Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students think about what the weather is doing today both where they are and in other parts of Australia. Students recognise a range of weather types and where these occur in different parts of Australia.

Teacher content information: Earth Hour is a WWF-Australia initiative, and is the world’s largest community-driven climate change campaign. At the centre of Earth Hour is switching off lights to show a commitment to taking action. Thousands of teachers use Earth Hour’s education program to enrich their curriculum and provide pathways for young people to create change in their world.

Download the Earth Hour starter kit for your school: Earth Hour for Schools

Note: While climate change is a complex concept with science that is beyond the reach of most young children, students in years 1 and 2 can still engage with the topic by exploring the topic of weather and its impact on plants, animals and humans.

Prior to this activity, create or print a large map of Australia (e.g. from Google Maps) that you can use to create a weather map with your students.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1

Begin this activity by holding a class discussion with students on today’s weather.

How was it when they were last outside?
How was it when they left for school this morning?
What is it doing now? Can they see out the windows?

Then ask the class to imagine that they hadn’t been outside today and had no idea whether it was sunny or cloudy or warm or cold. How would they know what the weather is doing? Ask them to have a look around the classroom and look at what other students are wearing: are they wearing clothes for warm weather or cold weather?

What other things can they see in the classroom that reminds them of what the weather’s like outside? They might notice decorations for a particular holiday, certain autumn or spring colours, or a stack of umbrellas or gum boots in one corner of the room.

Write these suggestions on the board and as a class come to a conclusion about what the weather is doing today where you are.

Step 2

Discuss with your students the idea that people all over the world are affected by the weather, and that people in different parts of Australia are having different weather from your students:

Do they know what the weather might be like at the very top of Australia, in the middle or at the bottom?
Is it warmer or cooler or rainier or sunnier?

Working as a class have a look at the Weatherzone website (www.weatherzone.com.au). Have a look at what the weather is doing today in your area and then compare that to what is happening in all the capital cities and in the middle of the country. Talk about what the weather and the images used on the website mean (such as the sun, cloud or storm symbols).

Where is the hottest place and what is the highest temperature?
Where is the coldest place and what is the lowest temperature?
Where is it raining?
Where is it sunny?
Are there any storms?

Step 3

Using the large map of Australia (use one already available to you or print one from Google Maps) create your own weather map, asking students to draw labels to stick onto the areas that you look at showing what the weather is doing (e.g. draw a sun for the warm places and write the top temperature). Consider also writing a descriptive word or phrase for the weather in each location. Think about using words or phrases such as ‘scorching’, ‘stinking hot’, ‘scary and stormy’, ‘raining cats and dogs’, and ‘blowing a gale’.

Assessment/Reflection

Ask your students to choose one of the places they have investigated that’s experiencing different weather from what they have in their own area today. Ask them to draw two pictures: one of themselves doing an outside activity in their town today, and one of them being outside in the other location. The pictures should reflect differences in clothing as well as in what the sky and land might look like in both places.

Extension/Homework

Ask students to think about how plants or animals might respond to the different weather conditions around the country. Students should pick one area other than their own and explain in words or drawings how one animal or plant might respond to this weather.

Earth Hour - Today's Weather Around Australia

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