1. An exploration of Earth’s Major Biomes and their Biotic and Abiotic Characteristics Mrs. Molloy’s 6 th Grade Science Class

2.  Describe Earth’s unique surfaces (biomes) and describe the biotic and abiotic factors of each one.  Identify adaptations of plants in specific biomes.  Explain how certain adaptations help plants survive in specific biomes

3.  Students will be divided by Mrs. Molloy into nine teams.  Day 1 - Each team will research a specific biome.  Day 2 – Each team will put together a PowerPoint presentation.  Day 3 – Each team will present their presentation to the class.  Day 4 – Quiz – questions provided by each team and approved by Mrs. Molloy  Each team will be assigned a biome and team captain  Team captains will pick their teams and be responsible for providing input on how much work was accomplished by each team member  Mrs. Molloy will assign the final participation grade based on her observations and team captain input

4.  All days  Reference materials – Mrs. Molloy provides  Pencil and Science Notebook – student brings  Worksheets – Mrs. Molloy provides  Days 1 and 2  Computers – Mrs. Molloy provides  Day 3  Mrs. Molloy’s Computer and SMART Board for presentation  Send finished presentation slides to smolloy@wcpss.netsmolloy@wcpss.net  In title put Period and biome (Per 1 Tundra)

5.  Project Grade  Final grade will be based on  Group deliverables – teams will be ranked within class period  Individual participation – graded by Mrs. Molloy with input from team captains  Groups will be ranked based on presentation criteria:  1 st – 105  2 nd and 3 rd – 100  4 th and 5 th – 93  6 th and 7 th – 85  8 th and 9 th – 77  Individual grades will be 105, 100, 93, 85, and 77  Group and individual grades will be averaged to determine final grade

6.  Period 1:  Tropical Rainforest – Sophia  Freshwater – Sam  Desert – Miquelle  Marine – Mesaige  Savanna – Julia  Temperate Grassland – Hannah  Tundra – Evan  Taiga – Ethan  Deciduous Forest – Brianna  Tropical Dry Forest – Mrs. Molloy (example)

7.  Period 2:  Tropical Rainforest – Noah  Freshwater – Landon  Desert – Katie  Marine – Hannah D.  Savanna – Eamonn  Temperate Grassland – Delanie  Tundra – Avery  Taiga – Audrey  Deciduous Forest – Abraham  Tropical Dry Forest – Mrs. Molloy (example)

8.  Period 3:  Tropical Rainforest – Noah  Freshwater – Kyle  Desert – Katie  Marine – Jordan  Savanna – Jessica  Temperate Grassland – Jacob  Tundra – Fernando  Taiga – Evan  Deciduous Forest – Alexi  Tropical Dry Forest – Mrs. Molloy (example)

9.  Period 5:  Tropical Rainforest – Zach  Freshwater – Troy  Desert – Olivia  Marine – Morrigan  Savanna – Margaux  Temperate Grassland – Lauren  Tundra – Daniel  Taiga – Bryan  Deciduous Forest – Adam  Tropical Dry Forest – Mrs. Molloy (example)

10.  Description of the biome  3 facts  Must include 1 fact about plant adaptation  Locations where found  Continents, Countries, or States  Abiotic factors  Rainfall information  Temperature  Biotic factors  Animal examples  Plant examples – underline plant that your group profiled  Plant adaptations – must include 3

11.  References – 3 reputable resources  Pictures  Map of locations  2 pictures of plants  2 pictures of animals  Each area will get  +1 = exceeded expectations  1 = met expectations  -1 = below expectations

12.  Tropical Dry Forest  tropical areas that are warm year-round, but have very little rainfall  Have a rainy season and a dry season  Plants have to adapt to having very little water for 6 months  Location: Africa, northern Australia, South America, India, Costa Rica, Mexico  Wet and dry seasons last about 6 months each  Average temperature is 30-degrees Celsius (86-degrees F)

13.  Example Plants: Acacia Tree, cacti, Indio Desnuda Tree  Example Animals: giraffe, scorpion, white rhino  Plant Adaptations:  During the dry season plants must think of creative ways to search for water  Plants may have deep roots to go far underground to reach sources of water  Plants will shed their leaves to reduce their water loss (through transpiration) during the dry season  Resources:  https://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tropdry.htm https://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tropdry.htm  http://traveltips.usatoday.com/types-plants-animals-tropical-dry-forest-61382.html http://traveltips.usatoday.com/types-plants-animals-tropical-dry-forest-61382.html  Environment, 3 rd Edition, (2008) WithGott, J. & Brennan, S.