Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a place.

An axis is an imaginary straight line through Earth which rotates around it.

A thermometer is an instrument which is used to measure temperature.

A hemisphere is half of Earth, usually divided into the Northern or Southern Hemispheres by the Equator.

Solar energy is the light and heat that come from the sun's rays.

The world's cold places

Geography

Locating the North and South Poles

The North Pole and the Arctic

The South Pole and the Antarctic

Arctic wildlife

Antarctic wildlife

Living in the Arctic

Living in the Antarctic

It then leads on to examine this same scale but by investigating hot places in 'Hot places: What is it like near the Equator?'. This unit also links to future understanding of land use and settlement, and builds on Earth Geometry by establishing familiarity with the Polar Circles here and with the Equator in 'Hot places: What is it like near the Equator?'.

links to work done in and around the school ground on weather and develops the idea of temperature variations and extreme cold on a global scale. 

This unit explores the North and South Poles through their locations, climates, landscapes, wildlife and ways of life. Pupils learn to compare the Arctic and Antarctic using maps, images and geographical vocabulary to describe features of cold environments.

Cold places: what is it like at the North and South Poles?

Which of these does **not** affect temperatures locally?

True or false: The Earth is tilted on an axis and this creates the seasons.

When is the North Pole tilted towards the sun?

What imaginary line runs around the middle of Earth?

The world's cold places

Lesson outcome