MetLink Activity 23 (age 7-11)

How is the weather changing?

This is an updated version of Activity 11, which looked at how the weather was changing in the first half of last week. This activity picks up the story from then. It is suggested this activity could be used or adapted for use by pupils in the 7 to 11 age range (National Curriculum for England and Wales Key Stage 2).
Please note: Some major changes in British weather are expected this week during Tuesday night and into Wednesday. A final activity will be provided at the end of this week to look at these changes.

The aims of this activity are:

+ to use accurate terms to describe weather and how they vary with time as well as place
+ to find out about people’s lives in another country and how they are affected by the weather
+ to use ICT skills in finding information
+ to develop an awareness of where places are in the world
+ to work together and co-operate in teams.

The Activity:

You can work in pairs or small teams to share this work.

Look out of the window and think back to what it was like outside before you came into school, and what it was like out in the playground. Now, think of words to describe what the weather is like today.

+ Think of words to describe the temperature conditions.
Make your words into a sentence on your sheet of paper like this:
Today the temperature conditions are………

+ Do you know what the word precipitation means? If you do not know, then you need to find out! Now, describe the precipitation today. Starting a new line, write your description of the precipitation in a sentence on your piece of paper.

+ Describe how windy it is today by choosing from the following list of words:

calm
no	breeze
gentle	wind
strong	gale

Starting a new line, write your description in a sentence on your sheet of paper.
+ Describe how sunny or cloudy it is today. There is a list of words below from which you must choose:

sun	brilliant	clear
sunny	bright	few
sunshine	weak	scattered
cloud	a lot	broken
clouds	a little	dull
cloudy	no	overcast
sky

Starting a new line, write your description in a sentence on your sheet of paper.

+ Do any of these words describe the weather today?

frost	frosty
ice	icy
mist	misty
fog	foggy

If any of them do, start a new line on your piece of paper and use them in a sentence.

2. On your sheet of paper, write down what the observations were at your school weather station today using these headings:

Temperature
Precipitation
Wind direction
Wind force
Cloud amount
Cloud types
Other important features of the weather

3. Sometimes the weather changes a lot from day to day. At other times, it changes very little. Try to remember back to Thursday of last week, which was 2 February. How much has the weather changed? In what ways, if any, has it changed? Write what you think on a new line on your sheet of paper.

4. On your sheet of paper, write down what the observations were at your school weather station on Thursday 2 February using the same headings as for Question 2.

5. Compare the weather station observation list for today with the weather station observation list for Thursday 2 February.

Write five sentences to describe how temperature, precipitation, wind, cloud and any other important features have changed from Thursday 2 February to today.

Additional activities:

You will need an atlas, or if you have access to Microsoft Encarta that would be good.

Go to the MetLink observations database by using the MetLink Home page

+ Click on Data central

+ Click on Search observations

+ Make sure the dates are set correctly for today’s date

+ Click on Search now

This shows you all of the observations made by MetLink participants around the world for today.

Look through the observations and find a place that interests you. If you did this as part of Activity 11 last week you might like to choose the same place again to see how much its weather has changed again.
+ Write down the weather observations for the place using the same set of headings as we used in Question 2.
+ See more information by clicking on the name of the place (on the left, in blue).
+ Write down the name of the participant (like the name of your school) and the country it is in.

+Find where it is in the world by using your atlas or Encarta. You can then check on this by clicking on the Map icon at the bottom of the screen page. You can also see a larger map of the place by clicking on the Map icon at the top left of the screen page.
+ You can see what the weather is like near the place at the moment by clicking on the Cam icon at the bottom right of the page.
+ Find out how much the weather has been changing at this place by clicking on MetLink observations made to date shown at the top left of the screen page.

+ Describe in your own words how much and in what ways the weather has changed at this place since Thursday 2 February.

+ Carry out an investigation using books and the Internet to find out more about this place and the country in which it is situated. Find out about the people’s lives there. How do YOU think their lives are affected by the weather?