Learn where the Arctic and Antarctic are located and how their cold climates shape life in these polar regions.
Read each problem carefully. Write your answers in complete sentences when you can.
Comparing Earth’s cold polar regions
Social Studies - Grade 2-3
- 1
The Arctic is near the North Pole. The Antarctic is near the South Pole. Which region is at the top of most world maps?
- 2
Circle the word that best completes the sentence: Antarctica is a land continent covered mostly by ice, but the Arctic is mostly an ocean covered by sea ice. Antarctica is mostly land / ocean.
- 3
Write one way the Arctic and Antarctic are alike.
- 4
Write one way the Arctic and Antarctic are different.
- 5
A thermometer in Antarctica shows a very low temperature. What kind of clothing would a scientist need to wear there?
- 6
Polar regions get long days in summer and long nights in winter. During winter in the Arctic, would it be light all day or dark for much of the day?
- 7
Look at this list: polar bear, penguin, seal, walrus. Which animal is best known for living in Antarctica?
- 8
Look at this list: polar bear, penguin, seal, whale. Which animal is best known for living in the Arctic?
- 9
Why is it hard for many plants to grow in the Arctic and Antarctic?
- 10
The Arctic has people living in some places around it, including towns and Indigenous communities. Antarctica has no permanent towns. Which region has permanent towns and communities?
- 11
A map key shows white for ice and blue for ocean. If a map of the Arctic has a lot of blue under the ice, what does that tell you?
- 12
Complete the comparison: The Arctic is in the north. The Antarctic is in the ____.