The Great Basin

Great Basin (Grades 4-5) The Great Basin is home to distinctive ecosystems, geological features, and a unique watershed. During this four-lesson unit, students will learn about the four spheres within this region: the biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere. View Materials List Lesson 1: The Great Basin Watersheds Students use maps to pinpoint major features of the Great Basin, thus determining where water originates, flows and terminates within the basin. Lesson 2: Biodiversity in the Great Basin The Great Basin is home to many animals and plants which have developed adaptions to live there. In lesson two, students will compare and contrast organisms that live in the Great Basin and explore how energy and matter flow through a community. Lesson 3: Geology of the Great Basin Some animals are endemic to the Great Basin, meaning they are only found here. In lesson three, students will travel outdoors to explore the mountain and valley geography in this area that allowed for the evolution of endemic species. Lesson 4: Above and Below – Bats! Every organism is connected to the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. In this last lesson, students will work in groups. Each group will choose a Great Basin animal and brainstorm ways in which that animal interacts with all four spheres.