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      Hot deserts: climate and location

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can describe the climate of hot deserts and use maps to locate them.

      Key learning points

      1. The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara, in North Africa, and it is still growing.
      2. Hot deserts have extremely high temperatures during the day and very little rain; not much life can survive there.
      3. Not many people live in hot desert regions because of the lack of water for everyday activities and growing crops.

      Keywords

      • Hot desert - Hot deserts are areas on Earth which are very hot and very dry, having less than 25 cm of rain per year.

      • Soil - Soil is the loose upper layer of the Earth’s surface where plants grow, and is formed from tiny particles of rock, dead plants and animals, air and water.

      • Climate change - A long term change in the earth’s climate. Overall Earth is getting warmer.

      Common misconception

      No one is able to live in the Sahara desert.

      2.5 million people live in the Sahara desert.

      Teacher tip

      Get children to think about what they have used water for that day.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      A place on Earth that is very hot and very dry and has less than 25 cm of rain per year is called a .

      Correct Answer: hot desert, desert

      Q2.
      Match the beginnings of these sentences about hot places to the correct endings.

      Correct Answer:Tropical rainforests have ,a lot of different plants and animals.

      a lot of different plants and animals.

      Correct Answer:A hot desert climate is ,very hot and dry.

      very hot and dry.

      Correct Answer:Hot deserts have ,less than 25 cm of rain each year.

      less than 25 cm of rain each year.

      Correct Answer:The climate in tropical rainforests is ,hot and wet.

      hot and wet.

      Q3.
      The of a place is the average weather conditions (e.g. sunny, windy, rainy) taken over a long period of time (e.g. 30 years).

      Correct Answer: climate

      Q4.
      What is soil?

      Correct answer: Soil is the loose upper layer of the Earth's surface.
      Correct answer: Soil is where plants grow.
      Correct answer: Soil is formed from tiny particles of rock, dead plants, air and water.
      Soil is another name for rocks and mountains.

      Q5.
      Where do you find hot deserts?

      at the poles
      Correct answer: in the tropics
      near the Equator

      Q6.
      Climate change ...

      Correct answer: is a large-scale and long-term change in Earth's climate.
      Correct answer: means the whole planet is getting hotter.
      means the planet is getting colder.
      means one or two countries are getting hotter.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Put these letters in the right order to find the answer to the following question. What is the name of the layer of the Earth's surface where plants grow?

      1 - S
      2 - O
      3 - I
      4 - L

      Q2.
      What are crops?

      trees, flowers and forests
      sheep and cows
      Correct answer: plants such as corn, fruit and vegetables grown by farmers

      Q3.
      Hot deserts are ...

      Correct answer: places that have less than 25 cm of rain each year.
      located at the poles.
      Correct answer: found near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

      Q4.
      What is the name of the largest hot desert in the world?

      the Gobi desert
      Correct answer: the Sahara desert
      the Arabian desert
      the Namib desert

      Q5.
      Which of these groups of people live in the Sahara desert?

      Correct answer: the Tuareg people
      the Inuit people
      the Yanomamo tribe

      Q6.
      Which of these plants do you find in the desert?

      orchids
      Correct answer: cactuses
      oak trees

      To help you plan your 2 geography lesson on: Hot deserts: climate and location, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...