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

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

A weather vane is a tool for showing from which direction the wind is blowing.

Introducing the weather

Geography

This unit links to understanding what the UK is like and how seasonal weather is a part of this; it links directly to 'Cold places: What is it like at the North and South Poles?'  and 'Hot places: Where are they and what are they like?'. 

This unit builds on what has been learnt in 'Local area: Where do we go to school?' and 'Local area: Where do we live?', which look at the local area and involve some weather investigation as well as noticing seasonal change, and on 'Continents and oceans', which introduces some formal earth geometry, the idea of the Earth rotating and orbiting around the sun.

Seasons: how does the weather change through the year?

The seasons are four times of year that have different weather and they are spring, summer, autumn and winter.

A thermometer is an instrument which is used to measure temperature.

When you take a reading you record the measurement shown on the instrument.

A fair test is an investigation where only one thing is different each time. For example, by measuring at the same place and time so only the day is different.

Measuring the weather

An axis is an imaginary straight line through Earth which rotates around it.

An orbit is the regular route in space that one object takes around another, for example, the path Earth takes around the Sun.

A cycle is something that happens from start to finish, usually before it starts again and repeats.

The Sun is a star around which Earth orbits. It is the source of light and heat for our planet.

Introducing the seasons

Spring is the season between winter and summer. In the UK, we experience spring in the months of March, April and May.

Weather and the seasons: spring

Summer is the season between spring and autumn. In the UK, we experience spring during June, July and August.

Weather and the seasons: summer

Autumn is the season between summer and winter. In the UK, we experience autumn in September, October and November.

Daylight is the time when the natural light from the Sun lights the sky.

Weather and the seasons: autumn

Winter is the season between autumn and spring. In the UK, we experience autumn in December, January and February.

Daylight is the time when the natural light from the sun lights the sky.

Seasons: how does the weather change through the year?

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Some of these lessons will soon be taken down.