Climate of N America and the Caribbean

Poll

Would you rather ...

• 1. walk through the woods?

• 1. explore the city?

​Climate in North America and the Caribbean

By John Gibbon Lesson 3.4

Lesson Overview

What are the main climate zones in North America and the Caribbean?

​Essential Question:

• identify the climate zones present in the region

• describe how climate affects the lives of people in each zone

​Learners Can:

Draw

Highlight or underline key words from each vocabulary word.

Open Ended

In previous lessons, you learned about place, one of the five themes of geography. Place describes what a space is like.

How do you describe the place in the image?

Sentence Starter: This place can be described as . . .

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North America and the Caribbean contains all five Köppen climate zones.

Important: Temperatures get warmer the farther south you travel toward the equator. Also, precipitation amounts decrease from east to west across a continent.

​

​Diversity of Climates

Video Time!

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Hotspot

Based on what we observed in the video, which one of the hotspots on the map would most likely have a tropical climate?

The areas of Northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland lie in the polar climate zone.

Blizzards happen often. with strong winds, lots of blowing snow, and it’s hard to see.

Summers are very short, and the winters are much longer and very cold.

Greenland is mostly covered in snow and ice. Sometimes the layers can be up to two miles thick!

Why do the polar climates tend to have a smaller population?

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​Polar Climate Areas

​- Name of Author

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Multiple Select

Why does the climate of the Great Plains make it good for farming?

• 
  There is a low chance of tornados.

• Prairies create large grasslands for animals to eat.

• Large amounts of rainfall help crops grow.

Temperate Climate

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Temperate Climate

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Categorize

Options (3)

wildfires

hurricanes

100 inches of rain

Sort the weather event to its most likely climate zone

Central and Southern California

southeastern United States

northern Pacific coast

Much of the western and southwestern Unites States, parts of the Great Plains, and sections of Mexico have an arid, or dry climate.

Characteristics of this climate zone are high temperatures and very little rainfall. This zone is affected by the rain shadow.

*Death Valley, California

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​Arid Climate Areas

Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and small pieces of the southeastern United States fall in the tropical climate zone.

They are located in the lowest latitudes of Earth, meaning they receive the most sun. Winters are mild in temperature and the summers are muggy, hot, and humid. The sea and the wind are big factors of this climate zone.

Wetlands, areas of land that are either covered by water or soaked with water, are found in many different climates. In the tropical climate zone, swamps are present and have a large variety of vegetation and wildlife.

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​Tropical Climate

Open Ended

What is one positive or negative feature of living in a tropical climate zone?

Sentence starter: One reason people should live in the tropical climate zone is . . .

Match

Match the correct climate zone with the image that best represents its characteristics.

arid

tropical

polar

continental

temperate

• arid

• tropical

• polar

• continental

• temperate