Lesson video

Hello, and welcome.

My name is Ms. Harrison.

I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

Today's lesson is called Monsoon season in India.

Grab everything that you might need and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how monsoons are formed and why they're important.

Before we can begin this learning, we need to find the keywords we'll be using in today's lesson.

Keywords in today's lesson are monsoon, pressure, hydro-electricity, economy, and climate change.

Monsoon.

Monsoon is a seasonal change in wind direction that brings a very rainy season or a very dry season.

Pressure.

This is a force pushing or pressing on a given area.

Hydro-electricity.

Electricity created by water flowing downhill, turning a turbine.

Economy.

The way money in a particular area is made and spent.

Climate change.

A large scale and long-term change in the planet's climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures.

Fantastic.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

The first question we are going to explore in today's lesson is what is a monsoon? Most of India has a tropical monsoon climate.

A monsoon is a wind pattern that creates a significant change in rainfall.

There are two different types of monsoon in India, the southwest monsoon and the northwest monsoon.

In India, there's a weather pattern called southwest monsoon, which happens every year during the summer months from June to September.

During the southwest monsoon, winds blow from southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean.

As these winds move over the land, they cause heavy rain, bringing much need water to the country.

This rain is very important for farming.

India receives most of its annual rainfall during the southwest monsoon.

This rain is really important for farming as it helps crops grow and provides water for people and animals.

Southwest monsoon is a vital part of India's weather, bringing rain to nourish the land and support life.

After the southwest monsoon, India experiences the northeast monsoon.

This happens during the winter months from October to February.

In the northeast monsoon wind reverses direction and blows from the much drier northeast.

The wind brings very little rain to most of India, leaving many areas dry during the winter months.

But in the northeast of India, it's different.

The region gets rain from both the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon, keeping the area wetter compared to the rest of the country.

So while the northeast monsoon brings dry weather to most of India, northeast region gets more rain, making it a special part of the country.

What is a monsoon? I'd like you to select one answer.

Is it A, a heavy rainstorm, B, a wind pattern that causes a change in rainfall, or C, an ocean current that affects the temperature? Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task, and press Play when you're ready to check your answers.

Excellent.

A monsoon is, B, a wind pattern that causes a change in rainfall.

Well done on this task.

True or false? Most of India's annual rainfall occurs during the Northeast monsoon from October to February.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Brilliant.

The answer is false.

I would like you to explain why this answer is false.

Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The reason why this answer is false is because India received most of its annual rainfall during the Southwest monsoon from June to September.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

Change in wind direction during the southwest monsoon happens because of a difference in temperature and pressure between the land and the sea.

Between June and September, India gets very hot, causing the air to rise above the land to warm up.

This makes the warm air rise, creating a low pressure over the land.

Meanwhile, the area around the southwest of the Indian Ocean stays cooler and the air above it is more dense and high pressure.

Because the wind blows from the high pressure to the low pressure, the cool air from the ocean moves towards the hot low pressure land, bringing moisture and causing southwestern monsoon.

So the change in wind direction is caused by the temperature and pressure difference between the hot land and cooler ocean, which is what brings the monsoon rains to India.

Let's look at the summer southwest monsoons.

In India, the land gets very hot during the summer, especially between June and September.

This makes the air start to rise, creating an air of low pressure over the land.

Meanwhile, the air over the southwest Indian Ocean is much cooler, and this causes the air to sink, creating high pressure in that area.

Air always flows from areas of high pressure where the air is sinking to areas of low pressure where the air is rising.

So the cool air from the ocean moves towards the land.

Movement of the air from the high pressure to the low pressure is what brings the southwest monsoons, bringing rain to India during the summer.

The wind blows across the Indian ocean, and as it moves, it picks up lots of the water vapour from the ocean surface.

This moist wind travels towards India, carrying all the water with it.

When the wind reaches India, it brings heavy rain helping towards the land and support crops during southwestern monsoon.

So the wind blowing across the ocean picks up moisture, and that moist air brings the heavy rain that India depends on every year.

Which arrow is incorrect? Pause the video here whist you take a closer look, and press Play when you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent.

The arrow that's incorrect is B.

B is incorrect as it is pointing to the wrong way.

Well done if you managed to identify that correctly.

In the summer, the monsoon brings the moist air from the southwest.

In the winter monsoon, the winds reverse the direction and dry winds blow from the northeast.

During the winter months, the land is colder than on the ocean.

The colder land surface creates high pressure over India, warmer over the Indian Ocean creates low pressure, winds reverse direction and flow from the land to the ocean.

Which of the following statements are correct? You're able to select two answers.

Is it A, during the southwest monsoon, winds blow from the land to the ocean, B, during the southwest monsoon, winds blow from the ocean to the land, C, winds flow from areas of high pressure to low pressure, and D, winds flow from areas of low to high pressure? Pause the video here whilst you take a look, and press Play When you're ready to check your answers.

Great work.

The answer is B, during the southwest monsoon, winds blow from the ocean to the land.

C is also correct, winds flow from areas of high to low pressure.

Well done if you managed to identify those two answers.

I would now like you to complete the text to explain the two types of monsoon in India.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Well done.

Let's check our answers.

Your answers should read like this.

The southwest monsoon occurs from June to September.

Winds blow from the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean and causing rain over much of the country.

India receives most of its annual rainfall during the southwest monsoon.

The northeast monsoon occurs from October to February.

In the Northeast monsoon, the wind reverses direction and blows from the much drier northeast.

The northeast monsoon brings little rain to most of India.

