[John Conroy]

<p dir=”ltr”>After reading Liston and completing Activities 1 and 2 from the <i>Weather and Climate</i> resource, I found that both activities provide valuable opportunities to develop pupils’ scientific understanding while also supporting a range of cross-curricular skills. They encourage active participation through practical, hands-on learning experiences that can easily be adapted to suit the needs of my own classroom.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”><b>Activity 1: “Is it Weather or Climate?”</b></p>
<p dir=”ltr”>This activity clearly introduces the difference between weather and climate by using familiar, real-life examples. The sorting task and class discussion encourage pupils to think critically about whether examples describe short-term weather conditions or long-term climate patterns. Relating the activity to local weather helps make these concepts more meaningful and easier for children to understand.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”><b>Activity 2: “Weather Detectives”</b></p>
<p dir=”ltr”>The second activity develops pupils’ observation and recording skills as they collect information on temperature, rainfall, wind, and cloud cover over a period of time. Recording and analysing this data encourages children to identify patterns, make simple predictions, and begin to understand how scientists collect and interpret evidence. It also provides a natural introduction to ideas such as variation and the importance of accurate measurement.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”>In my own classroom, I would introduce Activity 1 at the beginning of a weather topic and connect it with current local weather forecasts to make the learning relevant and engaging.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”>I would then use Activity 2 as an ongoing class investigation, with pupils working in small groups to record daily weather observations over several weeks. The class could combine their results to create graphs, calculate averages, and compare their findings with historical weather data available online. This would strengthen links between science, mathematics, and digital literacy while developing pupils’ analytical skills.</p>
<p dir=”ltr”>To further enhance learning, I would incorporate a range of cross-curricular activities, including differentiated recording sheets, printable data tables, practical STEM investigations, and opportunities for pupils to present and discuss their findings. I would also use a simple assessment rubric to evaluate their observational skills, accuracy in recording data, and ability to interpret the information they have collected.</p>

[Author]

Posts