Live or Die!!!! Will you survive
the DESERT?
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Building Background:
Introduction of the desert biome. (What a desert is, what the ecosystem is?)
The Search for Water - The instructor will present a box of sand to the students. (A shoe
box with sand in it would work; make sure to tape up any holes in the box.) Ask the
students what happens to water when it comes in contact with sand. Explain to the
students that if it is a large amount of water then the sand will become soppy/slushy, but if
it is a small amount of water the sand soaks it up. Use the sand box to prove this to the
students. Have them gather around and spray water on the sand. (A spray bottle of any
kind will work). Only spray a small amount to represent the amount of rain that a desert
receives. Once the students see how easy it is for the sand to soak up the water explain to
them how if the sand was hot like the sand in a desert it would soak up the water even
faster. Students can microwave the sand to test their theories and time the rate of
evaporation/drying.
Have the students return to their seats and read Dr. Seuss’ “Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry?”
(This is very fun and informative book about deserts) When finished reading the book
discuss with students how important water is for someone to survive. Remind students
how water is not common in the desert then read the ways to find water in a desert (on the
water source sheet attached) and have students write a statement on which water source
they thing would be the best choice and explain why they feel that way. (They can use facts
from the book to support their choice.) After the students are finished writing their
opinion, have them do think-pair-share with a classmate who is also finished. When the
students are finished sharing their opinion of which way to find water is best discuss with
them what they have learned about deserts that they did not know before. As a wrap up
remind students how important water is to survive and that if they are ever going on any
outdoor adventures that they need to bring water with them.
Then have students figure out and measure out and then try to carry as a class the amount
of water that we would need to use to survive the temperature of a desert for both humans
and animals.
Students will perform as a tribe throughout the duration of this lesson to
see how well they would survive in this ecosystem.
Tribal Survival: Students will be put into tribes that will last the school year. Everything they make
matters to the tribe. The tribe will decorate a flag/banner to represent their tribe. Each group will
be given a quiz that will have three levels of questions: easy, medium, and hard. (This will be used
later on after information has been gathered about and learned from the ecosystem.)
Each member that gets the easy question correct gets to earn a game piece for the team of
food/drink category. Medium earns you a weapon. Hard earns you a luxury item. So game pieces on
three different colors of papers will need to be made and put into three different containers for
students to draw from. Once students have had a chance to collect necessary items for their team,
something will change in the current ecosystem we are travelling through and from the faceless
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society/trial council such as there is a sandstorm. All team members will have to give up shelter.
Tribes where all members turn in the piece advance while teams who can’t stay in place.
Teams can win game pieces from participating in group work, discussion, problem solving, good
questions, good behavior, and etc. to win game pieces.
Students will experience and understand the importance of water.
Dry Mouth? If there was a Survivor television show with dietitians as contestants, what
foods would they carry along in their backpacks? Though it is important to bring along food
and water on any hike, desert hiking comes with its own special needs. It depends entirely
what you are doing in the desert... if you are doing anything strenuous then you'll need the
calories calories calories! Mix a bag up of peanuts, raisins, sultanas and cashews (salted
when in the desert - you'll be losing salt from sweat, otherwise raw). But my golly gosh is
food less important than water. (http://www.trails.com/list_8683_list-foods-deserthike.html)
List of Foods to Take on a Desert Hike
Though it is important to bring along food and water on any hike, desert hiking comes with
its own special needs. Your body uses extra energy to help keep you cool in hot climates,
and you also need to replace electrolytes. When you lose electrolytes through sweating you
can develop hyponatremia, a dangerous condition that can lead to seizures or even death.
Water alone will not replace electrolytes, but food can help.
Fresh Fruit
On a short day hike, fresh fruit can be a welcome treat that will hydrate you and provide
fructose. For longer hikes, fruit can add more weight to your pack than you might like. Try
apples or oranges. They have tough enough skins to travel well. Avoid soft fruits such as
peaches, pears or bananas.
Energy Bars
Energy bars provide plenty of protein and usually have enough sodium to replace the
electrolytes that you are losing in the heat. They travel well, are non-perishable and are
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easy to throw in your pack or even your back pocket. Avoid bars that are chocolate-coated
because they will quickly become a melted mess in the heat. Also, look for bars that are low
in sugar.
