Chapter 10 Lesson 4, "World Climates"

Materials:

• Worksheet, "World Climates: Terms Review"

Objective:

• Students will compare and contrast the three world climate zones.
• Students will identify factors that affect climate.

Anticipatory Set:* Show a picture of climate zones and ask: Where (what color) would you expect to find:

• Temperatures generally above freezing for half the year.
• Very short summers and below freezing temperatures most of the year.
• Warm and humid summers with mild winters.
• Always hot and humid temperatures.
• Almost no plant life

Point out that just one characteristic about a place may not give you all the information you need to quantify a place.

Teacher Input:* First explain what climate is. Use these statements and ask if we are telling about the climate or the weather.

• The temperature last night was 15 degrees. (weather)
• It normally snows about 21 inches in Fairbanks during February. (climate)
• It rained 2 times last summer. (weather)
• The average temperature in Kaltag during June is 72 degrees.(climate)
• Allakaket averages 34 inches of precipitation a year.(climate)

Define climate- Average weather of a region over a long period of time.

What affects the climate of a place? (Latitude), (Oceans), (Geography), (Ground cover)

Latitude- This is probably the easiest thing to determine. Show a globe and tell how the latitude affects climate.

Ocean - The ocean affects the climate because it heats up and cools down very slowly. This makes temperatures go up and down less. In interior Alaska it can get to 85-90 in the summer and 60-70 below in the winter. In Anchorage near the ocean temperatures below zero are really cold and above 75 is really warm. Compare that to this place that is further south than Anchorage.

Geography affects climate because of rain shadows, or river deltas.

Ground cover affects climate because of the amount of the sun's energy that is reflected back into space.

Can climates change over time? (Climate changes), (Changes to US over time, 1, 2, 3, 4)

Lets look at Present day. Have the students open their books to page 249. Show them these pictures and have them guess the climate and sub climate where the picture was taken.

• Polar, sub arctic
• tropical, savannah
• temperate, marine
• temperate, humid continental climate
• tropical, rain forest., forest
• polar, ice cap
• temperate, deserts and steppes.
• tropical, desert
• Polar, tundra
• temperate, mediterranean climate
• temperate, subtropical

Guided Practice:* Students will answer the questions on Page 250

Independent Practice:* Students will complete the worksheet, "World Climates: Terms Review" Remind the students that this is the last section in the chapter and that grades will be tabulated tonight. Tomorrow will be a review/make-up day.

Check for Understanding:* Students will complete the quiz on Lesson 4, World Climates"

Duration:

30 minutes + 10-15 for Independent Practice (Could be longer if taken for homework).

Alaska Content Standards Addressed in this lesson:

• SCI A-4 Students will understand observable natural events such as tides, weather, seasons, and moon phases in terms of the structure and motion of the earth (Earth);
• SCI A-7 Students will understand how the earth changes because of plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion and deposition, and living things (Processes that Shape the Earth);

• SCI A-15 Students will use science to understand and describe the local environment (Local Knowledge); and: