This document outlines a didactic unit on biomes for a 2nd year high school science class. The unit aims to familiarize students with the main biomes of the world, their characteristics, threats they face, and endangered species. Students will complete various tasks such as creating a mind map of biomes, filling out a biome characteristics chart, analyzing climographs, researching biomes and national parks, and writing an article about biomes for a magazine. The unit utilizes group work and will take 10 class sessions to complete, incorporating listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students will be evaluated based on their understanding of biomes and preservation, as well as their participation in activities.

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Isabel Pérez Torres
Template to design a CLIL didactic unit
Subject: Sciences
Teacher:
Title of the Unit: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! (BIOMES)
Course / Level
2nd ESO
1. Learning outcomes
* To identify and describe the characteristics of the main biomes.
/ Evaluation criteria
* To locate the main biomes
* To understand how a biome affects wildlife and human beings
* To identify the students’ biome
* To interpret climatographs
* To evaluate humans’ effect on the environment
* To familiarize with the main endangered species, specially local ones, and
ways to preserve the environment
* To carry out research about the National Parks in the area by means of the
ITC
* To carry out research in groups by working cooperatively and accepting
others’ opinions.
2. Subject Content
•
Climates and Biomes
o
Terrestrial (land) Biomes


Tundras

Temperate Deciduous forest

Mediterranean shrubs/chaparral

Grassland and savanna

Deserts

o
Taigas
Tropical Rainforests
Aquatic Biomes

Freshwater

Marine
•
Threatened plants and animals
•
National Parks

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Vocabulary
Isabel Pérez Torres
3. Language Content / Communication
- Biomes: Taigas, Tundras, Temperate Deciduous forest, Mediterranean
forest, Grassland and savannah, Deserts, Tropical Rainforests, Freshwater,
Marine
- Adjectives: aquatic, terrestrial, hot, cold, humid, dry, wet, arid, deciduous,
evergreen…
- Verbs: cover, range, adapt, obtain, survive…
- Places and Countries: forest, estuary, mountain, Greenland, Sahara
Desert, Antarctica…
- Factors: abiotic, biotic, temperature, rainfall, location, latitude…
- Flora and Fauna: moss, lichen, bamboo, bear, pine, oak, chestnut, coral
reef, kangaroo, giraffe, elephant, camel, tiger, lynx…
Structures
 Verb to be; there is/are
 Present Simple
 Wh-questions and Yes/No questions:
o
Where is the taiga located?
o
What does the term deciduous mean?
o
Where are the rainforest located?
o
How do tropical forests keep our planet cooler?
o
How many seasons do temperate areas have?
o
What’s the average temperature at the desert?
o
Do we get big trees in grasslands?
 Present Perfect (humans’ effects)
 Basic modal verbs (to preserve the environment)
 Comparatives & Superlatives
 Connectors: addition, consequence, contrast
 Prepositions of Location
 Passive (identify)
Discourse type
Description, exposition

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Language skills
Isabel Pérez Torres
- Listening for specific information
- Speaking: giving a presentation, describing and group interaction
- Reading: Predicting, transferring information, understanding the main idea,
understanding details
- Writing: writing a description, summarizing, organizing content,
collaborative writing
4.
Contextual
- Imperial units & metric system; different temperature scales
(cultural) element
- Different biomes and those who live there
- Main national Parks
5. Cognitive
- Know: the main world biomes features, risks biomes face
(thinking) processes
- Understand: vocabulary related to the topic, written and oral texts about
biome, climatographs, the importance of national parks and environment
preservation
- Apply: decide what to take on our trip
- Analyse: climatographs, webpages and select relevant information
- Evaluate: other people’s performance, human impact on the biomes
- Create: a narrated tour, a magazine article, a mind-map, a biome chart
6. (a) Task(s)
Main Task: You work for Nature Today and you have to write an article about
the main biomes in the world. There will be a special section about the main
risks they face and another which will focus on endangered species. In
addition, when you have the itinerary, you need to know what the climate is
like, to decide what to take.
Sub-tasks:
1. Complete a mind-map with the main biomes and the determining factors
2. Complete a chart about the main biomes (geographic location, biotic and
abiotic factors, human impact) and colour map
3. Classify some climatographs
4. Decide what I should take on my trip
5. Group work: Choose a biome and decide what information will be included
in the magazine article and do some research about the dangers your biome
faces and 4 species which are threatened.
6. Group presentation: The importance of National Parks. Create a narrated

