New
New
Year 9

Life in the Arabian Desert

I can explain how people, plants and animals have adapted to desert life.

New
New
Year 9

Life in the Arabian Desert

I can explain how people, plants and animals have adapted to desert life.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The desert has extreme heat and little rainfall.
  2. The Bedouin live nomadic lifestyles, using camels for transport and relying on oases for water and farming.
  3. Plants and animals have adptations that help them survive in the desert.
  4. Camels store fat in their humps, fennec foxes have large ears to release heat, and oryx get moisture from plants.
  5. Date palms have deep roots, cacti store water in thick stems, and acacia trees have small leaves to reduce water loss.

Keywords

  • Arid - a place that recieves less than 250 mm of precipitation a year

  • Nomadic - moving from place to place for resources or survival

  • Adaptation - special features that organisms have to help them survive in an environment

  • Oasis - a spot of fertile land in a desert, where water is found

  • Evaporation - the process whereby water turns into vapour

Common misconception

Camels store water in their humps.

Camels store fat in their humps for energy, not water.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: Life in the Arabian Desert, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Make sure students can link the adaptations to why they are needed. This will help students apply the concept of adaptations to different ecosystems.
Teacher tip

Equipment

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

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their correct definitions:

Correct Answer:Oil reserve,Stored supply of oil underground

Stored supply of oil underground

Correct Answer:Export,Selling goods to other countries

Selling goods to other countries

Correct Answer:Petrostate,A country that relies heavily on oil income

A country that relies heavily on oil income

Correct Answer:OPEC,A group of oil-producing nations

A group of oil-producing nations

Correct Answer:Revenue,The money a government or company earns

The money a government or company earns

Q2.
Which Middle Eastern country is currently the largest oil producer?

Lebanon
Correct answer: Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Yemen

Q3.
What is the main purpose of OPEC?

To promote tourism
To limit oil use
Correct answer: To coordinate oil production and prices
To build pipelines

Q4.
Which of the following is a benefit oil wealth has brought to some countries?

Greater access to freshwater
Correct answer: Higher GDP per capita
More deserts
Fewer natural resources

Q5.
What is one risk for countries relying heavily on oil income?

Unlimited job growth
Price stability
Correct answer: Falling oil prices
Decreased exports

Q6.
Which statement is correct about the role of oil in the Middle East?

All Middle Eastern countries have oil
Oil is no longer important in the region
Correct answer: Oil has helped develop infrastructure in many places
Oil is only used locally

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions:

Correct Answer:Arid,Receiving very little rainfall

Receiving very little rainfall

Correct Answer:Nomadic,Moving to find food or water

Moving to find food or water

Correct Answer:Adaptation,A feature that helps survival

A feature that helps survival

Correct Answer:Oasis,Fertile land with desert water

Fertile land with desert water

Correct Answer:Evaporation,Turning water into vapour

Turning water into vapour

Q2.
Which feature helps fennec foxes release heat in the desert?

Long tails
Correct answer: Large ears
Thick fur
Webbed feet

Q3.
What do camels store in their humps?

Water
Air
Food
Correct answer: Fat

Q4.
Which animals rely on moisture from plants instead of drinking water?

Correct answer: Oryx
Penguins
Dolphins
Crocodiles