Biomes
Teacher Resources

Biomes: Discover the Earth’s Ecosystems with Environmental Science Activities for Kids

By Donna Latham  
Illustrated by Tom Casteel
Would you rather live in the desert or the grasslands? Middles schoolers can discover new worlds by reading Biomes: Discover the Earth’s Ecosystems with Science Activities for Kids, which discusses the world’s biomes in terms of climates, geologies, resources, and organisms! Essential questions, fun facts, and hands-on STEM experiments make this book a fully immersive learning experience!
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Reviews

 Archimedes Note Book
“A biome is a life zone, with a distinctive climate and geology, specific water resources, and its own biodiversity. Some scientists say there are five biomes, others list six. Author Donna Latham presents nine: coniferous forest, deciduous forest, tropical rainforest, desert, mountains, temperate grassland, tropical savanna, tundra, and ocean. Regardless of how you sort them, the big point is that they are all connected, and a disaster that takes place in one biome (such as an oil spill) often affects other biomes.

The tone is fun and informal while being informational. Back matter contains a glossary and metric conversion chart. This is a great “text” for kids who want to learn at home this fall and winter.” Read more online.

Booklist Top 10 Nonfiction Series for 2020
Build It Environmental Science (4 titles) Gr. 4–8. Mixing comics and thoughtfully designed activities with solid information, this series accessibly explores with precision such topics as biodiversity, biomes, and Earth’s garbage problem.”Read more online.

CLEAR/Good Reads
An excellent overview of the earth’s biomes. Each is covered in detail in a separate chapter, including information on attributes of ecosystems within them, plants and animals endemic, as well as the challenges from climate change and the influence of humans. Clear photography and illustrations are included throughout. . .Biomes is a comprehensive book and an excellent resource.” Read the complete review online

The Fairview Review
"This is an excellent resource for science classes looking for activities to balance out more sedentary learning." Read the complete review online.

Teacher Resources

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Classroom Guides

For educators! Download a packet of essential questions, mentor texts, and Common Core State Standards to use in classrooms and libraries.

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Free Printables

Download a free activity from this book!

Make a Papier-Mâché Globe Download a free activity from this book!

Detailed Book Description

What’s the difference between a desert and a rain forest? A tundra and a coniferous forest? These are all examples of biomes, and they are all home to plants and animals that are uniquely adapted to live in those environments!

In Biomes: Discover the Earth’s Ecosystems with Environmental Activities for Kids, middle school kids journey across the planet and visit the world’s nine terrestrial and aquatic biomes to learn about the distinctive climates, geologies, resources, and organisms that can be found there. Kids will wander through forests, sizzle in deserts, shiver in the tundra, plunge beneath the seas to explore coral reefs, and slog through marshy waters. Along the way, readers will encounter the flora and fauna adapted for survival in each unique climate zone. They'll learn about gnarly krumholz trees, bioluminescent sea creatures, camouflage, carnivorous plants, and blubbery marine critters.

The health and wellbeing of the world’s biomes are an essential part of the balance of the planet as a whole. Biomes and their inhabitants around the world are being threatened by climate change and human behavior. In Biomes, kids will learn how to take steps toward positive change and keep the environment healthy and functioning in a way that best supports sustainable life on Earth!

Biomes includes hands-on STEM activities and critical thinking exercises to encourage readers to consider threats to the environment and figure out ways to be part of the solution. Fun facts, links to online primary sources and other supplemental material, and essential questions take readers on an exploration of the biomes of Earth.

Biomes is part of a set of four Build It Environmental Science books that explore the history and science of the planet and all that live on it through hands-on STEM activities and real-life environmental connections. Other titles in this series are Planet Earth, Garbage, and Biodiversity.

Try these hands-on environmental projects!

  • Plant your own hummingbird garden
  • Experiment with acid rain
  • Make your own recycled paper
Available In:
Hardcover, $22.95
9781619307360
Paperback, $17.95
9781619307391
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Glossary | Resources | Index
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 128 pages
Subject: Science

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Greetings, Eco Explorer!

Chapter 1
Home Sweet Home

Chapter 2
Deciduous Forests

Chapter 3
Coniferous Forests

Chapter 4
Tropical Rainforests

Chapter 5
Deserts

Chapter 6
Temperate Grasslands

Chapter 7
Tropical Savannas

Chapter 8
Tundra

Chapter 9
Mountains

Chapter 10
Oceans

Chapter 11
What Goes Around Comes Around

Glossary
Metric Conversions
Resources
Essential Questions
Index