The factors affecting biome distribution
I can understand how climate and local factors affect biome distribution.
The factors affecting biome distribution
I can understand how climate and local factors affect biome distribution.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- On a large-scale, climate is the main factor affecting the distribution of biomes.
- Local factors (altitude, rock and soil type and drainage) can affect local biome distribution.
- Biotic and abiotic components interact within biomes, reflecting these large-scale and small-scale factors.
Keywords
Climate - the average weather conditions (such as rainfall and temperature) recorded over a 30-year period
Altitude - the height above sea level
Drainage - the distribution, storage and movement of water in the environment
Common misconception
Within a given biome, the plants and animals are the same everywhere.
Small-scale variation occurs within global biomes due to local factors.
To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: The factors affecting biome distribution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: The factors affecting biome distribution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 geography lessons from the Global biomes unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions

Exit quiz
6 Questions
tropical rainforest
tropical grassland (savanna)
desert
temperate deciduous forest
coniferous forest