Dehydrated Foods
For longer, overnight hiking trips you may want to bring along some more traditional
meals. Find foods that use as little water as possible. Noodle cups are a good choice--they
use little water and waste none of it. If you are hiking a great distance or over the course of
several days, make sure to bring plenty of meals. According to the rangers at the Grand
Canyon, in hot weather you will need to consume two or three times your normal food
intake in order to provide your body with the energy needed to hike.
Complex Carbohydrates
To maintain energy, eat small snacks of complex carbohydrates throughout the day. Have a
few crackers, or some bread or grains every half hour or so. Foods with a lot of protein or
fat can upset your stomach in the heat and take a long time to digest. Carbohydrates will
give you energy without making your body work overtime.
Foods to Avoid
Avoid perishable food unless you plan on eating it during the first hour or so of hiking.
Foods that may melt, such as chocolate, are a bad idea as well. Food that provides nothing
but empty calories will just add weight to your pack and won't be of any benefit to your
body, so leave the gummy bears at home.
Don’t Be All Dried Up
We will do an experiment to see if our food has water in it to help us know what kinds of
foods we need to bring with us on our travels through the desert. We will get bite-size
pieces of different foods such as: apple, turkey, cheese, bread, chips, etc. I will put students
in groups of four. Students will fill out a survey to predict what foods, if any have water in
it and which food has the most, and least. Each group will put the food samples they chose
in zip lock bags and seal them. They will put their bags under a gooseneck lamp with a 75
watt bulb. We will return to the bags in about 30 minutes.
Read the book, Magic School Bus Gets all Dried Up, and open up the discussion as to how to
prepare for a trip to the desert. We will be going on an exciting trip through the desert and
we must prepare. Students will return to their groups and begin making a list of the
supplies they would need to take with them on a trip across the desert. They will also need
to discuss the mode of transportation that would be the most economical for them to use.
We will return to our experiment and observe the results. Students will look at their foods
in their groups and write about the results. They will use this information and their lists to
write about how they would prepare for our wonderful adventure across the desert. Third
grade will need to write at least a paragraph and illustrate. Fourth and fifth grades will
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need to write at least two paragraphs and draw a picture of the supplies they will need as
well as the transportation method they will use. They will need to explain how they will
deal with the extreme temperatures and how they will deal with the unknown dangers
such as storms, animals, etc. They should discuss and write about the cost of the trip and
supplies.
Rain Sticks: The legend behind the Indian rain stick points to supernatural intervention;
the hope is to mimic the soft splash of raindrops in an effort to remind the "spirits" or
"Great Spirit" that the people of Earth have need for a drenching rain for their crops,
animals and thirst.
Legend
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The legend behind the Indian rain stick points to supernatural intervention; the
hope is to mimic the soft splash of raindrops in an effort to remind the "spirits" or
"Great Spirit" that the people of Earth have need for a drenching rain for their crops,
animals and thirst.
Construction
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Native American cultures in the southwest of North America built their rain sticks
from hollowed-out, dried cactus tubes, pushing cactus needles into the core to form
an obstruction. Small pebbles were then placed inside and the ends of the cactus
tube sealed. Flipping over the stick simulated the sound of a gentle shower of rain.
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Modern Uses
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The rain stick remains in use today in Native American culture and is present for
both sale and use at powwows and other tribal gatherings. It has also been adopted
by non-indigenous cultures and is often utilized as a soothing tool for meditation
and music production.
Things You'll Need
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Cardboard Tubes
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Duct Tape
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Hot Glues
Instructions
Use a pencil to draw a spiral beginning at one end of a cardboard tube and ending at the
other. Don't follow the natural seam.
Hammer nails that are 1/4 inch shorter than the tube's diameter at 1/2-inch intervals
along the spiral.
Cap one end of the tube. If it didn't come with caps, cut a piece of cardboard the same size
as the hole and hot glue it securely to the end.
Put some unpopped popcorn, beads, dry beans, pebbles, seeds, gravel, rice or other dry
filler into the tube.
Cover the open end with your hand and test the sound by turning it upside down.
Experiment with the amount of filler for a sound you like. When you're satisfied, put a cap
on the open end.
Cover all of the nail heads with contact paper or masking or duct tape.
Decorate your rain stick. Try paints, torn paper or corrugated wrapping.
