Discover Geography TG7 Sample

What is climate?

Lesson intent

Chapter intent

Lesson intent

This chapter explores how both human and nonhuman life adapts to different physical environments. In doing so, it brings together both human and physical geography and shows how a knowledge of one helps to support a knowledge of the other.

Skills

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weatherand climate. By the end, theyshould understandthedifference between these. They should also be ableto define some ofthe aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation andhumidity.Climate graphs are introduced and willbeused throughout the series. Students should understandhowto interpretthemandbe able to recognise that different places have different climates.

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weatherand climate. By the end, theyshould understandthedifference between these. They should also be ableto define some ofthe aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation andhumidity.Climate graphs are introduced and willbeused throughout the series. Students should understandhowto interpretthemandbe able to recognise that different places have different climates

In this chapter, students will learn about:

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weatherand climate. By the end, theyshould understandthedifference between these. They should also be ableto define some ofthe aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation andhumidity.Climate graphs are introduced and willbeused throughout the series. Students should understandhowto interpretthemandbe able to recognise that different places have different climates

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weatherand climate. By the end, theyshould understandthedifference between these. They should also be ableto define some ofthe aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation andhumidity.Climate graphs are introduced and willbeused throughout the series. Students should understandhowto interpretthemandbe able to recognise that different places have different climates.

Lesson misconceptions

Students will learn why different large-scale ecosystems are found at different locations. They will focus first on India as a whole, before zooming in to the Thar Desert. In these lessons they will explore the opportunities that living in a hot desert brings to people and the way they overcome the challenges that such an extreme environment can create.

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

• line graphs and how to interpret them

• how to interpret photographs as a form of geographic data

• accurately describing location.

Lesson misconceptions

Learning outcomes

The biggest misconception is a confusionbetweenweather andclimate. It is common for people tosee that it is freezing and raining outside (weather) and therefore be sceptical that climate change ishappening. However, this is because they are mixingup weather – the day-to-dayconditionsofthe atmosphere – with climate – the average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 or more years. Making sure students are clear on the differences is fundamental, asthis will underpin many ofthe concepts which are discussedthroughout the chapter.

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

The biggest misconception is a confusionbetweenweather andclimate. It is common for people tosee that it is freezing and raining outside (weather) and therefore be sceptical that climate change ishappening. However, this is because they are mixingup weather – the day-to-dayconditionsofthe atmosphere – with climate – the average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 or more years. Making sure students are clear on the differences is fundamental, asthis will underpin many ofthe concepts which are discussedthroughout the chapter.

• how plants and animals adapt to the environment

• that people can overcome the challenges of living in extreme environments

• the variation in the extent of global warming

• the impacts that climate change will have on deserts.

Anotherthingtocheckisthatstudents are reading the climate graphs accurately. The temperature isthered line andtheprecipitationistheblue bar. These are often switched around by students. They must also remember to read the temperature off the left-hand y-axis andtheprecipitationoff the right-hand y-axis. This is not what many students are used to, so it mightrequire modelling tomakesuretheyget the correct figures.

The biggest misconception is a confusionbetweenweather andclimate. It is common for people tosee that it is freezing and raining outside (weather) and therefore be sceptical that climate change ishappening. However, this is because they are mixingup weather – the day-to-dayconditionsofthe atmosphere – with climate – the average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 or more years. Making sure students are clear on the differences is fundamental, asthis will underpin many ofthe concepts which are discussedthroughout the chapter. Anotherthingtocheckisthatstudents are reading the climate graphs accurately. The temperature isthered line andtheprecipitationistheblue bar. These are often switched around by students. They must also remember to read the temperature off the left-hand y-axis andtheprecipitationoff the right-hand y-axis. This is not what many students are used to, so it mightrequire modelling tomakesuretheyget the correct figures.

