Online Geography Resources

Desert Knowledge

Label the following deserts onto your blank world map:

Aim: To collate knowledge about different deserts so that their characteristics can be compared.

Each person/group is allocated a desert from the list in the starter activity.
The class decides which characteristics would be interesting to research - for example: area, highest recorded temperature, highest point etc. A discussion should also be had about units of measurement.
A single Google Spreadsheet is set up with the first column being for the characteristics and the following 12 columns are for the deserts. The Google Spreadsheet is shared with the class by emailing them a link - the students do not require Google accounts.
The students collect the necessary data and enter it into the Google Spreadsheet.
The data is then used to produce 'Top Trump Cards'.

Aim: To revise all the acquired knowledge about deserts.

Students/groups produce at least ten questions about deserts - these could be split up: three on landforms, three on desertification, three on desert characteristics etc.
The questions should have short one or two word answers.
No answer should appear more than once.
The questions should be typed into a program such as Word on the form of question*answer. For example: What is the name of the up-turned boat shaped desert landform?*yardang
The completed questions are copied and pasted into the classtools.net Arcade Game Generator.
Students test their games. Teachers could decide which type of game the students can play.

Students share their revision games and play top trumps!