Tips & Warnings
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Empty paper towel rolls are the easiest, but 2- to 2 1/2-inch postal tubes (24 inches
long) make the best rain sticks. Make sure to get the plastic caps that go on the ends.
You can also use carpet tubing, which you may need to drill before putting in the
nails.
How close to a desert are you?
Students will gain knowledge of the distance between them and a desert.
Students will identify how close they live to a desert. Each student will be given an enlarged
printout of a world map and they will write the name of the state they live in. Students will
also correctly identify each of the world's deserts on the map and measure with a tape
measure or string. Students will convert to miles using this chart:
If you know
Multiply by
To get
Length
2.54
CM
Foot
30
CM
Yards
0.91
Meters
Miles
1.6
KM
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Now that you know where a desert is, can you adapt?
Adapting to the Desert: Show a quicktime video “Desert Biome”
(www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02sci.lifeeco.desert/desert-biome/) We will discuss the
difference between adaptation and learned behaviors (ex: a polar bear has thick fur to help him life
in the cold tundra(adaptation) babies learn to walk talk (learned behavior). We will examine some
of the behaviors and physical characteristics that enable organisms to live successful in the desert
environment. There are three basic methods plants and animals use to live in the desert.
1. EXPIRE - When the going gets tough, die… but leave behind tough seeds/eggs
2. EVADE – When the going gets tough leave… go north or south
3. ENDURE – When the going gets tough, take it… but adapt (one type of adaption is camouflage)
Teacher and students will discuss situations that may cause an organism to become extinct in the
desert.
Show video about adaptation
(www.bing.com/videos/search?q=adapation+over+time+movie&forkids&FORM Students will
work in a group to make a list of animals that have adapted to live in the desert and identify the
adaptation and why the adaptation was necessary to live successfully in the extreme environment
and how they can use inspiration from that adaptation to help them(as humans) survive.. Students
will appoint a speaker for their group and after they are finished, the speaker will recite the list.
Teacher and students will then discuss the lists to determine student’s understanding of
“adaptation”.
Now that you are an expert on the desert, can you give advice?
Students will use their lists to write e-mails to a “pretend person” who lives in the forest, who has
never been to or seen a desert, describing their life and environment in
this environment.
Camouflaged Collage
Materials:
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Glue
Paper
Scissors
Images of animals
Collage materials and scraps
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Students will design and make collages using different materials of an animal camouflaged in its
environment with labels.’
Pourqoui? Just So Stories
Analyze the animal adaptations in these “just so” stories.
Ask students to name their favorite animals. Ask them to describe the animals. Students will likely
name some animals that have very distinctive characteristics. Ask students if they know why the
pig's tail is curly or why a raccoon seems to have on a mask, etc. Try to use the animals that the
children talk about. Tell students that Rudyard Kipling wrote stories to explain why the camel has a
hump and why the rhinoceros has baggy
skin.
Read and talk about other ‘pourquoi
tales” students are familiar with (ex.
Why Rabbit Has Long Ears And A Short
Tail by Sharon Arms Doucet.) As we
discuss these different books, we will
talk about how they really do not have
any scientific basis, and students will
make predictions concerning the “real”
reason behind animal adaptations.
As a class, read more of Kiplings stories,
such as the Elephant’s Child, "How the
Rhinoceros got his Skin", and/or "The
Cat that Walked by Himself" and then brainstorm a list of desert animals not included in Kipling's
work.
Desert Animal Research Project: We will split into groups of 2-4 and complete a research activity
about a desert animal using informational text about desert animals. (Rattlesnake, Camel, Tortoise,
Lizard, Scorpion, or Coyote) The research activity requires them to provide a description of each
animal (i.e. What does it look like?), the animal’s diet (and how does it get water?), habitat, life span,
and interesting information.
Have each student claim one of the new animals to write their own "Just So" story about. For
instance, students can write about "How the Toad Got Its Skin" or "How the Spider Got Its Legs."
Point out the characteristics of Kipling's "Just So" stories: fairly short; explains a characteristic of
the animal; involves a conflict; animals think and talk.
Ask the students to look at their notes and see if they can come up with a “Just So” story in the same
format. You may want to construct a sample story as a group.
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Give them about 5 minutes of silence to think. Encourage them to eschew realism and create truly
wild animal stories of their own, using Kipling's original works as inspiration.
Students will illustrate and share their stories with the class.
Extension Activity: What Animal Are You? Game. All the students sit in a circle. They take turns
acting out or different desert animals (without sound) to the others. The other students guess what
animal they are. For harder ones, they can use the animal sounds if they have trouble guessing. If
they do not like acting out animals, they can describe them and then have other students guess.
Live or die. Do you have the skills to survive?
Desert Survival Team Building Exercise: http://www.cdcrprogram.org/star/35%20desert.pdf
Introduction:
The “Desert Survival” Team Building Exercise is a fun way to bring your group together as
they problem solve, work as a team, and learn to trust one another. Divide the group into
teams. For the sake of group solidarity and bonding, it’s a good idea to recommend that
each team come up with a name for their group. Distribute the Desert Survival Team
Building Exercise handout and tell each team that they must follow the directions. Give the
class ten minutes to fill out the ranking individually then teams twenty minutes to rank the
importance of the items they salvaged from the plane wreck and to come up with a plan for
either escaping the desert or finding help. When the time is up, reconvene and invite a
member of each group to come forward share their team’s decisions, along with
rationalizations for their actions. Because this activity fosters teamwork and trust, there
are no “losers.”
After each group reports out, discuss how in healthy relationships we must depend on one
another for survival. We must trust others and be willing to share opinions without being
afraid. The activity should show students that depending on one another increases their
chances of survival, not just in a plane crash, but also in society.
“Desert Survival” Team Building Exercise
It is 1:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon at the end of May. You and your teammates have just
finished a two-day training in Casablanca, Morocco. You are all on board a chartered, twinengine plane that is destined for Dakhla, Morocco, a small town on the coast of the North
Atlantic Ocean, approximately 1000 miles from Casablanca (have students find it on the
map). At the beginning of the flight the Captain came on the overhead speaker and invited
you to sit back and relax during the two-hour flight. The first fifty minutes of the flight were
fine.
Around this time the pilot comes back on the speaker to let you know that you are
currently flying over the Sahara Desert and that weather reports showed a temperature
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high of 115 degrees. Approximately one hour and ten minutes into the flight, you hear a
loud blast and the plane nosedives. Within minutes you realize that the cabin is losing
pressure. When you look outside the windows, you notice that is desert below is growing
larger as the plane rapidly descends toward the ground. You notice that the only things you
can see out of your window are some large boulders and miles and miles of sand.
The pilot comes on once again to let you know that the plane has blown an engine and is
therefore, indisputably, going to crash and so all on board should prepare for a turbulent,
possibly fatal, crash landing. Within minutes the planes crashes and smoke and flames fill
the cabin. All surviving passengers and crewmembers scramble to exit the plane before it
explodes. Seven minutes after the crash, the plane explodes in a fiery ball that reduces it to
rubble. With the exception of the airplane’s captain and one crewmember, you, your
teammates, one flight crewmember, and the co-captain have all survived the crash. Now
you must decide how to work together to survive the desert climate and terrain, get help,
and hopefully make it out of the desert alive. On your way of the plane, in the few minutes
before it exploded, you and your teammates were able to salvage the items in the list
below. It is May and you and your teammates are dressed in business casual for the hot
summer months of Africa. With only the clothes on your back and the items pulled from the
wreckage, how will you survive?
Steps:
1. Individually, rank the items below in order of importance, “1” being most important
and “18” being least important.
2. Individually, write down your plan for survival in a few sentences.
3. When the teacher announces time is up, choose a recorder for your group and on the
handout the teacher provides, use the group information to create a group plan. First
decide the order of importance of the items then decide on a group plan for survival.
4. Report out to class, including the following:
a. Did discussing the items and plan with the group change anyone’s mind?
b. Does each group member think the group plan is the best or do some people
believe their individual plan is better.
Items
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1 Book of matches
3 Airplane blankets
20 Feet of nylon rope
1 Sewing kit
2 50 kg Tanks of oxygen
20 Cans of soda
1 Life raft
1 Bottle opener
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1 Magnetic compass
1 Single-blade pocketknife
15 Gallons of water
3 Signal flares
1 First aid kit
1 Snakebite kit
25 Mini bags of pretzels
55 Mini bags of peanuts
1 Safety razor blade
4 Airplane pillows
Dunes and Don’ts of Desert survival: secrets of ancient bedouin
navigation.