Students will then build on this way of looking at the world to explore life in the cold deserts of the Arctic Circle. These lessons follow the same structure as the ones on the hot desert to encourage students to see how geographers compare and contrast different places. By the end of the chapter, students should have improved their knowledge of these places and developed an understanding of how people manage scarce resources in contrasting parts of the world.

Anotherthingtocheckisthatstudents are reading the climate graphs accurately. The temperature isthered line andtheprecipitationistheblue bar. These are often switched around by students. They must also remember to read the temperature off the left-hand y-axis andtheprecipitationoff the right-hand y-axis. This is not what many students are used to, so it mightrequire modelling tomakesuretheyget the correct figures.

Explanation support

Curriculum links

National Curriculum for England

• The geography of India and Russia

• Weather and climate

• ED.01

• EN.01

Whendiscussingthedifferencebetween weather and climate, it can be helpfulto highlighttheirdifferences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day),while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years ormore). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly,while climate is much more stable, changing overlongperiodsoftime.Weather tellsyouwhattoweartoday,whileclimate tells you what sort of clothesyoumightwanttohave inyourwardrobe.

• Economic activity

• EN.02

Whendiscussingthedifferencebetween weather and climate, it can be helpfulto highlighttheirdifferences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day),while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years ormore). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly,while climate is much more stable, changing overlongperiodsoftime.Weather tellsyouwhattoweartoday,whileclimate tells you what sort of clothesyoumightwanttohave inyourwardrobe.

• Use of natural resources

• Use of maps and atlases

• Collecting data Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities

• LP.01

• SK.01

• SK.02

There are, of course,otheraspects of the climate thatwe can measureinaddition to temperature, precipitation and humidity.For example, cloud cover,windspeed andpressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. Foramore in-depth explanation, search for“Humidity – the story for teachers”on theRoyalMeteorological Society (MetLink) website

There are, of course,otheraspects of the climate thatwe can measureinaddition to temperature, precipitation and humidity.For example, cloud cover,windspeed andpressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. Foramore in-depth explanation, search for“Humidity – the story for teachers”on theRoyalMeteorological Society (MetLink) website.

There are, of course,otheraspects of the climate thatwe can measureinaddition to temperature, precipitation and humidity.For example, cloud cover,windspeed andpressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. Foramore in-depth explanation, search for“Humidity – the story for teachers”on theRoyalMeteorological Society (MetLink) website

There are, of course,otheraspects of the climate thatwe can measureinaddition to temperature, precipitation and humidity.For example, cloud cover,windspeed andpressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. Foramore in-depth explanation, search for“Humidity – the story for teachers”on theRoyalMeteorological Society (MetLink) website.

Chapter misconceptions

It is important that students understand why the temperature changes as you move away from the equator. It is a common misconception that it is because you are getting further from the Sun. It is actually because the rate of insolation changes. On the equator, the Sun’s energy is more concentrated. However, when it hits the curve of the Earth closer to the poles, the energy is more dispersed. For more detail, see Chapter 1 of this book.

Another misconception is that people should, or could, simply migrate away from areas with extreme environments. Students need to understand that cultures adapt to their environments and, while some people may choose to move away, most people stay close to their families and with the life they have grown up in. They will explore this further in Chapter 3 of Discover Geography 9, and it is important that misconceptions do not become embedded at this stage.

Throughout this chapter it is important to get the balance right between acknowledging the challenges of living in extreme environments, while also recognising that humans are highly adaptable and able to find technological solutions to many problems.

Figure 4.1 It is hotter on the equator because sunlight strikes it directly, not because it is closer to the Sun.

Expected prior knowledge

• The difference between weather and climate.

• The factors that influence climate.

• Lines of latitude.

• The location of the world’s continents and oceans.

Links to later learning

The knowledge that students gain over the course of this chapter will be built on in the next one, where students learn more about food as a resource. They will also return to life in the Arctic Circle in the subsequent chapter on Russia’s changing climate.

Next year, they will return to looking at how people seize opportunities for development. In the final year, they will consider how people in hot desert environments will have to adapt further as a response to climate change, as well as looking at migration in a hot desert environment.

