The Desert

By

Tyler
Max

Ms. Watts

2nd Period

3/1/11

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Desert
Introduction:
I. What is a desert
A. A desert is a strictly defined as a place with 10in. or less of rain a year.
1. They are around tropic areas.
1. The Sahara desert is the largest.

A. Fog and snow

1. Fog is common in coastal deserts.
2. Moisture from the sea creates clouds which creates fog.

I. What is a desert made of?

A. Most people think of deserts as vast expanses of sand dunes.
1. Deserts sand started out as rock
3. The finer the particle, the farther it can be blown by wind.
B. Devil’s golf course
1. Located in Death Valley
4. Is hottest place on Planet Earth
II. Rocky Deserts
A. Over millions of years rocks get weathered by heat, cold, wind, and rain turns
rocks into deserts
1. There are few plants to keep the soil from eroding
5. Wind bourn sand scours away at the rocks, sculpting strange
looking formations
B. Mushroom Rock
1. Mushroom Rock com in a variety of shapes and sizes
2. Sandstorms scours away at the base of the rock
III. Sea of sand
A. The sea of sand is beautiful
1. The largest Arabian desert covers 25,000 sq miles
2. The sea of sand use to be a mountain
B. Natural mummy
1. As the body dries out the body shrinks
2. The very dry conditions prevent the body from decaying
IV. Water in the desert
A. Some parts of the desert are not dry and baron.
1. Some of this water is trapped by small dams
2. Water from deep layers of rock comes to the surface at oases
B. Spitting cobra
1. Lurks in palm groves at oases
2. If disturbed, it usually tries to escape if provoked further it will spit
toxic venom
V. After the rains

A. Some plants and animals survive in the desert by avoiding the driest times
1. Plants exist in the dry soil for years as seeds

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 2. When the rains come, it may take several good soakings before the
seeds germinate
B. Adult Shrimp
1. Brine Shrimp are less than 0.4 in long
2. They are an important food for birds visiting salt lakes

VI. How plants survive in the desert

A. Plants that live in deserts either springs up from dormant seeds after a rain
1. The more permanent plants have a variety of ways to get water
2. Some have long roots to reach water deep in the soil
B. Welwitschia
1. This bizarre plant has only two frayed, straplike leaves, and a huge
tap root
2. Up to 3 ft wide at the top
VII. Cacti and other succulents
A. Succulent are plants
1. That survive dry conditions by storing water
2. Cacti are the best-known succulent
B. Desert rose
1. A succulent that grows on rocks
2. Has a poisonous milky sap to deter animals from eating it
VIII. Insects
A. Insects have adapted to almost every environment in the world
1. It is not surprising to find them living in deserts
2. Like other desert animals insects face the problem of find enough
food or water
B. Honey pot ant
1. Honey pot ants are found in north America
2. They are one of the traditional food of the aboriginal people
IX. Men’s kit
A. Weapons are not only for fighting they are status symbols
1. Some desert nomads such as the Ruareg are known for their fighting
sprit
2. The more decorative weapons are worn only on ceremonial occasions
B. Bedouin daggers
1. Daggers wore once used in skirmishes and fights
2. Now there use to slaughter live stock

Conclusion:

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Tyler
Max

Ms. Watts

2nd Period

3/1/11

TITLE

One day in a desert far far away, in the hills of Saudi Arabia are vast and
scorching hot. There was a young journalist traveling in these areas for his job. He had to
talk to the people who live here and ask about what is happening about the war. There has
been action between an American hiker and an Al-Qaida. The hiker is hidden in a
classified area, and they need to find her. Americans are working very hard to find her,
but the Al-Qaida are not agreeing and fighting back. Now the young journalist (Ryan)
will travel with a regular citizen in Saudi Arabia.
Ryan and the citizen, Husson travel where Husson lives and talk about what
Husson saw that day. Husson said he saw the hiker just minding her own business and
was just hiking, and a Truck came up and grabbed her instantly and took her away.
Husson saw the whole thing. They kept talking then they hear a loud sound outside, like a
rumbling machine. They walk outside and they see this big truck with a man driving and
masked man with a gun. The man with the gun had a bag and put it over Husson and
threw him inside the truck next to the driver, and threw Ryan in the bed of the truck and
then went into the front of the truck and sat next to Husson and pointed the gun to his
head. After about 2 minutes of driving they were deep in the desert. Ryan was thinking
why they didn’t tie him up, so Ryan prepared to jump out of the truck and run. He
thought that the Saudi-Arabians wouldn’t notice him since he was in the bed of the truck.
He jumped and starting running the opposite direction back to Husson’s house.
Ryan just realized that he doesn’t have anything such as supplies except for a
pencil, notebook, some water, and a knife. He starts just walking to where he thinks
Husson’s house is. On his walk he saw a lot of plants to that were about 3 foot tall and it
had only two frayed, straplike leaves, and a huge tap root. He also notices a lot of tall
green plants about 250 Yards, yet it is foggy due to the moisture from the sea. The rocks
beneath the sand were wearing at the soles of his shoes. The fog starting to clear from the
area of green plants. He was very close and saw that the green patch was just a lot of
cacti, and huge cacti by that matter. He felt very disappointed and think like he wasted his
time running to it, but the run wasn’t a total waste because of the cacti. He cuts open a
cactus to drink it because he knows that cacti are very good succulents.
In the distance, Ryan spots a really dark spot in the dessert. From his perspective
it looked like a small house. And it was, except it was a small abandoned guns and sword
store. But due to its location no one has bought or stole anything from it. Then once he
entered he found many men’s kits, which were full Bedouin Daggers and they were very
decorative. Between the water from the cactus and the supplies from the abandoned
supplies store he can live for about two weeks.

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 About two days later Ryan stumbles across a lot of desert flowers. Unlike other
flowers it grows on rocks, but Ryan wasn’t sure if it was poisonous or not, there were
many flowers off all shapes and sizes so he grabbed the smallest one and stuffed it in his
pocket. On the way back to his shelter he also stumbles across another thing. It was a big
ant and a lot of them; he realizes it was a Honey Pot ant because he learned about them in
science one day. He knows that aboriginal people ate them so grabbed one and ate it. He
sort of gagged a little but then got used to it ate a lot more. When he gets back to the
shack he heads to sleep.
The next day he’s going to start traveling back to the town where he met Husson.
He heads to where he saw the ants yesterday, for a little snack. He’s been walking for
about 10 minutes and sees another cactus patch. He’s heads that way to get some liquid
because he’s thirsty. When he’s drinking the cactus juice he looks over and sees a natural
mummy wrapped in a cobra. The mummy is not wrapped and it’s just a skeleton and a
cobra was sleeping inside it. The cobra woke up and slipped by Ryan without trying to
hurt him so Ryan walks on.
Ryan keeps on walking till he gets to a big hill and sees the town that he came
from. When he gets to the town he’s pretty hungry so he heads to the Market and buy half
a pound of Brine Shrimp. Which are very small so a half pound was a lot of shrimp.

WORKS CITED

Miranda, Macquitty. Desert. first. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley inc., 1994. 1-64.

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