Desert

Quick, what's the largest desert on the planet? If you guessed the Sahara you'd be close but incorrect. The Sahara is the second largest desert in the world. It measures 3,320,000 square miles. The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert and measures more than 5,339,573 square miles. In North America, the largest desert is the Great Basin Desert, which covers parts of Nevada, Utah, California and Colorado.

The world's deserts are also home to thousands of insects, reptiles and mammals. They are also home to many indigenous plants like the giant saguaro cactus. There's so much that we have to learn about the desert. And so many things for young students to get excited about. For example, how does the desert weather affect out weather? How did the deserts form? What kind of people live in the desert? What natural resources does the desert provide? There's enough to learn about the desert that you could spend months on the topic.

Teaching Your Young Students About The Desert

With so much to learn and teach, it's nice to have organized, and pre-planned lesson plans. You can find a wealth of lesson plans at Teacher Planet, including animal life in the desert and deserts and technology. You can also find desert activities, worksheets, clip art and an abundance of additional resources to help you create a memorable desert unit.