Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
Hot places, cold places
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/climate/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/climate/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Know that climate is the usual weather of a place over many years.
- Name hot and wet, dry and very cold places.
- Know that gases in the air keep the Earth warm, a bit like a greenhouse.
- Know that scientists measure the Earth getting warmer.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Show pictures of a rainforest, a desert and Antarctica. How would you dress there? |
| 10 min | Read the text; find the equator and the poles on a globe. |
| 15 min | Greenhouse in a jar. |
| 5 min | Play Hot and wet, dry, or icy? |
| 5 min | Quiz together. |
Materials for the experiment
- 2 thermometers, the same kind
- 1 large clear plastic jar or bowl
- A sunny windowsill (or a desk lamp the teacher sets up)
- A clock or timer
Safety: Use a plastic jar, not glass. Never look at the Sun. If a lamp is used, only the teacher touches it, because it gets hot.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Weather and climate are the same. | Weather is today; climate is what it is usually like over many years. |
| Deserts are always hot. | Deserts are dry; their nights can be cold. |
| The greenhouse effect is bad. | Without it the Earth would be too cold for life; the problem is that extra gases make it stronger. |
Worksheet answers
- Any hot-place animal (e.g. camel, parrot) and cold-place animal (e.g. penguin, polar bear).
- Under the jar (usually).
- Weather is what it is like today; climate is what the weather is usually like, year after year.
Quiz answers
- What is climate? What the weather is usually like in a place. Climate is the usual weather over many years.[1]
- Where is it hot and rainy all year? In a rainforest. Rainforests are hot with rain all year.[3]
- What is a desert like? Very dry. Deserts are extremely dry.[3]
- What keeps the Earth warm enough for life? Gases in the air that hold in the Sun's heat. Some gases trap the Sun's heat, like a greenhouse.[4]
- What is happening to many glaciers? They are getting smaller. Glaciers are shrinking almost everywhere.[6]
Going further
Keep a class weather chart for a month and compare it with what the weather is usually like in your town in that month. Was it a normal month?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] What is climate? (Met Office (UK national weather service)): reliability High
- [2] What is the difference between weather and climate? (European Space Agency (ESA)): reliability High
- [3] Climate zones (Met Office (UK national weather service)): reliability High
- [4] What Is the Greenhouse Effect? (NASA Science for Kids): reliability High
- [6] Evidence of Climate Change (NASA Science): reliability High
- [7] World of Change: Global Temperatures (NASA Earth Observatory): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/climate/sources/
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