Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students investigate the difference between climate and weather, and speculate how changes in weather and climate might affect plants, animals and people. Students recognise the difference between weather and climate, and understand that changes to weather and climate can impact upon plants, animals and people. Students also student recognise some of the measures required for plants and animals to prepare for and adapt to these changes.

The IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was created to:

provide policymakers (governments) with regular scientific updates about climate change;
highlight the impact climate change will have on the planet in the future; and,
offer some ideas about how to tackle the challenges of climate change's potential effects on the planet.

In 2021-22, the IPCC released their sixth assessment report. This is the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change.

The report makes a number of important points:

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.
Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered. Global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades (B1). The report describes five possible climate futures, where #1 is not great and #5 is extremely bad. If we want to keep global warming at less than two degrees, which the IPCC says is the best-case scenario, we need to reduce our CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions significantly and start right away.

'Net zero' or 'carbon neutral' are terms that refer to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Getting to net zero means we can still produce some emissions, so long as we're doing something else to reduce the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere at the same time, kind of like balancing a set of scales (more info).

Psychological safety. The IPCC Report sets a hard challenge. While this real-world issue is essential for students to understand, there is no doubt it can make them feel sad or anxious about the future is becoming darker and scarier by the day.

So, reassure students that we can have a hopeful and optimistic outlook on this report, rather than one of doom and gloom. Explain that optimism involves looking objectively at a situation and making a conscious decision to focus on the good (more info), and that hope is the belief that you can make an impact (more info). Explain to students that you are going to look ahead, identify what needs to be improved, and then work on the skills and confidence so that they can go out and do it.

If you're interested in learning more about how to approach challenging topics around climate change and sustainability in your classroom through a Hope and Optimism lens, consider our PD course.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1.

Begin this activity by asking students to watch the following video:

Weather Versus Climate Change (https://youtu.be/cBdxDFpDp_k)

Once watched, ask students to use the rocket writing activity around weather and climate on the student worksheet. Students can work independently or in teams, allowing 1 minute for each question. Once complete, ask students to share their answers. Suggested answers below.

What is the difference between climate and weather? (Suggested answers: The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what we experience over a short period of time - such as a day - and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time, such as years or decades).
How is a change in climate different to a change in weather? (Suggested answer: A change in weather can happen several times a day e.g. from sunny to cloudy to rainy to hot to cold. A change in climate happens over a long period of time, such as a drought or a increase in average temperatures over a decade.)
Why are the benefits of different types of weather and climate to our environment? (Suggested answers: many plants need warm weather and rain to grow, animals need the plants to grow and need warmer weather to raise young etc.)
What kinds of problems can weather and climate cause to our environment? (Suggested answers: storms, floods, droughts etc.)

Step 2.

In the next part of the activity students will work to brainstorm the ways that changing climate and weather can affect people, plants and animals. Break your class into groups and assign groups with one of the following changes in climate:

Hotter
Colder
Wetter
Drier
Stormier

Ask each group to create a mind map (using bubbl.us or mindmeister) showing how plants, animals and people might be affected by their changing climate.

For example, how will plants, animals and people be affected if the climate gets hotter?

Step 3.

Once students have completed their mind maps, ask them to mark each bubble on their maps as either a positive (P) or a negative (N).

Step 4.

On the board, create three columns for plants, animals and people. Ask each group to write what they think are the two most important impacts of their changing climate in each column (for example, more thirsty and changing habitats). Ask students to include whether this is a positive or a negative impact, and to identify what type of weather their impact relates to (e.g. hotter, drier etc).

Hold a class discussion with students around the impacts identified:

Can you identify some common themes across the board? What are they?
Which impacts are most frequently identified? Why do you think this is?
Are the impacts mostly positive or negative? Why do you think this is?
Which types of weather will have the most significant or serious impacts?
What can we do to help protect our plants and animals from the impacts of changing weather and climate?

Assessment/Reflection

Select one or both of the following (the second option could be completed as homework):

1. Ask students to complete the KWHL chart (also available on the student worksheet).

2. Again working in groups, ask students to think about what you can do at your school to help protect the plants, animals and people from changing weather. For example:

Can you create shaded areas for protecting animals against rain, sunshine and storms?
Can you create shelters for bugs and insects?
Can you suggest improvements to the school landscape to improve the natural environment?
How could we make the school a better place to be outside in all types of weather?

Ask students to create an interactive map of the school grounds, showing sites of improvement. The map could include flaps, photos, descriptions and basic cartographic conventions.

Changing weather and our environment

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