Student Exploration: Comparing Climates (Metric)
[Note to teachers and students: This lesson was designed as a follow-up to the Observing
Weather (Metric) lesson. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one
...
Student Exploration: Comparing Climates (Metric)
[Note to teachers and students: This lesson was designed as a follow-up to the Observing
Weather (Metric) lesson. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.]
Vocabulary: adaptation, climate, equator, hot desert climate, humidity,
latitude, precipitation, temperature, tropical monsoon climate, weather
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Climate is the average of all weather conditions in a location.
Climates can be warm or cold, rainy or dry, and windy or calm.
What do you think the climate is like where this palm tree grows?
The climate is probably really warm in order for the palm tree to
grow.
2. What is the climate like where you live? The climate where I live is constantly changing, but
for the most part it is mostly hot weather. For example, it could be close to 100 degrees
Fahrenheit and then the next day it could drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gizmo Warm-up
In the Comparing Climates (Metric) Gizmo™, you will compare
weather conditions, landscapes, and wildlife from different parts
of the world. To begin, choose Barcelona from the Location 1
menu. Select the LANDSCAPE tab. Barcelona is a city in Spain
that is located on the Mediterranean Sea. You are looking at a
landscape near Barcelona.
1. Drag the slider from January to December. Based on what you observe, do you think
Barcelona has large temperature changes throughout the year?
I don’t think that Barcelona has large temperature changes throughout the year because the
temperature ranged from 12 to 26 degree Celsius.
2. Click on an olive tree and read about it. Based on what you read, do you think the climate of
Barcelona is very wet or rather dry? Explain.
The olive trees are able to handle droug
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