Biome Climate Clues

Turn climate numbers into biome clues with this one-page worksheet! Students read about how scientists identify biomes, then use real temperature and rainfall data for four places to name each biome.

The page opens by explaining that scientists identify a biome by its climate, the usual weather of a place over many years, and that two numbers tell a lot: the average yearly temperature and the yearly precipitation. Three picture cards show the patterns students need: hot and wet means tropical rainforest, very dry means desert, and cold and dry means tundra. A tip reminds students that the tundra and the desert are both dry, so temperature is what tells them apart. In the first activity, students find four lettered places on a labeled world map: Manaus in Brazil, In Salah in Algeria, Utqiagvik in Alaska, and Dodge City in Kansas. They read each place's climate numbers in a table and write the biome. In the second activity, students answer two questions about what makes two dry places different and which biome has cold weather and thick spruce forests. The sheet is written to Texas TEKS 7.12B and also fits NGSS MS-ESS2-6.

What's inside:

• A short introduction with three climate clue cards
• A labeled world map and a climate data table for 4 real places
• 2 multiple choice questions
• A visual answer key with the completed map

How teachers use it:

• As practice reading climate data after an introduction to biomes
• For bell work, stations, or an exit ticket
• As homework or sub plans, with no prep needed

It takes about 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. This worksheet is part of our Reading in Science series of biome map worksheets.