4.1. Introduction to Weather
Lesson objectives
- Download the PowerPoint document '1. Intro to Weather'
- Have a brief discussion about what the key concept of 'Systems' entails (Slide 1), and the difference between a factual, conceptual and debatable inquiry question (Slide 2)
- How connected am I to nature? Using the questions on Slide 3, discuss how connected the students are to nature and how easy is it to do so in Hong Kong?
- Nature deficit disorder - watch the video below to gain a basic understanding of this concept
Nature Deficit Disorder
- Task 1: Taking your knowledge of Nature Deficit Disorder, the information on Slide 4 and the information on the following webpage 'https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38094186' answer the questions:
- 1. What is Nature Deficit Disorder?
2. Do you think that many people living in Hong Kong experience Nature Deficit Disorder?
3. Create an action plan for you and your family to get rid of Nature Deficit Disorder in your lives. List here an outline of some different things you could do to be outdoors in nature more often (routines, activities, etc.)
- Weather words - Slide 5 in the Powerpoint '1. Intro to Weather'
- Task 2: Think of as many weather words as you can and share them with a partner. Use the website http://www.wordsift.org/ to create a word cloud with these words
- Task 3: Why is weather important to us? Undertake the activity on Slide 6
- What is atmosphere?
- Task 4: Watch the video from National Geographic about the earth's atmosphere and note down 'Five key pieces of information about our atmosphere'
The Earth's atmosphere
- The different layers of our atmosphere
Task 5: Watch the following video 'Our World: What is Weather?'
- Answer the following questions:
1. Weather is the interaction of what 4 factors?
2. Why does air temperature vary from place to place on Earth?
3. What is air pressure?
4. What causes wind?
5. What is the difference between weather and climate?
6. What climate zone do you think Hong Kong is in?
- Go over the responses to the questions on Questions for Our World video'
- Where do clouds come from? What is rain? - Slide 9 in the PowerPoint
What is the Water Cycle?
- Task 6 (a):Access the following website to understand how the Water Cycle is a 'system' - http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/index.html
- Summarise in your words (5-6 sentences) why the 'Water Cycle' is a system
- Task 6(b):Access the following website to understand that there are three types of rainfall - https://www.echalk.co.uk/Geography/weatherAndClimate/precipitation/precipitation.html
- Note down three key points about each of the three types of rainfall: frontal, convectional and relief
- Task 7: Complete the questions in the document '4. Cloudsp26Geog2.pdf'
- Go over the responses to Task 7
- What is the difference between weather and climate? - Slide 11 in the PowerPoint
- Task 8: Weather vs Climate
Weather vs Climate
Climate Science in a Nutshell #2: What is Climate?'
- Answer the following questions on Weather & Climate
- How are the climate and weather different: Time and level of predictability?
- How is the climate created?
- How do we know that the climate is changing?
- What are the main causes of global warming?
Accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere between 1959 to 2010
Task 9: What conclusions can you come to from observing the graphic about the accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere between 1959 to 2010?
Task 10: Identify the major changes in the location between 2011 to 2014
Revision video on Weather & Climate
How can I help combat Climate Change?
How can I help?
- Task 11: Climate Graph activity; follow the instructions below
- Download the Powerpoint '5. Climate Graph Instructions' and go through the slides to ensure you understand how a climate graph is constructed. You can also watch the video below:
How to make a Climate Graph
2. You will be provided with a paper version of the document '5. Climate Graph'. You need to complete the climate graphs for both Manaus, Brazil & London, England
- Go over the responses to Task 11
- Download the document '5. Climate graph questions' - complete the questions
Task 12: Watch the video 'World Biomes' and answer the following question
Account for the different climates in the Moab Desert, Utah, USA and Reykjavik, Iceland (i.e. why do these locations have the climates they do?).
- Task 13 - download the document '5. Dress for the Climate' and complete the boxes
- Go over the responses to Task 13
- Task 14: Why do climates vary across the world? - Slide 13 of the Powerpoint. Watch the following video and then complete the table that follows (make a table in your own document
Why does Climate vary around the world
Factors that affect the climate
Graphic 1
Graphic 2
Graphic 3
Graphic 4
Graphic 5
Graphic 6
Graphic 7
Graphic 8
Graphic 9
Graphic 10
- We will go over the responses to the table above
- Task 15: Now that you have identified the climate in the six locations and understand the factors that affect climate, you need to answer the following question:
- Which of the six climate factors affects the unique climates of the six locations?
- Go over the responses to Task 15
