Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for Grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Get ready to journey into some of the most extreme places on Earth — the deserts! From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, these ecosystems are full of surprising life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
In The Formation of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and its origin. The Himalayas force air upwards, creating rainfall. When the air reaches the other side of the mountains, it is drier. This weather pattern formed the Gobi Desert. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Desert Locust Finds New Feeding Grounds, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that desert locust eggs can hatch after being in the ground for 20 years. Learn how locusts find new feeding grounds by following the smell of sprouting grass, travel with the wind to find low pressure and rainfall, and use pheromones, or scent messages, to communicate with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Animals of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and the animals that live there. The Gobi is one of the harshest deserts of all because temperatures range from 122°F (50°C) during the summer to -40°F (-40°C) during the winter. Learn how Bactrian camels living in the Gobi get their water from snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Socotra Cormorants in the Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the desert of Bahrain. It is a safe place for seabirds to rear their young, but how do they cope with the heat and lack of food? Watch as seasonal winds blow fertilizing sand across the gulf waters, providing fish for the desert birds to eat. Along the way, they communicate by slapping their tails and fins against the surface of the water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Flash Floods in the Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how deserts respond to flash flooding, and how animals such as elephants survive in desert conditions. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Atacama Desert: A Secret Water Supply, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores The Atacama, the driest desert in the world. Learn about the guanaco that live there and the desert mist, created when cold water from the ocean cools the moist, warm air above it. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Nocturnal Desert Dwellers, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Sahara Desert at night. In the Sahara Desert, nighttime temperatures can drop by as much as 86°F (30°C) . Learn how fennec foxes survive the heat by staying underground during the day and coming out at night. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The World’s Deserts Heat Up, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how Earth’s hottest temperatures have all been recorded in its deserts. The deserts are getting hotter more quickly than the global average. The shovel-snouted lizard adapts to the extreme heat by alternately lifting its feet from the hot ground, performing a kind of dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Locust Invasion in the Deserts of Peru, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how sudden rains bring life to the otherwise arid deserts of Peru, creating a burst of vegetation. Swarms of locusts take advantage of this new growth, consuming the vegetation and causing a dramatic impact on the desert ecosystem. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for Grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Get ready to journey into some of the most extreme places on Earth — the deserts! From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, these ecosystems are full of surprising life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
In The Formation of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and its origin. The Himalayas force air upwards, creating rainfall. When the air reaches the other side of the mountains, it is drier. This weather pattern formed the Gobi Desert. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Desert Locust Finds New Feeding Grounds, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that desert locust eggs can hatch after being in the ground for 20 years. Learn how locusts find new feeding grounds by following the smell of sprouting grass, travel with the wind to find low pressure and rainfall, and use pheromones, or scent messages, to communicate with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Animals of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and the animals that live there. The Gobi is one of the harshest deserts of all because temperatures range from 122°F (50°C) during the summer to -40°F (-40°C) during the winter. Learn how Bactrian camels living in the Gobi get their water from snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Socotra Cormorants in the Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the desert of Bahrain. It is a safe place for seabirds to rear their young, but how do they cope with the heat and lack of food? Watch as seasonal winds blow fertilizing sand across the gulf waters, providing fish for the desert birds to eat. Along the way, they communicate by slapping their tails and fins against the surface of the water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Flash Floods in the Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how deserts respond to flash flooding, and how animals such as elephants survive in desert conditions. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Atacama Desert: A Secret Water Supply, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores The Atacama, the driest desert in the world. Learn about the guanaco that live there and the desert mist, created when cold water from the ocean cools the moist, warm air above it. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Nocturnal Desert Dwellers, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Sahara Desert at night. In the Sahara Desert, nighttime temperatures can drop by as much as 86°F (30°C) . Learn how fennec foxes survive the heat by staying underground during the day and coming out at night. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The World’s Deserts Heat Up, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how Earth’s hottest temperatures have all been recorded in its deserts. The deserts are getting hotter more quickly than the global average. The shovel-snouted lizard adapts to the extreme heat by alternately lifting its feet from the hot ground, performing a kind of dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Locust Invasion in the Deserts of Peru, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how sudden rains bring life to the otherwise arid deserts of Peru, creating a burst of vegetation. Swarms of locusts take advantage of this new growth, consuming the vegetation and causing a dramatic impact on the desert ecosystem. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.