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Year 7

World climate zones

I can describe the pattern of climate zones and know some of the factors that affect climate, such as latitude.

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New
New
Year 7

World climate zones

I can describe the pattern of climate zones and know some of the factors that affect climate, such as latitude.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Climate zones are areas with a similar climate.
  2. Factors such as alititude, latitude and distance from the sea affect the weather and climate of a location.
  3. The height above sea level affects the temperature.The higher above sea level, the cooler the temperature.
  4. Coastal areas tend to have warmer winters than inland areas as water takes longer to warm up.

Keywords

  • Climate zones - areas that have similar weather conditions and climate, e.g. the tropics

  • Temperature - the degree of hotness or coldness of a place

  • Latitude - lines of latitude are imaginary lines on Earth showing position north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

  • Altitude - height above sea level or ground level

Common misconception

It is always colder at the coast because it is near water.

Students will understand that, in winter, coastal areas tend to be warmer because water takes longer to heat up.


To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: World climate zones, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

It would be useful for students to have a world map or an atlas for this lesson. It's also helpful to reinforce that it is hot and wet at the equator.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the below is a statement about the weather?
The Sahara Desert is hot and dry all year around.
England has a temperate maritime climate.
Correct answer: It rained heavily in London today.
The Amazon Rainforest is generally hot and wet.
Q2.
Which of the below are shown on a climate graph?
Correct answer: Temperature
Wind
Sunlight
Correct answer: Precipitation
Q3.
Which of the terms below refers to the height above sea level?
Latitude
Correct answer: Altitude
Equator
Summit
Q4.
Which of the climate graphs below shows the wettest climate?
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q5.
What is the key term: The average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 years.
Correct Answer: Climate, climate
Q6.
Match the following types of weather with the correct instruments used to measure them.
Correct Answer:Temperature,Thermometer
tick

Thermometer

Correct Answer:Rainfall,Rain Gauge
tick

Rain Gauge

Correct Answer:Wind Speed,Anemometer
tick

Anemometer

6 Questions

Q1.
What do we call locations that have similar temperature and precipitation patterns?
Climate
Temperature
Correct answer: Climate Zone
Precipitation
Weather Zone
Q2.
What are the typical climatic conditions along the equator?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: hot and wet
hot and dry
cold and wet
cold and dry
Q3.
What is happening to air at the equator?
Correct answer: Rising
Sinking
Both
Nothing
Q4.
What happens to temperature at altitude increases by 100m?
It increases by 1 degree Celsius
Correct answer: It decreases by 1 degree Celsius
It increases by 100 degrees Celsius
It decreases by 100 degrees Celsius
Q5.
South west Europe is generally cooler than the rest of Europe, due to what reason?
latitude
altitude
Correct answer: distance from the sea
ocean currents
Q6.
Which two factors are responsible for Moscow and Glasgow having different climates?
latitude
altitude
Correct answer: distance from the sea
Correct answer: ocean currents