Weather, climate and living things
Hunting microclimates around your home
Is one side of a building really warmer than the other?
Watch first
An English teaching video on this topic from iNewittAll. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
What you need
Tick each one as you find it — 0 of 4 ready.
Plan the fair test
- Change: Where on the site you measure
- Measure: Air temperature in °C
- Keep the same: Same height, same two-minute wait, same route order every round
Objectives this evidences
- Understand weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present
- Understand the key processes in biology relating to biomes, vegetation belts and ecosystems
Do it, one step at a time
Step 1 of 5
- Step 1. Choose six spots: a sunny wall, a shaded wall, open grass, under a tree, a paved area and a sheltered corner.
- Step 2. Mark all six on your sketch map.
- Step 3. At each spot, hold the thermometer at waist height, wait two minutes for the reading to settle, then record it.
- Step 4. Walk the same route again an hour later, and a third time in the afternoon.
- Step 5. Shade your map by temperature to make a simple choropleth of your own microclimates.
What should happen
Sunny, paved and sheltered spots read warmest; shaded and vegetated spots read coolest. That is the urban heat island in miniature — dark surfaces absorb heat, plants cool the air by transpiring.
Think about: How would your map change on a cloudy day, and what does that tell you about relying on one day's fieldwork?
Write up your result
A sentence or two is enough to save it.
The lessons behind this practical
Each one opens with the same short film, and the film has a written transcript underneath if reading is easier than watching.
Now the quiz for this topic
Questions come from the lessons behind this practical, so nothing is asked that has not been taught.
Quiz
Weather, climate and living things quiz
4 questions from the lessons in this stage. No timer, and you can try again as many times as you like.