Dark Winters, Fierce Winds: teacher key

The Arctic and Antarctica, grade 6 edition, written for 6th grade. The Arctic is an ocean and Antarctica is a continent. See how sea ice, winds, treaties and wildlife set them apart.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Why is the Arctic's sea ice different from Antarctica's?
   • The Arctic is warmer
   • The geographies differ: an ocean ringed by land versus a continent ringed by ocean (answer)
   • Antarctica has no ocean
2. What happens in the Arctic on about December 21?
   • The Sun does not set
   • The ice melts
   • The Sun does not rise (answer)
3. What are ice shelves?
   • Chunks of ice that break off
   • Floating sheets of ice connected to the land (answer)
   • Ground that stays frozen
4. How do emperor penguin fathers keep the egg warm?
   • In a den
   • In the water
   • On their feet (answer)
5. What does the Antarctic Treaty freeze?
   • The ocean
   • Territorial claims (answer)
   • Sea ice

Words

• permafrost: frozen ground
• blubber: thick body fat
• krill: tiny sea animals
• treaty: signed agreement