest,
alpine, and grassland climates. Pick cities in each type of climate and then look up
the weather data in a statistical abstract or almanac.
This lesson is adapted from Ranger Rick's Naturescope® Discovering Deserts
(National Wildlife Federation®).