Fieldwork opportunities

• Investigate how people have adapted to the climate challenges in their local area. Students could use questionnaires to find out who has access to air conditioning or water-saving technology. They could present this data on a map and identify any spatial variations, e.g. are they more common in newer developments, wealthier areas or where they are most needed?

• In addition to learning through fieldwork, students should also learn about doing fieldwork. To support this, they could investigate the hazards presented by the local environment. To do this, they would need to use secondary data to see how deaths or injuries associated with an environmental hazard have changed over time (flooding, heat waves, extreme cold events). Students could then propose possible explanations for these changes and design a theoretical investigation to test their hypotheses.

Local geography opportunities

Throughout this chapter it should be possible to use the local environment to compare and contrast with the areas being studied. For example, how the animal adaptations found in hot and cold deserts resemble those in your location. Or whether people face similar or different challenges with the climate.

If your local environment is in a hot or cold desert region, then it would be interesting to compare it with the examples in the Student’s Book to see to what extent the features given there are universal experiences.

How does climate affect the world’s biomes?

Chapter intent

Lesson intent

Chapter intent

This chapter explores how space – between different places – and over time –the past, present and future.

This chapter explores how the climate changes over space – between different places – and over time –the past, present and future.

Students will learn about the evidence for a changing climate and understand that, although the climate changes naturally, humans have had a significant impact on current trends. They will build on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely to change in different parts of the world.

on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely

Skills

The chapter concludes by gained throughout it, to bust some common climate change myths and misconceptions. It also tackles concerns that students may have about climate change and looks forward with hope to Discover Geography 9

Students will learn about the evidence for a changing climate and understand that, although the climate changes naturally, humans have had a significant impact on current trends. They will build on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely to change in different parts of the world.

In this chapter, students will learn about:

Lesson misconceptions

The chapter concludes by using the knowledge gained throughout it, to bust some common climate change myths and misconceptions. It also tackles concerns that students may have about climate change and looks forward with hope to Discover Geography 9, Chapter 2.

By the end of the chapte improved their k developed an understanding of how people manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

In this chapter, students will learn about:

This lesson introduces students to the concept of a biome as a large-scale ecosystem. By the end of the lesson, they should understand that the characteristics of a biome are determined by the climate and that, as the climate changes from one location to another, so does the biome.

manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

• graphs that show patterns of data in past, present and future trends.

Learning outcomes

• graphs that show patterns of data in past, present and future trends.

Learning outcomes

By focusing on India, students will see that the change in biomes occurs gradually. They will also build their knowledge of India as a place, ready to return to it both later in this chapter, and later in the course.

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

• the difference between weather and climate

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

• the difference between weather and climate

• that different places have different climates and why this is the case

By the end of the chapter, students should have improved their knowledge of these places and developed an understanding of how people manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

Curriculum links

• that different places have different climates and why this is the case

Students should also develop their ability to interpret climate graphs so that they can compare the climate of different places.

Curriculum links

National Curriculum for England

• Change in climate

• that different places have different climates and why this is the case

• that the climate has changed over time and the evidence we have for this

• the physical and human factors that have caused climate change

While students should understand that biomes are defined by their shared characteristics, they also need to realise that there are variations. For example, they may assume that all hot deserts are covered in sand dunes, whereas there are also rocky deserts with little or no sand.

• the physical and human factors that have caused climate change

National Curriculum for England

• Change in climate

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

• Change in climate

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

• Using globes, maps and atlases

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

• Using globes, maps and atlases

Explanation support

Chapter misconceptions

• the physical and human factors that have caused climate change

• which parts of the world will be most affected by climate change.

Cambridge

• which parts of the world will be most affected by climate change.

There is a risk that, by focusing first on tropical rainforests in India and then moving on to look at hot deserts, students will think that the biome abruptly shifts from one to the other. Explain to students that there is a gradual shift as the climate becomes more arid. The activities in the Student’s Book should support this.

