Category: Climate Change

New IPCC linked teaching resources

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 2 November 2022

We are delighted to have worked with the Royal Geographical Society to produce more climate change teaching resources for A Level geography. These are based on the IPCC Working Group II (Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability) and WGIII (Mitigation) reports.

Energy Security in Africa

The focus of these resources are to explore climate change and energy security in Africa.
Hydro electric power has been identified as a more sustainable way for Africa to achieve energy security in the future.
Throughout the continent of Africa there are already many hydroelectric power stations, with many more planned over the coming decades.
Climate change could potentially impact upon these plans. These resources focus upon that relationship.

Lesson and Homework Resources

Climate Change in Africa

Africa is one of the lowest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet key development sectors are already experiencing widespread losses and damages attributed to human-induced climate change.

Students complete a knowledge organiser.

Extreme Heat in Urban Africa

Climate change has increased heat waves (high confidence) and drought (medium confidence) on land, and doubled the probability of marine heatwaves around most of Africa.

Heat waves on land, in lakes and in the ocean will increase considerably in magnitude and duration with increasing global warming.

Most African countries will enter unprecedented high temperature climates earlier in this century than generally wealthier, higher latitude countries, emphasising the urgency of adaptation measures in Africa.

Lesson and Homework resources

Wildfire

Wildfire is a natural and essential part of many forest, woodland and grassland ecosystems, killing pests, releasing plant seeds to sprout, thinning out small trees and serving other functions essential for ecosystem health. Excessive wildfire, however, can kill people, the smoke can cause breathing illnesses, destroy homes and damage ecosystems.

Students complete a knowledge organiser.

Climate Change Teaching

Teachers Needed: Curriculum Mapping

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 19 October 2022

Earlier this year, we asked climate change experts from a wide range of subject disciplines to look for opportunities to teach about climate change in the current English GCSE specifications and KS3 curriculum.

Over 100 people responded, and between them reviewed well over a hundred documents.

Teachers! Now we need your input – which of the suggestions they made would actually work in a secondary classroom? Do you have any more suggestions to add?

What are the easiest ways for teachers to show their students the relevance of the current curriculum to climate change?

If you think you have a few minutes to be able to help, by looking at the suggested opportunities in your subject area, please contact education@rmets.org and tell us which subjects you teach.

We plan to ask similar questions of young people, and to share the information we collect with a diverse range of other organisations as well as use it ourselves to improve the support we offer to teachers.

We also plan to extend the project to Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland.

Climate Change Geography Science Teaching

Resources for COP27

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 21 September 2022

We have produced some curriculum linked resources for schools to use in the build up to and during COP27 this year.

For geography teachers: a 11-14(+) resources looking at population growth, pyramids, urbanisation and the climate impacts of construction.

For maths teachers: an 11-14 or possibly Core maths resource applying Pythagoras’ theorem to the problem of efficient road construction.

For science (physics) teachers: a 13-16 resource looking at energy transfer and electricity production in the Benban solar farm.

Climate Change Science Teaching

Climate Change in Physics

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 21 September 2022

We have created a set of resources designed to allow physics teachers to demonstrate how the core physics taught links to current climate change research and action. For each topic, an expert in the field has recorded a short film which could be shown at the end of the lesson or topic. For some topics, practical activities or worksheets are also included:

Adapting the National Grid

We have a large and growing proportion of our electricity from renewables, and the amount of electricity generated varies depending on the weather. In this film, Jade Kimpton from the National Grid shows how the flow of electricity in the National Grid is getting more complex.

Key words: renewable and non-renewable energy, greenhouse gasses, fossil fuels, gravitational potential and kinetic store of energy.

Associated activity: UK energy mix

Clouds: Uncertainty in Climate Projections

Clouds reflect the Sun’s light, cooling the planet, but they can also act a bit like greenhouse gases, warming the planet. In this film, Dan Grosvenor from the University of Leeds shows how different types of cloud have a different climate effect.

Key words: transmit, scatter, reflect, dispersion, refraction, electromagnetic radiation

Associated Activity: Light levels and cloud colour

Atmospheric Pressure

The Jet streams are bands of fast winds high in the atmosphere which are driven by pressure differences. Stormy weather follows the jet stream. In this film, Tim Woollings from the University of Oxford shows how, as the lower atmosphere gets warmer, we need to understand how the patterns of pressure and the jet stream change and what effect that will have on storms in the UK.

