Weather and Climate: Resources
This page has a collection of links to websites with good quality images, information and videos that could be useful in the classroom. The links on this page were all checked on the 25/08/2014.
General
Below is a link to the TES website page with KS3 activities, test questions, games and other ideas on teaching weather and climate: http://www.tes.co.uk/TaxonomySearchResults.aspx?mode=browse¶metrics=secondary,45704,44354,45709,45712&SFBC_FilterOption=2
Below is a link to the teachers page on the MET Office. It includes ideas for weather related lesson plans organised by key stages for Science, Maths and Geography:http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teachers
Below is a link to the TES website page with KS3 activities, test questions, games and other ideas on teaching weather and climate: http://www.tes.co.uk/TaxonomySearchResults.aspx?mode=browse¶metrics=secondary,45704,44354,45709,45712&SFBC_FilterOption=2
Below is a link to the teachers page on the MET Office. It includes ideas for weather related lesson plans organised by key stages for Science, Maths and Geography:http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teachers
Global Climate
The following link is to the Education Scotland website. On this page is a video with a good basic introduction (or recap) and description of the different climate zones around the world. The video also considers why climates are different and provides examples of countries with each climate. The video is also available in smaller section clips so you can just use the one relevant to the zone you are studying that lesson rather than all of them: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/resourcebank/videos/video_tcm4598364.asp
The Met Office video below begins to explain most of the main theories on what is causing climate change and give a good starting explanation of how the climate is changing. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHbxSYDqTR8
The following link is to the Education Scotland website. On this page is a video with a good basic introduction (or recap) and description of the different climate zones around the world. The video also considers why climates are different and provides examples of countries with each climate. The video is also available in smaller section clips so you can just use the one relevant to the zone you are studying that lesson rather than all of them: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/resourcebank/videos/video_tcm4598364.asp
The Met Office video below begins to explain most of the main theories on what is causing climate change and give a good starting explanation of how the climate is changing. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHbxSYDqTR8
The BBC video in this link briefly explains patterns of glacials and inter-glacials, the effects of the gulf stream and the current Ice Age that we live in: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/water_and_ice/ice_age#p00gbg2j. The full episode is available on you tube if you search for 'Earth the power of the planet: Ice'.
Urban Heat Islands / Local climate
The image below is from the following website: http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/urban/urban_heat_island.html. This website does not explain the basics of urban heat islands; however it does offer some useful information on how they contribute to climate change in terms of global warming.
The image below is from the following website: http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/urban/urban_heat_island.html. This website does not explain the basics of urban heat islands; however it does offer some useful information on how they contribute to climate change in terms of global warming.
The image below is from the following website: http://heatisland.lbl.gov/coolscience. The website offers some useful information on the effects of the urban heat island and considers solutions such as cool roofing and cool paving.
Hurricanes / Tropical storms
Below is a link to a page from the Nationall Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It has some basic storm definitions and information about the cyclone seasons with a brief history of cyclone activity with good maps: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/
There is also a link to a detailed table explaining the categories on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale on the NOAA site, you could ask students to match the category to the description: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
Below is a link to a page from the Nationall Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It has some basic storm definitions and information about the cyclone seasons with a brief history of cyclone activity with good maps: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/
There is also a link to a detailed table explaining the categories on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale on the NOAA site, you could ask students to match the category to the description: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
Case studies
Below is a link to the MET Office website pages for teens. This page has multiple links to many in depth case studies from floods, heat waves, depressions and hurricanes/storms (The case studies include Hurricane Katrina, the Boscastle floods, the London 'Pea souper' and the 'Great storm surge' of 1987). You could allow students to select their own relevant case study from the list: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens
Below is a link to the MET Office website pages for teens. This page has multiple links to many in depth case studies from floods, heat waves, depressions and hurricanes/storms (The case studies include Hurricane Katrina, the Boscastle floods, the London 'Pea souper' and the 'Great storm surge' of 1987). You could allow students to select their own relevant case study from the list: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens
Drought
The link below is to the 'drought for kids' section of the National drought Mitigation Centre website. The selected link is to a list of economic, environmental and social impacts on drought. However if you explore the website is has some basic explanations on what drought is, a definitions glossary and a photo gallery. This website would be simple enough for students to work through sections by themselves: http://drought.unl.edu/DroughtforKids/HowDoesDroughtAffectOurLives/TypesofDroughtImpacts.aspx
Below is a link to the Delaware River Basin commission website. It has a detailed page on ideas for saving water in a drought. This could be useful information for students to design a poster or a leaflet on drought management: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/hydrological/drought/4kids/save.html
The link below is to the 'drought for kids' section of the National drought Mitigation Centre website. The selected link is to a list of economic, environmental and social impacts on drought. However if you explore the website is has some basic explanations on what drought is, a definitions glossary and a photo gallery. This website would be simple enough for students to work through sections by themselves: http://drought.unl.edu/DroughtforKids/HowDoesDroughtAffectOurLives/TypesofDroughtImpacts.aspx
Below is a link to the Delaware River Basin commission website. It has a detailed page on ideas for saving water in a drought. This could be useful information for students to design a poster or a leaflet on drought management: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/hydrological/drought/4kids/save.html
Please note that the content from these links to external websites does not belong to me and I am not responsible for the changes to information on these sites. All of these hyperlinks were last accessed by me on the 25/08/2014.
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