Category: Geography
In conjunction with the Field Studies Council, we have developed a new, flexible resource for secondary geography lessons which allows students to explore the impact of, and potential for adaptation to, extreme heat events (heatwaves) in their schools – both inside and outside.
Launched in time for the 2024 National Festival of Fieldwork, these resources can also be used to give school Sustainability Leads some of the information they need when completing their Climate Action Plans.
We have just updated and extended the ‘More for Teachers’ information associated with our award-winning Weather and Climate: a Teachers’ Guide. These information sheets are designed to provide CPD for teachers of geography who would like to improve or update their weather and climate subject knowledge.
The teachers’ guide and the accompanying online teaching resources, aim to give UK geography teachers all that they need to deliver relevant, engaging and thorough weather and climate lessons to 11–14+ year old students. They are not linked to any specific curriculum but should be easily adaptable to all.
There are 20 topics or chapters. Across these, there are three threads or paths which can be taken through the online resources, depending on the teaching time available:
Basic weather: Weather in our lives, weather measurements, weather and climate, global atmospheric circulation, global climate zones, air masses, pressure and wind and water in the atmosphere
Climate: Weather and climate, global atmospheric circulation, global climate zones, past climate change, polar climate, hot deserts, changing global climate, UK climate, changing UK climate, the climate crisis
Extending weather: Anticyclones, depressions, microclimates, urban weather, tropical cyclones.
The Royal Meteorological Society believes that:
- all students should leave school with basic weather literacy that allows them to understand the weather that affects them, their leisure activities and the careers they choose to follow
- every student should leave school with basic climate literacy that would enable them to engage with the messages put forward by the media or politicians and to make informed decisions about their own opportunities and responsibilities.
To this end, we have embedded a climate change thread throughout the online resources, showing its relevance to both weather and climate. An understanding of weather and climate is fundamental to an understanding of climate change.
There is a progression of knowledge through the topics, supported by review and assessment activities. The resources also progressively develop key geographical skills such as data, mapwork, GIS, fieldwork and critical thinking.
We also include common misconceptions which should be challenged in the classroom.
Many of the online teaching resources are available with standard or easier versions, as well as extension or alternative activities.
Find the scheme of work, teaching resources, background information for teachers, as well as the Teachers’ Guide here.
We are delighted to have worked with Seth Jackson Animation and the staff and students at Boston College to produce a new animation, explaining what factors combine to give us storm surges in the UK, their impacts, adaptations and how climate change will affect them. There’s also a knowledge organiser for students to take notes on and summarise their learning.
Were you lucky enough to have blazing sunshine through the half term holiday, or were you sitting under a blanket of cloud?
Whichever, the cool wind and the distribution of cloud were a lovely case study of Polar continental air.
With High pressure sitting to the North of Scotland, and winds blowing clockwise around it, the typical pattern of cloud forming over the western side of the North Sea, spreading onto the eastern side of Scotland and England, persisted for many days. One some days, the cloud was thin enough for most to evaporate during the day, on others, the cloud persisted.
Having come from Scandinavia or Siberia, the air was cool. To identify the source of the air, simply pick an isobar that crosses the UK, and follow it back to see where the air has come from, remembering that the wind blows approximately along the isobars, in a clockwise direction around High pressure.
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.
Categories
Resources for COP27
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.
We have created a new worksheet which allows students to collect information and create a case study of a named UK storm. As part of the worksheet, students collect and annotate weather chart and other information about the storm including weather warnings.
Storm Eunice is given as a worked example.
We have made two new explainer films which can be seen on YouTube:
All About the InterTropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
Sylvia Knight, Head of Education at the Royal Meteorological Society was in conversation with John Lyon for the Geographical Association’s GeogPod podcast series. Their conversation centres on the COP26, climate change. the IPCC and some of the resources teachers can use in the classroom.