Dear Students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Hope you had a great weekend! We heard the weather in Raleigh has been a bit rainy this weekend! Africa has been quite different. We have a very dry climate. That means we get little to no rain a year in certain parts of our continent. Have you ever heard of the Sahara Desert? It’s the largest hot desert in the whole entire world! Deserts get 20-25 centimeters of precipitation every year. That’s not a lot! The only way you can travel through the Sahara are with camels because camels can go for weeks without drinking any water!

Other than deserts, we also have savannahs and plains. These are the grassy areas of Africa. Have you ever seen the Lion King? YES! It was filmed in the plains and savannahs. What animals do you remember seeing from the movie? There are lions, giraffes, zebras, and hyenas! That’s just to name a few! We also are known for the longest river in the world… the Nile river! It is home to even more animals like crocodiles and various birds.

Africa is the world’s second largest continent and has many natural resources that benefit the world. We are known for gold, salt, oil, and diamonds. All of these natural resources help our economy continue to grow!

Thank you for reading my letter. We hope you have learned a little bit more about the great continent of Africa. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Dear students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Hello from “down under” or Australia! What are some things you know about Australia? It is the biggest island and the smallest continent. Most of the land is made up of plains and deserts. People tend to live in the Southern parts of Australia because it has more mild temperatures, but the main parts of Australia are very dry.

One of the major identifying features is the Great Outback. It contains the country's largest deserts, where there are scorching temperatures, little water, and almost no vegetation. Australia is the home to the most poisonous animals on earth. However, they are also home to the most cuddly and cute animals like the kangaroo and the koala. The kangaroo and koala are only found on the lovely continent of Australia.

Because of the vast deserts and land, there are many important natural resources that can be found. Australia resources diamond, uranium, and gold! What do you think that could be used for? Thank you for learning about the great continent and country of Australia!

Sincerely,

Dear students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Greetings from the most southern continent of the world.. Antarctica! One of the root words in Antarctica is “arctic”. This sums up the physical features of our continent. It is a huge icy, frozen tundra! What animals do you think live in this arctic tundra? Most of the animals that call Antarctica home can survive in the harshest of weather. Penguins, seals, and whales are just a few that call this polar climate continent their home. Because of our freezing temperatures, we are the least populous of the world’s continents.

Does this make you want to come visit the great continent of Antarctica? Our doors always open! Make sure to pack heavy.

Sincerely,

Dear students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Hello from across the pond! We are writing from the continent of Europe! We are the third smallest continent in the whole world, but we are filled with many cultures and people. One of our famous physical features are mountains. We have beautiful mountains in Europe like the Swiss Alps. They are home to many different animals such as elk, moose, and goats. Some of the goats that live in the Swiss Alps can climb really steep mountain sides with ease.

The climate in Europe varies across the continent. We have some areas with polar climate, which means chillier temperatures. Some areas are temperate with mild temperatures and other areas have mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Countries like Italy and Greece have mediterranean climates. Why do you think it’s called Mediterranean climate?

Thanks for taking the time to read our letter from Europe! We hope to learn more about the continent you live on! Can’t wait to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Dear students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Welcome to the largest continent in the world, Asia! Because we have the largest continent, there are many different physical features that cover our vast land. Some areas have high mountains with frozen tundras. Other parts have are filled with vast plains and deserts. Other parts are filled with thick jungles with hot and humid temperatures. There are so many physical features in Asia that we are home to many animals as well. One of the most famous animals that can only be found in Asia are the great white pandas! We also have rhinos, orangutans, bengal tigers, and yak.

We are also home to the highest point in the whole entire world, Mt. Everest! We also have the Gobi Desert and the famous Tigres and Euphrates Rivers. As you can see, we are a huge continent with a little bit of everything.

The many different physical features bring different climates as well. What kinds of climates do you think Asia has? We have some areas with freezing temperatures because of the frozen tundra, but other with tropical temperatures. The two different kinds of weathers create monsoons in Asia often. Monsoons are seasons of heavy rainfall and storms. How do you think monsoons affect life in parts of Asia?

Natural resources play a huge part in the economy of Asia. We are known for rubber, wheat, rice, uranium, and silver. These natural resources helped Asia trade with other nations that didn’t have these things.

Thanks for learning about the large continent of Asia! We hope that you continue to learn more about the civilizations in Asia in your social studies class.

Sincerely,

Dear students of Carnage Magnet Middle School,

Hello from South America! We are your neighbors down to the South and we are so glad that you are reading our letter. We share the same oceans! Do you know which oceans North America and South America share? We have two main physical features in South America. They are mountains and rainforests. Rainforests are home to many animals including many kinds of lizards, snakes, and insects. Rainforests are also home to colorful birds such as parrots and toucans. We also have ferocious feline cats like jaguars and panthers.

The climate that comes with rainforests and mountains are tropical with high rainfall and temperature. The most famous physical feature in South America is the Amazon River that runs through the continent. It is the world’s longest river and it is surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. Some parts of the rainforest have never been discovered!

Thanks so much for learning about your neighboring continent. Although we are close, there are many things that are different! What are some differences between North America and South America?

Can’t wait to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,