The light and heat that come from the sun's rays are solar energy.

The Equator is an imaginary line of latitude going around the centre of Earth.

The North Pole is at the northern end of Earth’s axis and the South Pole is at the southern end of Earth’s axis.

Introducing climate

Geography

Using lines of latitude to locate the main climate zones

Climate data and patterns

The differences between climate zones and biomes

Adaptations of plants and animals in different biomes

Climate change

This unit directly links to settlement, understanding connections between climate and where people live. This also underpins understanding needed in 'The Americas: How diverse are its places and landscapes?', 'South America: Why does the Amazon matter?', 'Natural resources: what are they, where are they and why are they important?' and 'Farms and factories: Where does our food come from?'.

This unit builds on learning about the water cycle to develop understanding of the spatial patterns of water and energy. It also builds on 'Cold places: What is it like at the North and South Poles?' and 'Hot places: What is it like near the Equator?'. It develops on 'Contrasting locality: What is it like to live in (named location) in Jamaica?') by introducing the major lines of latitude.

This unit introduces climate zones around the world. Pupils use maps and climate data to spot patterns, compare environments, and explore how plants and animals adapt to different conditions. The unit also introduces climate change.

Climate zones: what are they and why do they matter?

Which word can we use to describe the axis around which Earth rotates?

In space, Earth moves around the sun in a fixed path. What is this movement called?

Where do the sun's rays have most energy?

What do we call the average weather over a long period of time?

a horizontal line around the exact centre of Earth

day to day conditions in a place, e.g. raining, sunshine, snow

places with similar average weather conditions

Complete the sentence. Temperatures across Earth are directly related to how far places are from the ...

From January to December, put the seasons of the year in order.

Which of these types of weather is not wet?

Match the weather conditions to the descriptions.

Complete the sentence. The {{ }} places on Earth are at the equator.

Complete the sentence. The coldest places on earth are the {{ }} Pole and the South Pole.

Introducing climate

Lesson outcome