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Year 3

Using lines of latitude to locate the main climate zones

You can understand what the main climate zones are and describe where they are found.

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New
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Year 3

Using lines of latitude to locate the main climate zones

You can understand what the main climate zones are and describe where they are found.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Lines of latitude can help us understand the location of climate zones.
  2. Climate zones cross over national and international boundaries and also lie within them.
  3. Average temperature is a clue to identifying climate zones.
  4. Latitude and altitude are both related to climate zones.

Keywords

  • Latitude - Lines of latitude are imaginary lines on Earth showing position north or south of the Equator.

  • Weather - The weather of a place is the day to day condition of the atmosphere, e.g. sunny, snowing, warm etc.

  • Temperature - Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a place.

  • Location - A location is the particular position of something on Earth.

Common misconception

That separate countries must be in separate climate zones or that in each single country is part of one single climate zone.

Borders between countries have been invented by humans, they are not related to climate zones which occur naturally. Climate zones can cover many countries, and big countries like Australia can have more than one climate zone within them.

Pupils have the opportunity to describe Mount Kilimanjaro in this lesson. Add extra challenge by showing pupils the locations of other major world mountains and asking pupils to decide which climate zone they are located in.
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.
What is a climate zone?
Correct answer: a region of Earth that experiences similar average weather patterns
a section of the Earth where the same type of weather occurs every day
an area on Earth where the same type of weather is experienced all year round
a specific area where the weather never changes
Q2.
What is the equator?
Correct answer: an imaginary line around Earth that is halfway between the North and South Pole
an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole
an imaginary line that splits Africa in half
an imaginary line that Earth spins around
Q3.
How do rays of light from the sun travel?
in a curved path
Correct answer: in a straight line
in a circular motion
in a zig zag pattern
Q4.
Complete the sentence. At the equator, the sun's rays are more concentrated and have more ...
Correct Answer: energy
Q5.
What are the atmospheric conditions that we experience from day to day known as?
Correct answer: weather
rainfall
climate
sunshine
Q6.
How do scientists work out what the climate of a location is like?
Correct answer: by studying the weather for a long time to find averages and patterns
by studying the weather for one year to find averages and patterns
by studying the weather and comparing it to other places
by studying how the weather is changing from one year to the next

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What are lines of latitude?
Correct answer: imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator on a world map
imaginary lines that run vertically, or north to south, on a world map
imaginary lines that show where climate zones are on a world map
imaginary lines that show where major forests are on a world map
Q2.
Put these lines of latitude in order from north to south.
1 - Arctic Circle
2 - Tropic of Cancer
3 - equator
4 - Tropic of Capricorn
5 - Antarctic Circle
Q3.
Which statement about climate zones is true?
Climate zones match the borders of countries and continents.
Correct answer: Climate zones can cover several countries and continents.
Every country of the world has its own climate zone.
It is impossible for a country to have more than one climate zone.
Q4.
Match the climate zones to the descriptions.
Correct Answer:equatorial climate zone,the climate zone around the equator

the climate zone around the equator

Correct Answer:Arctic and polar climate zone,the climate zone containing the coldest places on Earth

the climate zone containing the coldest places on Earth

Correct Answer:temperate climate zone,the United Kingdom is in this climate zone

the United Kingdom is in this climate zone

Correct Answer:tropical climate zone,the climate zone north and south of the equatorial climate zone

the climate zone north and south of the equatorial climate zone

Correct Answer:hot desert climate zone,the climate zone north and south of the tropical climate zone

the climate zone north and south of the tropical climate zone

Q5.
Match the words to the definitions
Correct Answer:latitude,how far north or south of the equator a place is located

how far north or south of the equator a place is located

Correct Answer:altitude,how high above sea level a place is located

how high above sea level a place is located

Q6.
Complete the sentence. Altitude affects temperature; the higher the altitude, the the temperature.
Correct Answer: lower