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Past Themes - Investigating Weather
People respond to weather in different ways - from yelps of horror to yelps of joy! As geography teachers, we usually view it favourably: another free resource for our department, another topical issue that can be incorporated into today’s lesson.
It is not just the British who find the weather a constant source of amusement. ‘Hot enough for ya?’ is a greeting often heard in Phoenix Arizona in August, when the thermometer doesn’t dip below 120°F. But, it is also a good time to reflect on how we teach about the weather, and not just to remind ourselves which way around the anti-cyclone goes. Is it all bad? Flooding in the UK may be devastating, but lack of flooding can be life-threatening in other parts of the world.
Encourage students to think about why people live in places that are exposed to adverse weather conditions, and how they have adapted to living in those places. It is often unexpected weather that can cause problems!
The strong winds of a few weeks ago reminded me that natural forces affect both urban and rural areas. This kind of weather provided one of the few occasions when, as a city dweller, I have to consider the ‘natural’ world. Use this aspect of the weather to make links between the physical and natural environments: weather is a great opportunity to show the links between location, vegetation, agriculture, food, culture, social patterns, work patterns, economic productivity … the list goes on. Spark interest with a disaster, and follow-up with some holistic geography!
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Weather is a great topic for utilising internet-based resources - printed weather maps tend to imply that weather systems are static entities. The 24-hour satellite animations on the Met Office website indicate that weather is constantly on the move. Follow the course of weather patterns across the globe to give a truly global dimension to your lessons.
You can usually find some good television programmes about the weather: the BBC’s latest ‘Wild Weather’ demonstrates some of the exciting and more unusual weather conditions. (I loved the freezing rain and the horrific frost-bitten bum!) If you missed the series, it is featured on the BBC Weather pages.
BBC Weatherwise also includes a wealth of other weather resources. You can use these to supplement most aspects of a scheme of work on the topic.
Daily flooding warnings are available from the UK Environment Agency and provide a good way to use up-to-date information in your lessons.
Four Seasons includes details of environmental education activities related to weather.
The 2002 Geography Action Week pages on climates and environment includes more suggestions for activities.
Clare Brooks, Institute of Education |
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