The desert is a tough place to live. For generations, people survived through the UAE's
sweltering summers by managing to eke out limited and hidden food, water and shelter.
Our reporters look at how they managed it, what they ate - and how those secrets of
survival still affect the lives of ordinary Emiratis today.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/desert-survival-secrets-of-ancient-bedouinnavigation#ixzz3B3cWn6qN
Video: A Bedouin's most prized asset
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They can carry heavy loads, provide nutrition in the form of milk and meat and can travel
for miles with little water in the desert. Any Bedouin would gladly admit Camels are worth
more than gold to them in the desert.
Special report: The Desert Survival Guide
The desert is a tough place to live. For generations, people survived through the UAE's
sweltering summers by managing to eke out limited and hidden food, water and shelter.
Our reporters look at how they managed it, what they ate - and how those secrets of
survival still affect the lives of ordinary Emiratis today.
More from The National on desert survival
ABU DHABI // For obvious reasons, the directions that get you around the city ("Turn left
at the cafe, right at the mosque, and we're behind the bakery") are of little use in the desert.
For bedouins, the landmarks are on a much grander scale: "Turn towards the rising sun at
the mountain, walk for five days and the oasis is by a big rock."
At 84,000 square kilometres, the UAE is one of the world's largest sand deserts, stretching
from the Arabian Gulf coast to the Empty Quarter and east to the Hajar Mountains. To
navigate its countless intricate dunes, bedouins used a basic technique involving the stars
and the sun.
"The sun rises from the east and sets on the west," says Salem Al Kabi, a 60-year-old
Emirati who travelled the desert a couple of decades ago. "It helps to guide us during the
day, and God made the stars available for us to navigate at night."
Mr Kabi used many different resources to find his way around the desert, including his own
expert knowledge gleaned by travelling for years by camel, and the natural environment.
"There is no such thing as left and right," he says. "We tend to stay put during the day when
temperatures are too high, and at night the stars guide our track."
When it comes to the stars, Ursa Major - the great bear - directs travellers to Polaris, the
northern star.
"Alternatively, if Ursa Major is below the horizon, the constellation Cassiopeia will also
point you to Polaris," says Sam McConnell, a desert guide and expedition leader in the Sinai
and Jordan.
Instead of compasses, bedouins used sand dunes that were shaped by the wind, which
could provide valuable directions.
"Sand dunes form at 90 degrees to the prevailing wind," Mr McConnell says. "So if the
prevailing wind is from the east, the dunes will run north to south."
Matar Al Qamzi, a 75-year-old Dubai-based Emirati who has a history of desert navigation,
used no specific instruments during his journeys. "We didn't have the money for it, nor the
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kind of functionality for it," he says, "and to this day, I still use cardinal directions. This is
how our people live."
The crescent-shaped Barchan dunes form in areas where there is less sand, usually on
gravel plains.
"The horns of these will point away from the prevailing wind, so if you know that the wind
predominantly comes from the east, the horns will point west," Mr McConnell says.
Dune formation is controlled by a combination of wind strength and direction, and
sediment supply. However, the processes involved in the formation of dune patterns is
complex and poorly understood.
Ali Manea Alahbabi, a retired Emirati living in Al Ain, used the stars and other landmarks
such as large trees, rocks and memorable sand dunes to find his way. But the weather can
be challenging, he says.
"For example, the wind makes your footprints disappear from the sand and you lose trace
of your tracks.
"It's hard because the sand dunes in the UAE desert are large and the weather makes it
even harder - it's very hot during the day and very cold at night."
Summer temperatures can reach 60°C, making the desert a dangerous place for
inexperienced travellers.
"The biggest challenge for us was moving sands," says Mr Qamzi, who used to travel by
camel to Saudi Arabia for haj.
"There are a lot here, and also many pitfalls that caused a great number of people to die,
because it's not something you can predict."
Although astrolabes, the ancient instruments used by astronomers, were developed in the
medieval Islamic world and were widely used to establish the direction of Mecca, Mr
McConnell has never seen a Bedouin use any instruments to navigate.
"The Bedu don't use any navigational aids as we know them," he says. "No maps - because
they are all inside their heads.
"Nowadays, we have Google Earth, GPS, maps and compasses, but being able to orientate
yourself using the landscape, the sun, moon and stars, is still vital."
