Weather and climate
I can understand the difference between weather and climate, and use climate graphs to compare different climates.
Weather and climate
I can understand the difference between weather and climate, and use climate graphs to compare different climates.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Weather is the day to day atmospheric conditions whereas climate is the average weather conditions over 30 years.
- Weather can be seasonal which means our weather changes throughout the year, such as in the UK.
- Climate graphs show us the precipitation and temperature of a place over a calendar year.
- Analysing climate graphs can help us describe patterns of the climate.
Keywords
Weather - the day to day condition of the atmosphere, e.g. sunny, snowing, warm etc.
Climate - an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more).
Climate graph - shows the amount of precipitation and the temperature each month for a location.
Precipitation - water that falls from the sky as rain, snow, hail or sleet.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that weather and climate are the same.
Pupils will explore that weather is the short term changes in the atmosphere whereas climate is long term changes in the atmospheric patterns of a place.
To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Weather and climate, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Weather and climate, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Weather and climate: how do they vary? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
The average weather conditions over thirty years.
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere.
Divisions of the year that are associated with different weather.
Any type of moisture that falls from the sky.
Exit quiz
6 Questions
