UK and Climate Graphs

Open Ended

Describe the weather in the 3 weather symbols that you made for each other last lesson

​Lesson Objectives

​To interpret climate graphs

To draw our own climate graphs

To see how the climate is changing

​Climate Graphs

​In Geography, we can show the average weather over time on a climate graph. It shows the amount of rain each month and the average temperature each month

​Climate Graphs

Open Ended

Describe this climate. Refer to data in your answer.

Where do you think it is?

​What is the climate like in the UK?

​The UK has a temperate climate. In general, this means that Britain gets cool, wet winters and warm, wet summers.
It rarely features the extremes of heat or cold, drought or wind that are common in other climates. The weather conditions are also very changeable.

Open Ended

The UK is known as a weather roundabout – what do you think is meant by this? 

​Not all the same

​

Not all parts of the UK have the same climate. London, in the south-east of the UK, is a region characterised by a warm and dry climate in the summer and a cold and dry climate in the winter.

Cumbria, in the mountainous north-west of England, has generally cooler temperatures and more rainfall throughout the year.

​The UK lies in the 'battleground' between warm tropical air to the south and cold polar air to the north. As two distinctly different types of air battle for control over the mid-latitudes, the UK experiences contrasting and changeable weather.

Drag and Drop

The UK has a ​

Placeholder

climate. This means there are no real extremes of ​

Placeholder

or ​

Placeholder

. 

The East coast of Britain tends to be ​

Placeholder

and warmer.

The West coast tends to be wetter and ​

Placeholder

.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

temperate

temperature

precipitation

drier

cooler

tropical

arid

hot

freezing

humid

​What is happening to the climate?

Open Ended

What do these headlines tell us about what is happening to the climate in the UK?

​News Clip

​We are going to watch a news clip.
Make a note of how the UK is already seeing the effects of climate change.
What does this say about the future?

But is it true?

Poll

Do you think climate change is happening?

• Yes, it is really obvious!

• Maybe... I haven't really noticed anything

• No, there is no change

• No, climate change is a lie!

​Quaternary period – the current geological period dating from 2.6million years ago to the present day.  We live in the Holocene epoch of the Quaternary period, which covers the last 12,000 years since the end of the last ice age.

​A look at the past

​To put it into perspective, the origin of our species, Homo sapiens, dates back approximately 300 thousand years ago, which also seems a long time ago, but represents only 0.007% of the entire history of the planet (4.5 billion years)! What happened on Earth the 99.993% of the time when we did not yet even exist?

Multiple Choice

Which Geological period are we in?

• Jurassic period
• Cretaceous period
• Quaternary period.

• Triassic period

Multiple Choice

Which epoch of the Quaternary period are we in?

• Pleistocene
• Miocene
• Eocene
• Holocene

Multiple Choice

How many ice ages have there been in the past?

• There have been at least twenty major ice ages in the Earth's past.
• There have been only two major ice ages in the Earth's past.
• There have been at least ten major ice ages in the Earth's past.
• There have been at least five major ice ages in the Earth's past.

​The Earth has been through lots of change.

​The Earth has already been through 5 different ice ages and many periods of warming so maybe it is all just normal?

Little Ice Age

​The little ice age was happening relatively recently. It was cold enough in London for the Thames to freeze enough to host markets on.

Open Ended

Write down what the graph shows. Use words like "increase" and

"decrease"

Really good answers will use numbers and dates from the graph

​The recent past

​Lesson Objectives

​To interpret climate graphs

To draw our own climate graphs

To identify the factors that effect the UKs climate

Poll

How do you feel about today's lesson?

​Homework

​Use the data on the worksheet to draw a climate graph

Open Ended

Answer the questions about the weather in London using the data above:  

1. 1)Which day has the highest ‘high’ temperature? 

2. 2)Which day has the lowest ‘high’ temperature?

3. 3)How many days have some rainfall? 

4. 4)How many days have a high temperature of 10 degrees?

5. 5)Which day has the highest night time / cold temperature? 

6. 6)What was the low/night time temperature on the 3rd May?

7)What was the difference in low/high temperature on the 3rd September?

​Answers