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.
Dive into the wonders of Antarctica with this multi-grade lesson collection! Tailored for K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12, each unit includes engaging activities, thought-provoking discussions, and hands-on projects to uncover the mysteries of the frozen continent. Enhance your teaching with stunning BBC video clips showcasing Antarctic wildlife, research stations, and breathtaking icy landscapes. Printable resources like animal fact sheets, scientist journal templates, and conservation challenges bring the learning to life for your students. Perfect for science, geography, and environmental lessons!
In How Walruses and Polar Bears Survive in the Arctic, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows walruses gathered on low-lying islands, where they nurse their young after giving birth on sea ice. Meanwhile, a male polar bear, weakened after seven days at sea and having lost half his weight over the summer, swims ashore in search of food. However, the massive walruses, the largest seals in the world with tusks over 3 feet (1 meter) long, prove to be a tough challenge. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Musk Oxen Survive in the Arctic, narrator Sir David Attenborough showcases musk oxen in the Arctic and their adaptations for survival in harsh conditions. The musk oxen can break through the frozen ground to access vegetation, creating opportunities for other animals like Arctic foxes and various birds. Calves are birthed early, allowing them to acclimate to their environment before summer arrives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Pebble Toad’s Survival Tactic, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the tiny pebble toad from Venezuela that's smaller than a stamp! Living high in the rocks, it faces a unique danger — a toad-eating tarantula. Like the waterfall toad, the pebble toad can’t jump far enough to escape, so it uses a clever trick: it free-falls down the rocks, making its body stiff like a rubber ball, bouncing safely to the ground! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In A Gecko’s Survival Tale, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the Brazilian pygmy gecko, a rainforest creature so tiny it could rest on your fingertip! This speedy little gecko has amazing survival tricks, like hydrophobic skin that keeps it dry and the ability to stand on water. Even in the face of a rainstorm, this gecko’s lightweight and clever moves help it thrive in its wild and watery home. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Survival of Majungasaurus, naturalist Steve Backshall details the lengths that this type of dinosaur had to go to in order to survive, including cannibalism.This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.
In The Survival Strategies of Bedbugs, host Harith Iskander dives into the fascinating survival strategies of Cimex Lectularius, commonly known as bedbugs. These tiny insects, about the size of an apple seed, rely on human blood to reproduce and are highly attuned to their environment. With an excellent sense of smell, bedbugs can detect over 100 compounds found in human skin and are drawn to carbon dioxide and even dirty laundry. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science? a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
The article "10 Remarkable Desert Plants That Survive in the Harshest Places on Earth" from BBC's Discover Wildlife is an exploration of extraordinary plant species uniquely adapted to life in deserts. Highlighting everything from the ancient date palm to the fog-harvesting tara tree and water-storing saxaul, the article showcases the ways that desert flora thrive in places with extreme heat, dryness, or even cold.
In Weddell Seal Pups in Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the challenges newborn seal pups face in one of the harshest environments on Earth. From enduring subzero temperatures and blizzards to entering the icy water for the first time, every decision impacts their survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Hatching Eggs Cuckoo Catfish-Style, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how cuckoo catfish ensure survival of their young. They lay their eggs alongside cichlid eggs, which are then all picked up by the female cichlids who protect them in their mouths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Impact of Arctic Ice Melt, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the impact of climate change on Pacific walruses and polar bears. As Arctic ice melts, massive walrus gatherings crowd limited beaches, while polar bears face new survival challenges. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
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.
Dive into the wonders of Antarctica with this multi-grade lesson collection! Tailored for K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12, each unit includes engaging activities, thought-provoking discussions, and hands-on projects to uncover the mysteries of the frozen continent. Enhance your teaching with stunning BBC video clips showcasing Antarctic wildlife, research stations, and breathtaking icy landscapes. Printable resources like animal fact sheets, scientist journal templates, and conservation challenges bring the learning to life for your students. Perfect for science, geography, and environmental lessons!
In How Walruses and Polar Bears Survive in the Arctic, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows walruses gathered on low-lying islands, where they nurse their young after giving birth on sea ice. Meanwhile, a male polar bear, weakened after seven days at sea and having lost half his weight over the summer, swims ashore in search of food. However, the massive walruses, the largest seals in the world with tusks over 3 feet (1 meter) long, prove to be a tough challenge. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Musk Oxen Survive in the Arctic, narrator Sir David Attenborough showcases musk oxen in the Arctic and their adaptations for survival in harsh conditions. The musk oxen can break through the frozen ground to access vegetation, creating opportunities for other animals like Arctic foxes and various birds. Calves are birthed early, allowing them to acclimate to their environment before summer arrives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Pebble Toad’s Survival Tactic, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the tiny pebble toad from Venezuela that's smaller than a stamp! Living high in the rocks, it faces a unique danger — a toad-eating tarantula. Like the waterfall toad, the pebble toad can’t jump far enough to escape, so it uses a clever trick: it free-falls down the rocks, making its body stiff like a rubber ball, bouncing safely to the ground! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In A Gecko’s Survival Tale, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces the Brazilian pygmy gecko, a rainforest creature so tiny it could rest on your fingertip! This speedy little gecko has amazing survival tricks, like hydrophobic skin that keeps it dry and the ability to stand on water. Even in the face of a rainstorm, this gecko’s lightweight and clever moves help it thrive in its wild and watery home. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Survival of Majungasaurus, naturalist Steve Backshall details the lengths that this type of dinosaur had to go to in order to survive, including cannibalism.This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.
In The Survival Strategies of Bedbugs, host Harith Iskander dives into the fascinating survival strategies of Cimex Lectularius, commonly known as bedbugs. These tiny insects, about the size of an apple seed, rely on human blood to reproduce and are highly attuned to their environment. With an excellent sense of smell, bedbugs can detect over 100 compounds found in human skin and are drawn to carbon dioxide and even dirty laundry. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science? a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
The article "10 Remarkable Desert Plants That Survive in the Harshest Places on Earth" from BBC's Discover Wildlife is an exploration of extraordinary plant species uniquely adapted to life in deserts. Highlighting everything from the ancient date palm to the fog-harvesting tara tree and water-storing saxaul, the article showcases the ways that desert flora thrive in places with extreme heat, dryness, or even cold.
In Weddell Seal Pups in Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the challenges newborn seal pups face in one of the harshest environments on Earth. From enduring subzero temperatures and blizzards to entering the icy water for the first time, every decision impacts their survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Hatching Eggs Cuckoo Catfish-Style, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how cuckoo catfish ensure survival of their young. They lay their eggs alongside cichlid eggs, which are then all picked up by the female cichlids who protect them in their mouths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Impact of Arctic Ice Melt, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the impact of climate change on Pacific walruses and polar bears. As Arctic ice melts, massive walrus gatherings crowd limited beaches, while polar bears face new survival challenges. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.