Biomes of the World

Give your students a big-picture view of Earth's land biomes with this one-page map worksheet! Students read a short passage, find six lettered places on a world map, and name the biome at each one.

The passage explains that a biome is a large region with a similar climate and similar kinds of plants and animals, and that two abiotic factors shape every biome: temperature and precipitation. Students learn the key traits of the tundra, taiga, temperate forest, grassland, desert, and tropical rainforest. A simple chart beside the passage shows where each biome falls from colder to warmer and from drier to wetter. The world map is labeled with the continents, the oceans, and the equator, so students can find each letter with confidence. In the first activity, students use the map and a short clue for each place, such as "frozen ground, no trees" or "hot and rainy all year," to write the biome on the line. In the second activity, students use the map and the passage to decide if four sentences are true or false, such as whether the tundra gets a lot of precipitation. The sheet is written to Texas TEKS 7.12B and also fits NGSS MS-ESS2-6.

What's inside:

• A short passage with a temperature and precipitation chart
• A labeled world map with 6 lettered places
• 4 true or false sentences
• A visual answer key with the completed map

How teachers use it:

• As an introduction to a unit on 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.