Camels: The Ships of the Desert
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Video: A Bedouin's most prized asset They can carry heavy loads, provide nutrition in the form
of milk and meat and can travel for miles with little water in the desert. Any Bedouin would
gladly admit Camels are worth more than gold to them in the desert.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/environment/video-a-bedouins-most-prizedasset-the-camel
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/health/fresh-research-into-health-benefits-of-camelmilk#ixzz3B3ahWxUZ
Fresh research into health benefits of camel milk
Melanie Swan
July 24, 2014 Updated: July 27, 2014 10:41 AM
AL AIN // Camel milk might not be most people’s first choice when reaching for something
to put on their breakfast cereal, but new research has shown it could be worth making the
switch.
With triple the amount of vitamin C that cow milk has, and anti-colon cancer properties,
camel milk is a healthier, locally sourced alternative, research by Dr Hosam Habib and Dr
Wassim Ibrahim from UAE University shows.
Their study found the milk can also reduce hyper-tension when consumed in the form of
laban, acting to inhibit the ACE enzyme which is responsible for the condition.
“It also has an insulin effect, so it is good for those with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes,”
said Dr Habib, an expert in human nutrition.
“It has some protein with a molecular structure similar to insulin. People with diabetes will
benefit from it.
“It can also be isolated to replicate insulin but it’s not been found in what quantities yet.”
Since 2010, the team has been analysing vitamins, minerals, fats and amino acids in camel
milk.
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“It has natural antibiotics like lac-toferrin, which keeps the milk fresh for longer and means
bacteria cannot grow quickly like in cow milk,” said Dr Habib.
In tests, it took only one day for cow milk to go off, compared with four days for the camel
milk.
“To make yogurt with cow milk takes four hours but not less than 10 to 12 hours with
camel, proving it takes much longer for the milk to turn. It’s the closest thing to mothers’
milk,” said Dr Habib.
The team found that while cow milk is on average 3.5 per cent fat, camel has only 2.5 per
cent.
Proponents of the paleo diet have long said humans should not drink cow milk, for reasons
including its inflammatory properties.
“Because of this anti-inflammatory effect, [camel milk] can also prevent colon cancer,” Dr
Habib said. “The anti-inflammatory effect is the anti-cancer effect.”
The team examined the functional properties of camel milk lactoferrin, the main ironbinding protein of the milk, which showed a 56 per cent decline in cancer growth when
applied to cancer cells.
“Lactoferrin seems to have great potential in practical medicine,” Dr Ibrahim said. “The use
of lactoferrin in combination with other milk components or drugs may be an increasing
consideration.”
They also found that camel milk lactoferrin showed antioxidant activity and could prevent
DNA damage by binding catalytic iron.
The Camel Milk Association says it can be digested by people with lactose intolerance,
although Dr Habib disagrees.
“It’s still got lactose, though lower amounts, so it is still too much for someone with serious
lactose intolerance.”
Camel milk has greater contents of other vitamins and minerals such as potassium,
phosphorus, zinc, iron and manganese.
It has been used to treat tuberculosis and other lung ailments in Russia, and tuberculosis,
dropsy, jaundice and anaemia in India.
“It is very good for boosting the immune system,” said Dr Habib. “It’s also good for antiageing as the high levels of vitamin C protect collagen.”
Mutasher Al Badry, deputy general manager at Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and
Products responsible for the brand Camelicious, says awareness to its benefits is growing.
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“Although camel milk has always been known in Middle East and African regions, the
accessibility for the wider public has only been achieved in recent years,” Mr Al Badry said.
Camelicious came on to the market in 2006.
“Today, camel milk enjoys increasing popularity in the UAE, not only among locals but also
among health-conscious western expatriates. The benefits are quite known and the
demand is higher than supply.”
Dr Ibrahim hopes more can be done to raise awareness of the milk’s benefits.
“The authorities, the industry and retailers could surely do much more to promote camel
milk,” he said.
“I believe that collaborative efforts between industry, relevant authorities and academia in
camel milk research – and effective promotion campaigns – will definitely enhance camel
milk consumption.”
The Wanderer:
At the end of our journey student scientists/reporters will write poetry about our journey
through the desert. Poets and writers down the ages used the desert, and its unique
features, as metaphor-and-simile for the human spirit, “Night poured over the desert. It
came suddenly, in purple. In the clear air, the stars drilled down out of the sky…” Students
will look at images of vintage desert travel posters from around the world found from
Google.
