New
New
Year 2
The South Pole and the Antarctic
I can use a range of geographical sources to describe Antarctica and its extreme weather and climate.
New
New
Year 2
The South Pole and the Antarctic
I can use a range of geographical sources to describe Antarctica and its extreme weather and climate.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Antarctic Circle is an imagined circle around the South Pole that surrounds the area known as the Antarctic.
- Antarctica is a large region, surrounded by the Southern Ocean, and is the coldest and windiest continent on Earth.
- Some of Antarctica’s Ice Cap is more than four kilometres thick.
- Antarctica can double in size by the end of the Antarctic winter as the sea ice around the continent increases.
Keywords
Antarctic Circle - An imaginary line around the earth which surrounds the southern polar region known as the Antarctic
Ice cap - A large, permanent covering of ice on land
Climate - The average weather conditions, e.g. rainfall, hours of sunshine and winds, over at least 30 years
Common misconception
Antarctica is a country.
Antarctica is a continent.
You can make use of a globe to show how conditions change in Antarctica during summer and winter to help with understanding.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Where is the South Pole located?
Arctic
Europe
Africa
Q2.
What is the Earth's axis?
An imaginary line which surrounds Earth.
A pole which comes out of the surface of Earth.
A line of latitude.
Q3.
What is solar energy?
Energy from the moon.
Energy from the centre of Earth.
Energy from burning coal.
Q4.
Why does the Antarctic have periods of the year when the sun never sets?
Because the Antarctic is closer to the sun.
The Antarctic is located along the Equator.
Q5.
What is a hemisphere?
A large globe.
A quarter of Earth.
A small part of Earth.
Q6.
Which ocean surrounds Antarctica?
Northern Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the Antarctic circle?
An imagined line which goes around the middle of Earth
An imagined line which surrounds the Arctic
Q2.
What is Antartica?
An ocean
A country
Q3.
Where is the coldest windiest place on earth?
Arctic
Mount Everest
Q4.
What is an ice cap?
A floating sheet of ice
Ice which melts into the sea
Ice which is found on mountains
Q5.
When is Antarctica's summer?
May to September
Never
All year round
Q6.
Antartica can double in size in the winter
false