Polar Regions PDF

Polar Regions is the eighth unit in the People & Planet Geography course. In this unit you will learn about the Arctic and Antarctica. In addition you will learn about biomes across the world and how the climate determines which animals and plants live in different places.

This unit is a guide for the mentor, not a textbook for the student.

This unit includes sections on:

• Biomes
• Antarctica
• Arctic Circle
• People of the Arctic

This is an activity based curriculum. You pick activities to do as you read books and watch videos about biomes, Antarctica, and the Arctic. Here are some of the activities found in this unit:

• Color a map of the major biomes
• Make a paper chain snake and mouse craft as you learn about desert biomes
• Design your own aquatic biome jar
• Invent your own Antarctic explorer game on an oversized map of Antarctica
• Plan your own Antarctic scientific research expedition
• Paint with ice to make a penguin portrait
• Create arctic ice floes in your house and play a game to hop from one floe to another across the room
• And much more!

See Inside

This is double page spread of the inside of the Polar Regions unit:

The sidebars contain extra information to add to your learning including facts to read, additional information to pursue, extra books to read, things to discuss as a group, and writing ideas. The center, large section of the book, is filled with ideas for hands on learning to fill out the things you learn from your reading and to make homeschool fun. The hands-on can be done as a group, the whole family learning together.

The beginning of the Polar Regions unit includes a Library List of book titles we recommend to go with this unit. It also contains a set of search terms to use at your library to take advantage of the resources that are available. The Library List is pick and choose as well, just select the titles that are available and interest you.

Each Layers of Learning Geography unit includes library lists of books, a family read-aloud suggestion, hands-on activities, printables and paper crafts, sidebars for extra learning, and tools to help you assess student’s progress and mastery. Learn more about how Layers of Learning works.

Flexibility

This unit was written to be used for a month but contains plenty of content for many more weeks of learning if you choose. This is a pick-and-choose curriculum, meant to be cycled back to in the future when your child is older. As such, it intentionally includes far more material than you can possibly cover in a month.

Polar Regions is also part of the overall People & Planet, the first Year of the four-year Layers of Learning Geography cycle. If you use the program in order, it will take you though the geography of the world from continents and the physical planet in Year One, to mapping skills in Year Two, then to cultures in Year Three, and finally, to government and society in Year Four.  Every year is also a tour of the whole planet, making stops on every continent. However, each unit stands alone and can be used independently of any other unit.

Printable Pack

This unit comes with a downloadable Printable Pack that includes all the student worksheets. The printables can be copied as many times as needed for your family or class.

You can download the Printable Pack from your receipt or from your account at Layers of Learning.

Extra Resources

This unit comes with extra weblinks and a YouTube video playlist on the People & Planet Resources page.