S1 Unit Two Geography: Weather
S1 SOCIAL SUBJECTS
GEOGRAPHY
WEATHER UNIT
INTRODUCTION
In this unit we will be investigating aspects of the weather, focussing mainly on Scotland. We will consider exactly what is meant by this word weather and how it affects us in Scotland.
I can investigate the relationship between climate and weather to be able to understand the causes of weather patterns within a selected climate zone.
SOC 3-12a
Learning Intentions
By the end of this unit you should:
Be able to explain what we mean by weather and climate and the difference between them
Understand how the weather is measured
Have gathered your own weather data and record the results
Have had the opportunity to build your own weather instruments and measure the local weather
Be able to explain why weather can be so very different in other parts of the world
WEEK ONE
Lesson 1: What is Weather?
The weather in Scotland is something that people talk about regularly and a lot of the time it seems to be very negative. What is it about this word weather in Scotland that makes everyone so miserable?
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In this lesson we have thought about the different ways that we can describe the weather. Our ideas may have come from things we have heard from family members or friends, or even from teachers in school.
We will now move on to think about the different elements which make up the weather.
Lesson 2: What are weather elements?
As we discussed in the last lesson, there are different ways that we can describe the weather. In order to be more specific about which part of the weather we are talking about, we can divide the weather into 8 elements. Each of these elements focus on a different feature of the weather and by thinking about these we can build up a more complete picture.
We have now expanded our knowledge of the weather and can use specialised words in order to classify different features of the weather.
Our next focus will be on trying to answer an important question, what is the difference between weather and climate?
Lesson 3: What is the Difference Between Weather and Climate?
Weather and climate both include the study of all weather elements, but they are not the same thing.
So we know what the weather is and how it is made up, but what is different about climate?
Weather and climate both include the study of all the weather elements, but they are not the same thing.Weather is the actual conditions at any given point in time. Weather can change from hour to hour and day to day.
Climate is the pattern of weather that we expect over a year (eg. spring, summer, autumn, winter). Generally speaking, the climate of a place does not change even if there are unusually hot or cold, or wet or dry years from time to time. Climate statistics are averagescalculated over a period of at least thirty years.
Lesson 4: Factors Affecting Climate
So far we have learned that climate can vary from place to place. In this lesson we are going to try and think about why this is the case.
As we learned from the video, there are 5 factors which affect climate:
- Altitude: the height of an area above sea level. The higher up you go the colder it gets.
- Latitude: distance from the equator. The further away from the equator you are, the colder it gets.
- Ocean Currents: warm ocean currents cause the air above them to be warm, cold ocean currents cause the air to be cooler.
- Distance From the Sea: Oceans heat up and cool down more slowly than the land. Therefore, places on the coast tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same altitude and latitude.
- Prevailing Winds: The direction from which the winds come from. Where these winds come from contributes to the climate of an area.
Now that we know the factors which affect climate, we can start to think about the climates of various places in the world.
WEEK TWO
Lesson 5: Scotland’s Weather and Climate
Many people in Scotland are obsessed with the weather. You hear things such as ‘We don’t get the winters we used to’ or ‘Remember the wonderful summers when we were growing up’.
But are these views actually accurate when we look at the evidence- the weather data collected over the years?
We are now going to learn about Scotland’s weather and climate and the factors which affect this.
Task
East Versus West
Even in Scotland, as you will have seen from the powerpoint, the weather can be quite different depending on where you live.
•The weather in Scotland largely falls into an east/west split.
•This is because of the landscape the air rises over the mountains forming rain clouds.
•By the time the air has passed over the mountains, much of its moisture has been lost.
•A rain shadow is created, bringing drier weather to much of eastern Scotland.
•As a result, Edinburgh receives only about half the rainfall of Glasgow.
WEEK THREE
Lesson 6- Climate
Although we can say a lot about the typical weather a place might get, this is not to say that from time to time it will not experience unusual or extreme weather. In this lesson we will watch a programme about the Freezing weather that hit the UK in December 2010.
Lesson 7: Climate Graphs
Climate statistics are usually shown in what is called a Climate Graph. Hopefully you will remember that the climate of an area is base don the average results gathered over the past 30 years.
A Climate Graph is really a Bar Graph and Line Graph put together. As you can see from the example below, the bar graph shows average rainfall for each month of the year in mm. This is always blue.
The line graph (always drawn in red) links average temperatures for each month (in 0C). You can see there are two Y-Axes so that the measurements can be shown on each side.
Revising for Written Assessment
You should go over the information in this booklet, your work booklet and your jotter and check you understand the following information, ahead of your short written assessment on this unit.
The differences between climate and weather
The elements of the weather
How we measure weather (you will be doing this in the next few lessons)
The names of instruments to measure the weather
Drawing and interpreting Climate graphs
WEEK FOUR
Lesson 8: Measuring the Weather
As we have already discussed, it is extremely important for people to be aware of what the weather conditions will be like and there are various places that we can get this information from. What we want to examine now, is how exactly are these measurements of weather taken?
The science of measuring the weather is called meteorology. Weather scientists or meteorologists measure temperature, rainfall, wind, pressure, humidity, sunshine and cloudiness and they make predictions and forecasts about what the weather will do in the future. This is important for giving people advance warning about severe weather such as flooding or strong winds.
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Lesson 9: Build Your Own Weather Instruments
Work as a Group
In this lesson, we will be creating our own fit for purpose weather instruments. Once we have done this, we will be taking these outside to do some field work.
For this activity, you will be working in groups of three. Each group will be given the task of building two instruments.
In order to do this you will be given an instruction sheet and the relevant materials.
Lesson 9: Weather Fieldwork
We are now going to take our instruments outside and conduct some fieldwork, in order to measure the current weather conditions at Calderglen High School.
End of Unit Booklet
Climate Graph Assessment
- Briefly explain the difference between climate and weather
- Write down two elements of weather we can measure and what instrument we use to do this
- What are the two elements shown on a climate graph?
- Interpreting Climate graph data
Calderglen High School, Geography and Modern Studies Faculty, February 2013Page 1