Seasons are periods of similar weather. In the UK there are four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter).

Winter is the coldest season of the year. It is between autumn and spring.

Day length is how long it is light for during a day. This happens between sunrise and sunset.

Time tells you how long something takes to happen.

Day length in winter

Science

Signs of autumn

Weather in autumn

Signs of winter

Weather in winter

In this Seasonal changes unit, pupils learn how day length varies. In the Earth, Sun and Moon unit, they will build on this knowledge to learn why we have day and night

Pupils will draw upon prior exploration of seasons and weather in EYFS and their own everyday experiences. In this unit Seasonal changes: autumn and winter unit, pupils will build on this knowledge to observe changes across the four seasons and describe associated weather

This unit explores observing changes across autumn and winter, including weather patterns and variations in day length. It emphasises asking questions, using simple equipment for observations, identifying and classifying, gathering data, and using observations to answer questions.

Seasonal changes: autumn and winter

True or false? The amount of light each day changes throughout the year.

In the United Kingdom, day length is shortest in which season?

We can observe how many trees have leaves.

How can we investigate the length of days?

What is the date of the shortest day of the year in the United Kingdom?

What can we use to investigate the length of days?

Which of these might you observe during the winter?

The weather is hot and sunny in each season.

The weather is cold and snowy in each season.

The weather is often different in each season.

Which of these photographs shows the weather in winter?

True or false? The weather in winter is often hot with lots of sun.

Day length in winter

Lesson outcome