Introducing climate
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand the position of the Earth in space in relation to the sun and how this affects climate.
Key learning points
- The Earth rotates on a tilted axis as it orbits the sun.
- The sun’s energy is more concentrated near the Equator and spread out over a larger area near the poles.
- Average temperature across the Earth is related to how far from the Equator a place is located.
- Climate is the average pattern of weather taken over a period of time, usually 30 years.
- Some areas of the world share a similar climate; we call these climate zones.
Keywords
Solar energy - The light and heat that come from the sun's rays are solar energy.
Equator - The Equator is an imaginary line of latitude going around the centre of Earth.
Poles - 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.
Common misconception
That weather and climate are the same thing.
Weather changes from day to day, from place to place and from one season to another. Weather refers to the conditions at any particular place or time. Climate describes the average pattern of those weather conditions over a much longer period of time
Teacher tip
At the start of this unit, get set up for some daily measuring and recording of weather conditions. At the end of the unit, look back over the results and ask pupils to discuss or write about the 'average' conditions, using them to make connections with the seasons of the year or climate zones.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.From January to December, put the seasons of the year in order.
Q2.Which of these types of weather is not wet?
Q3.Match the weather conditions to the descriptions.
warm weather
wet weather
bright weather
cool weather
dull weather
Q4.Where is most of the water on Earth?
Q5.Complete the sentence. The places on Earth are at the equator.
Q6.Complete the sentence. The coldest places on earth are the Pole and the South Pole.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word can we use to describe the axis around which Earth rotates?
Q2.In space, Earth moves around the sun in a fixed path. What is this movement called?
Q3.Where do the sun's rays have most energy?
Q4.What do we call the average weather over a long period of time?
Q5.Match the words to the definitions.
the coldest places on Earth
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
Q6.Complete the sentence. Temperatures across Earth are directly related to how far places are from the ...
To help you plan your 3 geography lesson on: Introducing climate, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 geography lesson on: Introducing climate, 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 2 geography lessons from the Climate zones: what are they and why do they matter? unit, dive into the full primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.