•

• EN.03

• WC.01

• WC.03

•

• WC.03

• WC.04

Lower Secondary Humanities

Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities

• SK.01

There are a number of misconceptions that you are likely to come across as students study this chapter. The most common are highlighted below.

There are a number of misconceptions that you are likely to come across as students study this chapter. The most common are highlighted be

Students often get confused when reading, or creating, climate graphs. They read the bar graph as temperature and the line graph as precipitation. It should be the other way around. Precipitation is non-continuous data. Each month’s bar shows the amount of rainfall that falls on average for that month. Then it starts again.

There are a number of misconceptions that you are likely to come across as students study this chapter. The most common are highlighted below.

One key misconception is that climate change is just part of a Students should understand that while the Earth’s climate has c millions of years (see Lessons 1. are unprecedented and cannot be e humans in changing the climate

2

When talking to students about the climate of Kerala, it is a good opportunity to remind them about why it is hotter at the equator and why the temperature does

One key misconception is that climate change is just part of a Students should understand that while the Earth’s climate has c millions of years (see Lessons 1.4 and 1.5), the current rate and scale of warming are unprecedented and cannot be e humans in changing the climate

Similarly, many people look outs snowing, use this as evidence th is so important that students un climate, as outlined in Lesson 1.1. Cold w

One key misconception is that climate change is just part of a Students should understand that while the Earth’s climate has c millions of years (see Lessons 1.4 and 1.5), the current rate and scale of warming are unprecedented and cannot be e humans in changing the climate

Similarly, many people look outs snowing, use this as evidence th ing. This is why it is so important that students un climate, as outlined in Lesson 1.1. Cold weather can still occur, even as the global Skills

Similarly, many people look outs snowing, use this as evidence th ing. This is why it is so important that students un climate, as outlined in Lesson 1.1. Cold weather can still occur, even as the global

4.2 A diagram showing how vegetation changes from rainforest to desert.

Figure

not vary much over the year. It can be useful to use a globe and a torch to show how the light hitting near the poles is more spread out than the light hitting the equator.

When explaining how vegetation changes as you move from the equator, it will help to draw a diagram like the one in Figure 4.2. If students have looked at the difference between high- and low-pressure areas, you could include this in your explanation. Remind students that low pressure on the equator is leading to heavy rainfall as rising air draws in more moisture from across the oceans. This therefore allows for a high density of large plants. In hot desert areas, there is high pressure in which descending air pushes away encroaching weather fronts. This leads to dry conditions, which means there is smaller, more sparse vegetation.

Scaffolding

Some students will struggle more to read information from a climate graph. Encourage them to use a ruler to get accurate readings from the y-axis. It might also help to draw their attention to the fact that the temperature line is coloured red, and so is the information on the temperature axis. Likewise, the blue precipitation bars are read against the blue numbers on the other side.

It may help to give some students additional support with Activity 2. They may need a structure to help them compare two climates. For example, you might give them the sentence: “Kerala’s ________________ remains high all year round, whereas the ________________ in Rajasthan varies from ______ to _______.”

Structuring the support in this way means that students are still having to think about the key features of the climate shown on the graphs, while learning how to make direct comparisons.

Activity explanation

1 This activity is a chance to practise reading climate graphs, having learned how to do so in Chapter 1. Students need regular opportunities to use geographical skills until they become fluent in doing so.

2 Making comparisons between places is an important element of geography. In this task, students need to comment on the different patterns in temperature and rainfall over the year.

3 The aim of this lesson was for students to understand why biomes vary. The answer students give to this activity will allow you to quickly assess who has learned what was intended.

4 Although this lesson has focused on India’s biomes, students should understand that the same pattern repeats all over the world, with biomes shifting in the same way the further they are from the equator.

Activity answers

1 Model answer: Kerala’s temperature is high all year. It only varies from 26 °C in August to 28 °C in March, a range of 2 °C. Although there is a brief dry season from December to March, precipitation levels are high for most of the year with a high of 450 mm in June. Overall, the climate can be described as tropical.

