STAGING

Why are some places always hot?

Climate & Global Weather Patterns
4.7 (18874 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

What’s the climate like where you live: is it more like where Doug grew up? Or more like where Shelley grew up? Or something else?

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DISCUSS:

What kind of weather, plants, and animals do you think the orange and purple zones have? Why do you think that?

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DISCUSS: These two places have the same temperatures throughout the year... so why do they look so different?
Do you have any ideas?

Arizona Florida

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DISCUSS:

(1) Which climate zones have you been to?

(2) Which ones would you want to visit?

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Slide Image
Slide Image

temperature


1 of 11

how hot or cold something is
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season


2 of 11

a time of year with specific weather that repeats every year
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climate


3 of 11

the weather conditions in an area that are similar year after year
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tropical climate


4 of 11

climate that is hot all year long
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polar climate


5 of 11

climate that is cold all year long
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mild climate


6 of 11

climate that is warm during the winter and hot during the summer
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continental climate


7 of 11

climate that is cold in the winter and hot during the summer
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dry climate (desert climate)


8 of 11

climate that does not get a lot of rain
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map


9 of 11

a picture that shows the features of a place and where those features are
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equator


10 of 11

an imaginary line drawn around the middle of the Earth where tropical climates are found
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pattern


11 of 11

something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted
Why are some places always hot?
Climate & Global Weather Patterns
4.7 (18874 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of climate and explore the world’s five major climates. In the activity, Climate Decoder, students color one part of a world map to figure out the different climates of that region. Students then combine maps and search for global climate patterns.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish
What you’ll need for student
Americas Map & Climates (Fahrenheit) printout
Alternatively, you can print our Celsius version. 		1 per student
Asia & Australia Map & Climates (Fahrenheit) printout
Alternatively, you can print our Celsius version. 		1 per student
Europe & Africa Map & Climates (Fahrenheit) printout
Alternatively, you can print our Celsius version. 		1 per student
Maps & Climates Answer Key (Fahrenheit) teacher-only resource 1 per class
Colored Pencils
Red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, brown. Each student needs these specific colors. Crayons will also work.
6 pencils per student
Rulers
1 ruler per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work alone, but will need to complete all three portions of the map on their own.

Divide Your Class and Assign Maps

Once your students are paired up, divide your class into three groups. Decide which group will be in charge of which map (Americas map, Europe & Africa map, and Asia & Australia map). At the end of the activity, groups will combine their maps to make a full world climate map.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

8 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Wrap-Up

17 mins

Extend this lesson

Unit Reading

Unit Reading

Does Any Place Not Have Fall?

In this reading, students learn that seasons look different in different places.

Activity

Activity

Create a Travel Poster

Have each student choose and research a climate zone — then draw a travel poster for that climate.

Encourage students to think about what makes each climate special. What plants and animals live there? What sorts of houses do people build there? What clothes would you need to pack? What time of year would you choose to go?

This is an opportunity for creative writing and thinking.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

Activity Extension

Activity Extension

Extend the lesson's activity by adding the desert climate to the climate map you made.

Transcripts

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Weather Lesson 4: Why are some places always hot?

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