New
New
Year 7

Fieldwork: Planning and collecting microclimate data

I can collect microclimate data on my school site.

New
New
Year 7

Fieldwork: Planning and collecting microclimate data

I can collect microclimate data on my school site.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A microclimate is the local climate and will differ from place to place.
  2. Land use and aspect can affect the microclimate, increasing or decreasing the temperature.
  3. The microclimate can be measured using weather instruments such as thermometers and anemometers.
  4. We can use our knowledge of microclimates to generate questions that we can study in our fieldwork enquiry.

Keywords

  • Microclimate - the climate of a small area which is likely to be influenced by local factors

  • Aspect - the position of a feature in relation to the sun

  • Prevailing wind - the most common direction that the wind blows from

  • Land use - the purpose or function of different areas of land

Common misconception

Areas of high wind speeds are colder.

While windy areas may feel colder on our bodies, geographers measure air temperature which is unlikely to be affected by the strength of the wind speed.


To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Fieldwork: Planning and collecting microclimate data, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Collecting microclimate data gives learners an excellent opportunity to handle simple quantitative data and think about degrees of accuracy.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A clipboard. Digital thermometer. Anemometer. A map of the school grounds.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - outdoor learning

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
What is fieldwork in geography?
Writing about places from a textbook
Research done in a library
Correct answer: Observing and collecting data outdoors
Watching a documentary
Q2.
Which of the following is a piece of equipment used to measure temperature?
Barometer
Correct answer: Thermometer
Rain gauge
Anemometer
Q3.
Why might geographers measure weather in different locations during fieldwork?
To make the data harder to understand
To waste time
Correct answer: To compare how conditions vary
Because one measurement is always enough
Q4.
What does a rain gauge measure?
Wind speed
Temperature
Air pressure
Correct answer: Rainfall
Q5.
Why is it important to use the same equipment for all measurements in fieldwork?
It makes your results look better
Correct answer: So your data is reliable
To save time
It doesn’t really matter
Q6.
How can you make your fieldwork results more reliable?
Only take one measurement
Guess when you’re unsure
Correct answer: Repeat measurements in the same place
Change the equipment halfway through

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a factor that can affect a microclimate?
Latitude
Tectonic plates
Correct answer: Land use
Moon phases
Q2.
What does the term 'aspect' describe in geography?
How tall a hill is
The type of rock in the soil
Correct answer: The direction a slope or surface faces
How much rain falls in an area
Q3.
What is the prevailing wind?
The strongest wind in a storm
Correct answer: The most common direction the wind blows from
The least common wind direction
Wind that only blows in winter
Q4.
A common mistake is assuming that high wind speed always means lower temperatures. Which statement is most accurate?
Wind speed always increases temperature.
Wind speed only matters in deserts.
Correct answer: Wind speed can affect temperature, but other factors also matter.
Wind speed and temperature are not connected.

Additional material

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