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Isabel Pérez Torres
tour of a given national park.
6. (b) Activities
1. Complete a mind-map with the main biomes…
a. watch an introductory video
b. revise concepts such as longitude or latitude
c. read a text about biomes, ecosystems and habitats and
complete a picture
d. gap-filling about biotic and abiotic factors and classify some
elements
e. match questions and answers
f.
use the information from the previous exercises to complete
the mind-map
2. Complete a chart about the main biomes
a. Learn about animal adaptation
b. Treasure Hunt about deserts
c. Listen and read to get information about the savanna
d. Read a text about the Tundra
e. Cloze text and dictation activity about the rain forest
f.
Match questions and answers and complete a cloze text
about the Temperate Deciduous forest and the Taiga
g. Listen and read about the aquatic biomes
h. Complete the chart and colour the map
i.
what biome(s) can be found in Spain?
3. Classify some climatographs
a. Activity to understand the different elements in a climatograph
b. Understand some examples
c. Decide what biome is represented in some climatographs
4. Decide what I should take on my trip (revision task)
a. Group work: Read the itinerary and locate the places
b. Group work: Taking the dates and the information from
previous activities into account, decide what to take
c. Share your plan with the rest of the class
5. Choose a biome and decide what information will be included in the
magazine article and do some research about the dangers your
biome faces and 4 species which are in danger.

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Isabel Pérez Torres
a. Following a template, choose the information and pictures
which you want to include
b. Read a text to familiarise with the categories for threatened
species
c. Choose 4 species and do research to complete a template
about each of them
d. what should I do to protect the Environment?
6. A narrated tour of a National Park
a. Students will research a given national park: location, flora,
fauna, anecdotes or special features, attractions…
b. create a narrated tour following a template
c. present it to the rest of the class
d. (optional activity: prepare a documentary with all that
information)
There will be follow-up activities for homework
7. Methodology
Organization
and - 10 fifty-minute sessions
class distribution / - Session 1: Task 1
- Sessions 2, 3 & 4: Taks 2 and 3
timing
- Session 5: Task 4
- Sessions 6 & 7: Task 5
- Sessions 7, 8 & 9: Task 6
- Session 10: Test
Students will work individually, in pairs and in groups
Resources / Materials - Board
- Handouts and atlas
- Computer; Internet; presentation and word-processor software
- Class projector
Key Competences
- Linguistic Competente (in this situation, Communication in a foreign
language)
- Competence in knowledge of and interaction with the
physical world
- Competence in processing information and use of ICT
- Competence in social skills and citizenship
- Learning to learn
- Autonomy and personal initiative.
8. Evaluation (criteria - The student can identify biotic and abiotic factors
and instruments)
- The student can describe the main world biomes
- The student understands the importance of preservation and national
parks
- The student can name some threatened species and some

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Isabel Pérez Torres
elements/actions that put species at risk
- The student participates and shows interest in the activities
- The student accepts other students’ opinions and suggestions
Evaluation instruments: observation; mind-map; biomes chart; itinerary
sheet; biome “article”; worksheet about endangered species; tour of the
national park; rubrics for “article”, endangered species and tour; group, peer
and self-evaluation sheets, test
Puedes usar este modelo de plantilla con total libertad. Gracias por citar la fuente.
Un primer modelo de esta plantilla ha sido publicado en:
Pérez Torres, I. 2009. "Apuntes sobre los principios y características de la metodología AICLE" en V.
Pavón, J. Ávila (eds.), Aplicaciones didácticas para la enseñanza integrada de lengua y contenidos.
Sevilla: Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Córdoba.171-180.
Está basada sobre todo en la experiencia práctica a la hora de diseñar unidades y
conversaciones con expertos y compañeros. También he tenido en cuenta la teoría de las 4 Cs
de Do Coyle, expuesto en numerosas publicaciones como por ejemplo: Coyle, D., Hood, P. and
Marsh, D., 2010. Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.

7. Coordinación bilingüe
Isabel Pérez Torres
elements/actions that put species at risk
- The student participates and shows interest in the activities
- The student accepts other students’ opinions and suggestions
Evaluation instruments: observation; mind-map; biomes chart; itinerary
sheet; biome “article”; worksheet about endangered species; tour of the
national park; rubrics for “article”, endangered species and tour; group, peer
and self-evaluation sheets, test
Puedes usar este modelo de plantilla con total libertad. Gracias por citar la fuente.
Un primer modelo de esta plantilla ha sido publicado en:
Pérez Torres, I. 2009. "Apuntes sobre los principios y características de la metodología AICLE" en V.
Pavón, J. Ávila (eds.), Aplicaciones didácticas para la enseñanza integrada de lengua y contenidos.
Sevilla: Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Córdoba.171-180.
Está basada sobre todo en la experiencia práctica a la hora de diseñar unidades y
conversaciones con expertos y compañeros. También he tenido en cuenta la teoría de las 4 Cs
de Do Coyle, expuesto en numerosas publicaciones como por ejemplo: Coyle, D., Hood, P. and
Marsh, D., 2010. Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press.