2 A high-quality answer to this question should include figures from both graphs and direct comparisons. For example: The temperature range for Kerala is only 4 °C, whereas in Rajasthan it is 20 °C.

3 An explanation here should focus on how the climate affects the vegetation that can grow there. A very good answer will explain why the climate has this effect, for example, talking about the need of plants for water as well as energy from the Sun.

4 The diagram students draw should be easy to follow. It should show that vegetation on the equator is large and dense, and then as you move along a line, it gradually becomes smaller and sparser until you reach desert conditions where there may be no vegetation at all.

What are the characteristics of hot desert biomes?

Lesson intent

By the end of this lesson, should have a clear sense of what it would be like to be in a hot desert. They should know that the level of precipitation does not vary much over the year, but that there is a large temperature range both over the year and between the day and the night. They should also know that deserts, of all types, are characterised by low levels of rainfall.

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weather and climate. By the end, they should understand the difference between these. They should also be able to define some of the aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation and humidity. Climate graphs are introduced and will be used throughout the series. Students should understand how to interpret them and be able to recognise that different places have different climates.

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weather and climate. By the end, they should understand the difference between these. They should also be able to define some of the aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation and humidity. Climate graphs are introduced and will be used throughout the series. Students should understand how to interpret them and be able to recognise that different places have different climates

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weather and climate. By the end, they should understand the difference between these. They should also be able to define some of the aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation and humidity. Climate graphs are introduced and will be used throughout the series. Students should understand how to interpret them and be able to recognise that different places have different climates.

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weather and climate. By the end, they should understand the difference between these. They should also be able to define some of the aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation and humidity. Climate graphs are introduced and will be used throughout the series. Students should understand how to interpret them and be able to recognise that different places have different climates

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of weather and climate. By the end, they should understand the difference between these. They should also be able to define some of the aspects of climate, including temperature, precipitation and humidity. Climate graphs are introduced and will be used throughout the series. Students should understand how to interpret them and be able to recognise that different places have different climates.

Lesson misconceptions

Looking at the plants and animals of hot deserts should help students to grasp the concept of adapting to the environment. This will be important as they learn more from this chapter.

Lesson misconceptions

The biggest misconception is a confusion between weather and climate. It is common for people to see that it is freezing and raining outside (weather) and therefore be sceptical that climate change is happening. However, this is because they are mixing up weather – the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere – with climate – the average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 or more years. Making sure students are clear on the differences is fundamental, as this will underpin many of the concepts which are discussed throughout the chapter.

Many people believe that deserts are characterised either by a high temperature or by their landscapes of sand and/or rock. It is important for students to understand that a desert is an area of low rainfall (usually defined as having an average annual rainfall of below 250 mm).

The biggest misconception is a confusion between weather and climate. It is common for people to see that it is freezing and raining outside (weather) and therefore be sceptical that climate change is happening. However, this is because they are mixing up weather – the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere – with climate – the average conditions of the atmosphere over 30 or more years. Making sure students are clear on the differences is fundamental, as this will underpin many of the concepts which are discussed throughout the chapter.

Students might think that animal and plant adaptation happens on an individual scale, for example that an individual animal adapts to the heat by becoming nocturnal or developing larger ears to help it remove heat. They need to understand that these changes happen over many generations through a process of evolution. It could be helpful to look at the process of natural selection.

Another thing to check is that students are reading the climate graphs accurately. The temperature is the red line and the precipitation is the blue bar. These are often switched around by students. They must also remember to read the temperature off the left-hand y-axis and the precipitation off the right-hand y-axis. This is not what many students are used to, so it might require modelling to make sure they get the correct figures.

