3
A home in the desert
Discover Term 1: Axis 2, Chapter 1
GoalSay what a desert is like and how plants and animals live there.
New words
desert · a hot, dry place with a lot of sanddry · with very little watershade · a cool place out of the sun
Explanation
A desert is a hot, dry place. It has sand and rocks and very little rain. Living things in the desert still need food, water and air. A cactus stores water in its stem. A camel can walk for a long way, and its hump stores fat. A lizard rests in the cool shade. Palm trees grow where there is water. People wear light long clothes and scarves to keep off the sun and the sand.
Worked examples
A cactus has thick green stems. It stores water inside, so it can live where there is little rain.
A camel walks over the sand. Its hump stores fat, and its feet do not sink in the sand.
A lizard hides in the shade of a palm tree when the sun is hot.
Class activity
Draw a desert. Draw sand, one plant and two animals that you think live there. Write or say one important thing about the desert, for example “It is dry.” Then circle the animals. Then tell a grown-up how a desert plant lives with little water.
Practice
1
Which animal lives in the desert? Say the letter.
A, the camel.
2
What does a cactus store in its stem?
Water.
3
Why do people in the desert wear light long clothes and scarves?
To keep off the hot sun and the sand.
4
Is a desert wet or dry?
Dry.