It is important that pupils understand what weather is and appreciate that there is a difference between weather and climate. Weather can be described as what is happening now – whether it is hot or cold, raining or dry, sunny or clouded over. It describes what is happening within the atmosphere. On the other hand, the word climate describes the average weather you might expect in any one place and is based on measurements taken over many years.
The world can be divided into many different climate zones found within three main bands of latitude around the Earth. These are tropical, Polar and temperate. Tropical climates are usually very hot, wet and humid. Polar climates are extremely cold, but often quite dry. Temperate climates lie between the Tropics and the Polar regions and tend to be less extreme than the other two types of climate.
In these cross curriculum project plans, pupils will learn about the weather in all its forms and how it affects the world in its many different ways, whilst using the theme as a stimulus for activities in the subjects of literacy, numeracy and science.
