Eight riddles on page 1 ask 3rd grade students to name a biome from a six-word bank. Clues range from "I am very dry and get less than 10 inches of rain all year" to "I have four seasons", and the page notes that two biomes are used twice. Page 2 gives two riddle frames with weather, plant and animal clues for students to write and swap. It links to NGSS 3-ESS2-2. Page 3 is the answer key.
3-ESS2-2
“Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.”
Riddles 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 give rainfall, temperature or season clues, and the writing frames ask students to describe the weather of a biome themselves.
Two columns of four riddles, each with a What biome am I? line. The word bank holds desert, rainforest, tundra, grassland, deciduous forest and taiga.
Two frames with clue starters for weather, plants and animals, ending with a line for the biome name. Students trade with a partner to guess each other's biomes.
The answer to each of the eight riddles, and a note on checking that student clues match the biome named.
Whole class reveal
Read a riddle aloud one clue at a time and have students write their answer before anyone speaks. The tundra and taiga riddles show who knows the cold biomes.
Partner swap
After page 2, pairs trade sheets and solve each other's riddles. Ask them to underline the clue that gave it away.
Early finishers
Students who finish early write a third riddle on the back for a biome their partner has not yet been asked about.
Get started today