Explanation support

It is a common misconception that available water comes from recent rainfall. Students might therefore wonder how life exists during the days, weeks or months with no rainfall. They need to understand that groundwater stores build up very slowly over thousands of years. This will help them to understand the problems of over-abstraction later in the chapter. You might want to use an analogy to explain this. You could make the comparison to a bank where resources can build up over time. It is possible to spend more than you make in a month, as long as you have built up a reserve.

Explanation support

When discussing the difference between weather and climate, it can be helpful to highlight their differences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day), while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years or more). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly, while climate is much more stable, changing over long periods of time. Weather tells you what to wear today, while climate tells you what sort of clothes you might want to have in your wardrobe.

Explanation support

When discussing the difference between weather and climate, it can be helpful to highlight their differences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day), while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years or more). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly, while climate is much more stable, changing over long periods of time. Weather tells you what to wear today, while climate tells you what sort of clothes you might want to have in your wardrobe.

When discussing the difference between weather and climate, it can be helpful to highlight their differences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day), while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years or more). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly, while climate is much more stable, changing over long periods of time. Weather tells you what to wear today, while climate tells you what sort of clothes you might want to have in your wardrobe. There are, of course, other aspects of the climate that we can measure in addition to temperature, precipitation and humidity. For example, cloud cover, wind speed and pressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. For a more in-depth explanation, search for “Humidity – the story for teachers” on the Royal Meteorological Society (MetLink) website

When discussing the difference between weather and climate, it can be helpful to highlight their differences. For example, weather is short-term (day-to-day), while climate is long-term (decades, and at least 30 years or more). Weather is highly variable and tends to change rapidly, while climate is much more stable, changing over long periods of time. Weather tells you what to wear today, while climate tells you what sort of clothes you might want to have in your wardrobe.

There are, of course, other aspects of the climate that we can measure in addition to temperature, precipitation and humidity. For example, cloud cover, wind speed and pressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. For a more in-depth explanation, search for “Humidity – the story for teachers” on the Royal Meteorological Society (MetLink) website.

It would be useful, when students are looking at the climate graph for Rajasthan, to remind them that the bar graph plots the precipitation and the line graph plots the temperature. It would also be useful to remind them of the need to pay attention to the scale of the graph. It may look as though there is a lot of precipitation simply because the bars go to the top of the graph. You might want to take this opportunity to introduce students to the concept of the temperature range. You could calculate with them the temperature range for the hot desert region (the difference between the hottest and coldest average monthly temperatures) and compare this with the temperature range of the

There are, of course, other aspects of the climate that we can measure in addition to temperature, precipitation and humidity. For example, cloud cover, wind speed and pressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. For a more in-depth explanation, search for “Humidity – the story for teachers” on the Royal Meteorological Society (MetLink) website.

There are, of course, other aspects of the climate that we can measure in addition to temperature, precipitation and humidity. For example, cloud cover, wind speed and pressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. For a more in-depth explanation, search for “Humidity – the story for teachers” on the Royal Meteorological Society (MetLink) website

There are, of course, other aspects of the climate that we can measure in addition to temperature, precipitation and humidity. For example, cloud cover, wind speed and pressure. Humidity is quite a complex concept, so the explanation here is simplified. For a more in-depth explanation, search for “Humidity – the story for teachers” on the Royal Meteorological Society (MetLink) website.

tropical rainforest region of Kerala shown in Lesson 4.1. This would help them to understand the impact of being further from the equator. This could then be linked to the difficulty it would create for plants, animals (and, in later lessons, people) to adapt to temperature. They would need to be able to thrive in both the extreme heat of the summer and during the day, and the much colder winter and night-time temperatures.

When looking at plant and animal adaptations, it would be useful to have examples of plants and animals that demonstrate these different adaptations. It is helpful to have contrasting examples to show how it looks when they do not have these adaptations. These could be drawn from ecosystems local to your setting. For example, different species of foxes are found in hot, cold and temperate environments and have very different adaptations as a result.