Well done if you managed to get all of those correct.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson, why are monsoons important? Southwest monsoon affects different parts of India in different ways.

Some areas get much more rainfall than others.

Some places receive lots of rainfall while others get much less, depending on their location and the way the wind blows.

The monsoon usually begins in the south of India and slowly moves northwards through the country.

The date the monsoon starts can be different each year, and it doesn't always begin on the same day in every part of India.

Some places get rain earlier and others a little later.

So while monsoon brings rain to the whole country, how much rain each area gets and when it arrives can be very different.

During the southwest monsoon, it can rain every day.

Sometimes the rain can last for a short time, but it can be torrential, pouring down very heavy in a short period of time.

This regular heavy rain is very important for India.

It helps water the crops, refill rivers, and provide much needed fresh water for people and animals.

The monsoon is very important to India.

Why do you think that is? Pause the video here whilst you have a think, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

The monsoon is essential because India relies on the rain to grow food, especially in agricultural areas.

Without the monsoon, there wouldn't be enough water for crops and people could face water shortages.

The Southwest monsoon brings life-changing rain to India, and without it, many parts of the country would struggle to survive.

That's why it's so important.

Southwest monsoon provides 70% of the country's annual rainfall.

Monsoon rains are used for generating hydro-electricity as well as to irrigate crops, supply water to people's homes, and replenish reservoirs and groundwater.

Agriculture is very important for India's economy and relies heavily on the southwest monsoon.

Millions of people in India depend on farming for their livelihoods, growing crops to make a living and to feed their families.

In India, it is also a major exporter of crops such as rice, wheat, pulses, and tea, which all need lots of water.

If the monsoon arrives late or there's less rainfall than normal, and this is called a failed monsoon, it can have devastating impacts for India's people and its economy.

For example, it'll be more difficult for people to grow food, fewer crops can be produced and sold, more food has to be imported, and electricity becomes more expensive, and water supply issues can begin.

True or false? The monsoon is very important to the people of India.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent.

The answer is true.

I would now like you to explain why this answer is true.

Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The reason why this is true is because the monsoon is responsible for most of India's annual rainfall.

This rainfall is important for agriculture, supplying drinking water and generating hydro-electricity.

Many people's livelihoods depend on the monsoon.

Well done if you manage to explain that correctly.

You've done brilliantly on this.

Heavy rainfall during the Southwest monsoon can result in severe flooding and landslides.

This flooding can destroy and damage farmland, buildings, and roads, and people can lose their homes and sometimes even their lives.

Climate change is making the monsoon rains more erratic and unpredictable.

The weather is changing, causing rainfall to be much harder to predict.

Sometimes we get very high rainfall in a short period of time, followed by long periods of drought with no rainfall whatsoever.

Flooding during the monsoon has always been common, but because of climate change, flooding is becoming more frequent and more intense.

The heavy rain doesn't just stop and it causes even bigger floods.

These changes are making life harder for people in India as they face both extreme flooding and droughts.

Climate change is having a big impact on the monsoon and its effects are only getting stronger.

True or false? Flood against always happened in India during the monsoon.

It has nothing to do with climate change.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press Play When you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent.

This statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why the statement is false.

Pause the video here whilst you decide, and press Play when you're ready to check your answer.

Fantastic.

The reason why this answer is false is because although flooding during the monsoon is common, it's becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

We can use a consequence wheel to think through possible impacts of an event or an issue.

For example, if we get up late, we're going to miss the bus.

And then if we miss the bus, we're going to be late for school.

And then if we're late for school, we could get in trouble.

I would like you to use a consequence wheel to think through the possible impact of an event or an issue.

Pause the video here whilst you complete this, and press Play When you're ready to continue.

Well done in this task.

You've done brilliantly.

I would now like you to use the consequence wheel on the next slide to think through the possible impact of a failed monsoon.

And remember, a failed monsoon is when there's not enough rainfall.

I want you to write any direct impact in the inner ring of circles.

And remember, one impact per circle.

I want you to consider what the consequences of these impacts might be, and write these consequences in the outer rings of the circle.

And again, this is one per circle.

And then I would like you to think the impact may be positive or negative.

This is the consequence wheel that I would like you to use.

I'm going to go back to this slide so you can see the instructions clearly.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent work on this task.

Well done.

Let's check our answers.

You were asked to use the consequence wheel to think through the possible impacts of a failed monsoon.

Your answers might have looked a bit like this.

The failed monsoon, it could have led to farmers not being able to grow crops, feed their families, and then people would have less food to eat.

This is a negative impact.

Another example is farmers not able to grow crops to sell.

This would mean farmers make less income and food prices go up.

Again, these are two negative impacts.

Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

We've now come to the end of our lesson on monsoon season in India, and you've worked really, really well.

Let's summarise everything we've learned in today's lesson before we finish.

In India, the monsoon creates two distinct seasons, a wet season and a dry season.

Northeast monsoon happens in the winter months from October to February.

The southwest monsoon occurs in the summer months from June to September.

Change in wind direction during the monsoon is caused by differences in pressure over the land and ocean.

The air moves from high pressure to low pressure, bringing the rain to India.

The monsoon is very important for India's people and its economy.

The rain helps farmers grow crops, fill up rivers, and provides water for people and animals.

But climate change is making the monsoon more erratic and unpredictable.

This means the rain can be stronger or weaker than usual, making it harder for people to plan for changes.

So while the monsoon brings both wet and dry seasons to India, climate change is making it less reliable, affecting everyone who depends on it.

Well done on today's lesson.

You've done absolutely brilliantly.

I look forward To learning with you again soon.

Thank you for your hard work.