Show the travel posters from different deserts and read through some of the phrases
together. Ask them to imagine and discuss and describe what they might see, touch, or taste
there. What might those places be like?
How do they make you feel when you look at these posters? What images, feelings, or
words do the posters bring to your mind? Do you want to go somewhere? List students’
thoughts on the board and circle several of your favorite phrases, words, language, etc. on
the board
Choose one of the posters and from the words and phrases students use to describe it we
will create a group poem, to be based on whichever of the words and expressions they
suggested. What is going to be their purpose, ex. there are several purposes for writing,
they can be funny, serious, or give advice.
Encourage students to work together in pairs or small groups to generate and develop their
writing, getting the words out as fast as possible and clean them up later and compose their
poems through collaboration.
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Have students work to come up with rhymes and ideas that are unusual, funny, memorable,
or even a bit odd. Encourage them to talk about them and hear what they sound like before
they write them down. With this type of poem, with any poem, you are painting a wordpicture and it is okay to include action. Try to be original and include specific details that
will make everyone on the expedition want to make a stop at your destination!
One model format that you could have students use (and one you could demonstrate in
your group efforts) is the 5-Line.
1. Noun (name of destination)
2. 2 Adjectives
3. 3 Verbs or verb phrases
4. thought about the noun
5. synonym for the noun
Sample, Just for fun…
Gilligan’s Island
Seven, Stranded, Lost
Tossing ship, Making do, Coming Unglued
You're sure to get a smile
Uncharted Desert Isle
Blow Aeolis Blow!
Aeolian Landscape is project in which students will create a miniature wind-swept desert
landscape using straws, or a small fan and finely ground sand. The motion mimics the
process of wind picking up and depositing small particles. It vividly illustrates a landscape
where wind is the dominant geologic process and huge sand dunes are the most striking
feature.
Materials:
 large shallow pan
 sand
 few small pebbles
 flexible straws
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Some safety precautions should be observed during this lab. Slightly moisten the sand so it is
not scattered quickly. Always use eye protection (goggles) to prevent blown sand from getting
in your eyes. Remember to blow steadily outward through the straw — never suck air in
through the straw, especially near the sand.
Fill the pan with a layer of sand about one inch thick. (It does not have to be flat or even.)
Place a few small pebbles on top of the sand. Spray a fine mist of water across the top of the
sand to prevent excessive movement. Gently blow through the straw or direct the fan
toward the sand so it begins to move. Does it creates dunes?
Optional: If you have a small handheld battery-operated fan, they can use that instead of a
straw.
What happens to the sand and pebbles? If the straw or fan is held in place and a constant
breeze blows on the sand dune, what motion does the dune take? Does part of the dune
move faster than other parts? What is the over-all shape of the dune as it travels? Does the
wind pattern show protected areas near the dune? How does the size and shape of the
dune create unique wind pattern shifts? Encourage students to observe how the shape of
the miniature dunes influences the pattern of the wind, which in turn influences the shape
of the dunes.
Does it make sense why some deserts might be called sand seas? Why? Ex. They behave like
very slow motion oceans.
Imagine yourself about an inch tall and standing in the middle of this miniature
environment. What does it look and feel like?
Supply List
How close are you to deserts?
Copy of world map
Tape Measurers/string/rulers
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Desert Team Building
Handouts
Drymouth
Peanuts, cashews, raisins, sultanas, other nuts
Small bite size pieces of turkey, cheese, apples, bread, chips
Ziplock bags
Gooseneck lamp with a 75 watt bulb
Magic School Bus Gets All Dried Up
Search for Water
Shoebox
Sand
Water
Spraybottle
Why oh Why are Deserts Dry? Dr. Seuss book
Rainsticks
Cardboard tubes
Duct tape
Hot glue
Dried beans
Contact paper
Hammer and nails
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Tribal Survival
Butcher paper for flags/banners
3 different colors paper for game pieces
Porquoi: Just so Stories
Kipling stories
Informational texts on desert animals
The Wanderer
Images of vintage travel posters (google images)
Chart paper or posterboard
Blow Aeolis Blow!
Large shallow pan
Sand
Few small pebbles
Flexible straws
Optional: small handheld fan
Camels: Video link
Dunes and Don’ts: Video link
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