Students may have questions about why sand often builds up in hot desert areas. Rock is exposed to weathering caused by heat and erosion from the wind. When the outer layer of the rock is heated, it expands and can break into flakes. The strong wind in the desert can pick up small fragments of rock, which are thrown against larger rock outcrops, causing erosion to take place. These rock pieces break down into sand. They gather in the desert because there is little precipitation and so they do not get transported away with running water.

Scaffolding

Some students may benefit from some additional support with describing the impact of climate on the landscape for Activity 1. It might help to provide them with some key vocabulary to build into their answer. These will act as prompts for their thinking, for example: “high temperature range”, “low level of precipitation” and “strong winds”.

In Activity 3, some students might need to be supported by looking at how animals in cold climates are different from those in hot ones. You could encourage them to look ahead to Lesson 4.5.

Activity explanation

1 This activity is designed to help students think about the link between the climate of a place and the landscape found there. Geographers are interested in the way different processes interact to create distinctive landscapes.

2 Students should be able to apply what they have been taught to the specific example shown in the photograph. By thinking about which points in the text apply to the image, they will learn the broader points about adaptation.

3 The focus of this chapter is on adaptation. This activity requires students to think carefully about how context-specific different adaptations are.

4 The final activity returns to students having to think about the climate and landscape and connecting it to what they know about the requirements for life to survive. It also prepares them for Lesson 4.3.

Activity answers

1 A strong answer will include the fact that the dry climate leads to little vegetation in the landscape, and how the wind and lack of precipitation leads to the build-up of sand in many hot deserts.

2 The figure shows plants with small leaves. The answer should identify this and explain that this is to reduce water loss.

3 Animals from the Thar Desert often have ways to prevent the retention of body heat as a way of keeping cool. This would be dangerous in colder climates. They would also struggle to be nocturnal as temperatures would be too cold in the night.

4 Answers here should include the point that all life needs nutrition and water. Water is scarce, so few plants can be supported. With little vegetation, there is little energy in the ecosystem for animals to make use of.

Why does climate change?

Chapter intent

This chapter explores how space – between different places – and over time –the past, present and future.

Students will learn about the evidence for a changing climate and understand that, although the climate changes naturally, humans have had a significant impact on current trends. They will build on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely to change in different parts of the world.

This chapter explores how the climate changes over space – between different places – and over time –the past, present and future.

on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely

The chapter concludes by gained throughout it, to bust some common climate change myths and misconceptions. It also tackles concerns that students may have about climate change and looks forward with hope to Discover Geography 9

Students will learn about the evidence for a changing climate and understand that, although the climate changes naturally, humans have had a significant impact on current trends. They will build on this knowledge to explore how climate is likely to change in different parts of the world.

Skills

In this chapter, students will learn about:

The chapter concludes by using the knowledge gained throughout it, to bust some common climate change myths and misconceptions. It also tackles concerns that students may have about climate change and looks forward with hope to Discover Geography 9, Chapter 2.

By the end of the chapte improved their k developed an understanding of how people manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

In this chapter, students will learn about:

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

In this lesson, students apply what they have learned about the characteristics of hot deserts to examples of how people manage to overcome the challenges that ents should come away with an understanding that there are two ways of approaching the challenges of the natural world: that either people adapt themselves to the environment as it is or people make adaptations to the environment. This ability to make deliberate and significant changes to the environment is a characteristic that sets people apart from the rest rovides a reason to be hopeful about the future, aptations to cope with growing populations and

• climate graphs and how to interpret them

• graphs that show patterns of data in past, present and future trends.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

Learning outcomes

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

• the difference between weather and climate

By the end of this chapter, students will understand:

• the difference between weather and climate

• that different places have different climates and why this is the case

By the end of the chapter, students should have improved their knowledge of these places and developed an understanding of how people manage scarce resources in contrasting countries.

Curriculum links

• that different places have different climates and why this is the case

• that the climate has changed over time and the evidence we have for this

• the physical and human factors that have caused climate change

• which parts of the world will be most affected by climate change.

Curriculum links

National Curriculum for England

• Change in climate

• which parts of the world will be most affected by climate change.

Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities

National Curriculum for England

• Change in climate

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

ll develop a misconception that the traditional t indicates a lack of development rather than a suitable adaptation to the desert conditions and a use of local building materials. It can be useful to challenge assumptions about what houses should look like or d to make them. This could be done by looking at the wide range of housing design around the world. You can find such images on the Dollar Street website. This website collects images from different countries around the world and categorises them in different ways, including housing. You can select photographs from the countries that you would like to display so that students can compare them. Review the photographs first to ensure they are suitable to display in your setting.

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

• Using globes, maps and atlases

Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities

• EN.03

Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities

• EN.03

• WC.01

• EN.03

• WC.01

• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from data

• WC.03

•

• Using globes, maps and atlases

• WC.04

• SK.01

Students may believe that desert soils are infertile. It is true that nutrients build up slowly, due to the lack of decaying vegetation, but the lack of precipitation means that when it does build up it is not washed away in the rains. If farmers can find sufficient water, they can successfully farm in the desert.

Chapter misconceptions

Explanation support

There are a number of misconceptions that you are likely to come across as students study this chapter. The most common are highlighted below.

One key misconception is that climate change is just part of a natural cycle. Students should understand that while the Earth’s climate has changed over millions of years (see Lessons 1.4 and 1.5), the current rate and scale of warming are unprecedented and cannot be explained by natural cycles alone. The role of humans in changing the climate is discussed in Lesson 1.6.

Similarly, many people look outside of their window and, because it is cold and snowing, use this as evidence that global warming is not happening. This is why it is so important that students understand the difference between weather and climate, as outlined in Lesson 1.1. Cold weather can still occur, even as the global

2

Similarly, many people look outside of their window and, because it is cold and snowing, use this as evidence that global warming is not happening. This is why it is so important that students understand the difference between weather and climate, as outlined in Lesson 1.1. Cold weather can still occur, even as the global

2 Curriculum links

It might be useful to show students a map of the Indira Gandhi Canal along with images of it, so that they get a sense of the scale of its construction and the difficulty of transferring water from one place to another. This would also be a useful place to discuss with students the potential problems with large-scale water transfer, such as the risk of reducing available water in another region, and potentially in another country. This would prepare students for the final lesson (4.8) in this chapter when they consider the growing conflict over water resources. When discussing how Khadeens support farming in the Thar Desert, it might be helpful to illustrate how they work. This could be done by modelling the process in a tray of sand with gravel to represent the stones. It would also be an opportunity to bring in some fieldwork by looking at infiltration rates or surface run-off rates with and without these stone lines.

The chapter concludes by using the knowledge

Houses in hot deserts often share common characteristics, such as small windows, thick walls and central courtyards. This could be demonstrated by showing students examples from different parts of the world (such as adobe houses in New Mexico and the temporary homes of the San in the Kalahari Desert).

Scaffolding

If students struggle with the first activity, they may need a reminder of what is meant by the environment of the hot desert. They might benefit from writing three bullet points such as:

• low precipitation

• high temperatures

• isolation.

Activity explanation

1 The first activity checks whether students have understood the main learning points from this lesson and whether they can connect them to what they learned in Lesson 4.2.

2 Geographers are interested in how humans affect the physical world, as well as how we are affected by it. This activity checks that students have understood this distinction.

3 Human activity is not free of consequences. This activity requires students to imagine a future based on their geographical knowledge and make a prediction.

Activity answers

1 A strong answer will clearly identify features of the hot desert environment and then link it to a way that people have had to adapt. For example, “There are high temperatures in the hot desert, so people build houses with thick walls and small windows to keep out the heat.”

2 Students are likely to refer to bringing in water through canals to use for irrigation.

3 A good answer here will demonstrate that students understand that the main issue for human activity in the Thar Desert is a scarcity of resources, and in particular water. Over-farming and an increase in population will lead to more abstraction of water at a rate that exceeds its ability to be recharged by precipitation.

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