The world's cold places
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what affects temperatures locally and why it is cold at the North and South Poles.
Key learning points
- Locally, air temperatures are affected by factors such wind direction and speed, shelter and shade.
- Globally, as Earth orbits the sun, temperatures are affected by where a place is and time of year.
- In the Northern Hemisphere winter, the North Pole is tilted away from the sun and is darker and colder as a result.
- While places in the Northern Hemisphere experience winter, the opposite happens in the Southern Hemisphere.
Keywords
Temperature - Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a place.
Axis - An axis is an imaginary straight line through Earth which rotates around it.
Thermometer - A thermometer is an instrument which is used to measure temperature.
Hemisphere - A hemisphere is half of Earth, usually divided into the Northern or Southern Hemispheres by the Equator.
Solar energy - Solar energy is the light and heat that come from the sun's rays.
Common misconception
It is winter at the same time of year all around the world.
It is winter at the North Pole when it is summer at the South Pole.
Teacher tip
Use a torch and a globe to show how light spreads over a wider area at the poles and a more concentrated area at the Equator.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where does the Earth get heat from?
Q2.What is a continent?
Q3.What is an ocean?
Q4.What does a thermometer measure?
Q5.Which area is bigger: local or global?
Q6.Which of these is not a season?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the Earth tilted on?
Q2.Which of these does not affect temperatures locally?
Q3.True or false: The Earth is tilted on an axis and this creates the seasons.
Q4.When is the North Pole tilted towards the sun?
Q5.When is it winter in Antarctica?
Q6.What imaginary line runs around the middle of Earth?
To help you plan your 2 geography lesson on: The world's cold places, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 geography lesson on: The world's cold places, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 geography lessons from the Cold places: what is it like at the North and South Poles? unit, dive into the full primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.