Key words: Atmospheric pressure, weight, force

Associated activity: Using PhyPhox to investigate atmospheric pressure

Optimising Flight Times

Cathie Wells from the University of Reading is helping aircraft conserve fuel which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by making use of high resolution forecasts of three dimensional wind speeds in the atmosphere.

Key Words: speed, distance, time, velocity, greenhouse gas

Associated Activity: Optimising flight times

States of Matter – Reducing Aircraft Contrails

Contrails occur when water vapour from jet engines condenses – only when the temperature and humidity conditions of the air is right. Contrails act like greenhouse gases. Marc Stettler from Imperial College, London is interested in guiding aircraft to fly where conditions are right, reducing contrail formation.

Key words: gas, liquid, solid, evaporate, condense, sublimate, deposit, humidity, latent heat

Climate Change CPD Research Schools Teaching

Panel Discussion: Climate Literacy in 2022 School Leavers

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 7 September 2022

Join experts from the worlds of education policy and climate science to explore the findings of a climate literacy survey conducted earlier this year on the Royal Meteorological Society’s behalf by Ipsos MORI as part of their Young Person’s Omnibus survey.

The questions asked in the survey were developed by the Royal Meteorological Society, in conjunction with many of their members, including authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, to ensure that they give a fair assessment of climate literacy. The questions will remain relevant in years to come as we hope to repeat the survey annually to assess the impact of interventions on climate change education in schools.

The ongoing results of the survey will inform the work of the Royal Meteorological Society, supporting teachers of all subjects to make use of the opportunities within the current curricula and exam specifications to teach climate change.

This free 50-minute virtual event will include an overview of the findings of the survey, panel discussion and Q&A.

The panel will include:

Prof Andrew Charlton-Perez, Head of School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences, University of Reading and Professor of Meteorology
Dr Sylvia Knight, Head of Education, Royal Meteorological Society
Dr Pippa Bailey, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability Practice, Ipsos MORI
Carl Ward, Chief Executive, City Learning Trust and Chair of the Foundation for Education Development

Climate Climate Change Weather

Weather, Climate and Climate Change

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 27 June 2022

This is probably one of our favourite short explainer type videos that we use when delivering teacher CPD and when talking to students. It uses the analogy of a dog and its owner to represent the relationship between weather and climate, and can be really helpful! You can find classroom resources and further support materials for teachers in our Weather and Climate: a Teachers’ Guide chapter on weather and climate.

Climate Change Primary Science Teaching

Post SATs Year 6 Weather and Climate Day

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 11 May 2022

We have pulled together a set of Weather and Climate Change resources which could be used with a year 6 class after their SATs exams. Designed as a progressive set of engaging and interactive resources, they introduce skills and knowledge which will help prepare students for secondary school.

The resources can be used in independent lessons, or as part of a whole or half weather and climate themed day.

Climate Change Secondary

New Resource for International Women’s Day 2022

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 4 March 2022

We have created a new resource in time for International Women’s Day 2022, exploring the links between two of the Sustainable Development Goals – gender equality, and climate action.

Taking information from this weeks’ InterGovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability as well as some of the relevant highlights fromCOP26, teachers can adapt the resource to suit their class.

Blog Climate Change Schools

First Schools Video Bulletin from COP26

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 31 October 2021

The first of our very short daily bulletins from COP26 for teachers to use during registration or lessons can now be found on YouTube.

These bulletins will cover highlights about the coming day’s events as well as more general background information about how COP works. We’ll also try and bring in a bit of careers related information.

The aim of the films will be to help students engage more with this very important event which is happening in the UK, as well as giving them some context for the messages that they get through social media etc.

Please share with other teachers in your school who might be interested.

Thanks!

Blog Climate Change Schools

Daily Video Bulletins from COP26

Post author By Sylvia Knight
Post date 21 October 2021

We will be filming very short daily bulletins from COP26 for teachers to use during registration or lessons.

They will cover highlights about the coming day’s events as well as more general background information about how COP works. We’ll also try and bring in a bit of careers related information. You will be able to find them on YouTube and we’ll try to make sure that they have been uploaded the night before, in plenty of time for morning registration.

The first video will be available for showing on Monday, 1st November.

Please share with other teachers in your school who might be interested.

Thanks!

Energy Security in Africa

Climate Change in Africa

Extreme Heat in Urban Africa

Wildfire

Adapting the National Grid

Clouds: Uncertainty in Climate Projections

Atmospheric Pressure

Optimising Flight Times

States of Matter – Reducing Aircraft Contrails

Subscribe to MetLink updates

Weather and climate resources and events for teachers