Activity 01
Role Play: A Day in the Life
Divide the class into 'Desert Dwellers' and 'Arctic Explorers'. Each group must act out a daily task, like getting water or building a house, using props that suit their climate (e.g., a loose robe vs. a heavy parka).
Analyze how the environment dictates dietary and clothing choices.
Facilitation TipDuring Role Play: A Day in the Life, give each student a role card with clear tasks (e.g., ‘You are a herder in Mongolia’ or ‘You are a trader in the Sahara’) so they focus on environmental adaptations rather than improvising freely.
What to look forGive students a card with a picture of either a desert or an Arctic scene. Ask them to write two sentences describing one way people adapt their clothing or food to live there, and one challenge they might face.
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateSocial AwarenessSelf-Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Inquiry Circle: House Designers
In small groups, students are given a 'climate challenge'. They must design a house for a very hot place (with shade and fans) or a very cold place (with thick walls and a fire) using craft materials.
Compare the primary challenges of desert living versus Arctic living.
Facilitation TipFor Collaborative Investigation: House Designers, provide a materials budget and constraints (e.g., ‘Your house must stay cool in 45°C heat and cost under 100 units’) to push students to think like engineers.
What to look forPose the question: 'Imagine you had to move to either the Sahara Desert or the Arctic Circle. What are the top three things you would need to pack or prepare, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion comparing responses for each environment.
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateSelf-ManagementSelf-Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Think-Pair-Share: What's for Dinner?
Show photos of food from different climates (e.g., dates and flatbread from the desert, fish and berries from the Arctic). Students discuss with a partner why people eat these things and why they might be hard to find in the other climate.
Justify why individuals choose to inhabit such challenging environments.
Facilitation TipDuring Think-Pair-Share: What's for Dinner?, prompt pairs with starter facts (e.g., ‘Camels store fat in their humps—how does this help them survive?’) to guide their discussion toward evidence-based reasoning.
What to look forShow images of different types of housing (e.g., igloo, tent, sturdy house). Ask students to point to or name the environment each type of house is best suited for and explain one reason why.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers should ground this topic in real-world examples, avoiding romanticized or pitying narratives about life in extreme climates. Use current images and videos to show thriving communities, and explicitly compare urban and rural adaptations. Research suggests students learn best when they actively design solutions, so focus on problem-solving tasks rather than passive information delivery.
Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how climate shapes daily life, using specific examples from their role-play or house designs. They should move beyond stereotypes to recognize the ingenuity and joy found in communities across extreme climates.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Role Play: A Day in the Life, watch for students assuming people in extreme climates are ‘poor’ or ‘unhappy.’
Use the role-play debrief to highlight modern technology and traditions. After the activity, share short video clips of thriving communities in Dubai or Nuuk, then ask students to add to their role-play reflections to include examples of prosperity.
During Collaborative Investigation: House Designers, watch for students believing everyone in deserts lives in tents.
Provide images of modern housing in desert cities during the materials set-up. Ask students to categorize the images by material (e.g., concrete, fabric) and discuss why different structures are used in the same climate.
Methods used in this brief