Teacher preparation

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students explore the different types of weather through creating and acting in a class play. Students recognise different types of weather and understand that weather affects plants, animals and people.

Teacher content information: Earth Hour is a WWF-Australia initiative, and is the world’s largest community-driven climate change campaign. At the centre of Earth Hour is switching off lights to show a commitment to taking action. Thousands of teachers use Earth Hour’s education program to enrich their curriculum and provide pathways for young people to create change in their world.

Download the Earth Hour starter kit for your school: Earth Hour for Schools

Note: While climate change is a complex concept with science that is beyond the reach of most young children, students in years 1 and 2 can still engage with the topic by exploring the topic of weather and its impact on plants, animals and humans.

Consider organising a performance of your play for parents or other students.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1

Begin this activity by engaging students in a class discussion about different types of weather and their movements. For example:

Clouds - Clouds moving across the sky
Wind - Gentle winds blowing and whistling through the trees
Storm - The howling and roaring winds of a storm
Thunderstorm - The banging and crashing of thunder and lightning
Rain - The pitter-patter of raindrops
Snow - Snowflakes gently falling to the ground
Hail - Hail stones pelting down from above
Storm on the sea - Waves crashing on the beach
Sunshine - The sun beaming down onto the hot earth

Write these types of weather and their movements on the board.

Step 2

Still working as a class, discuss how each of these types of weather could be acted out:

What movements should accompany this type of weather?
What sounds can accompany this weather?

Encourage your students to take turns to act out these movements.

Step 3

Work with your student to create a play to show how the weather affects nature and people. In your play show how the weather damages plants and animals, and decides where plants, animals and people can live. For example, if there is somewhere where there are always clouds in the sky then some plants won’t be able to live there. Or if there is somewhere where it snows all the time there might be some animals that can’t live there, or it might even be too cold for humans to live there!

You will need actors to play the many different weather roles. For example, you might need:

A thundercloud
A clap of thunder
Howling wind
Pelting rain
A lighting flash

Other actors should play the plants and animals that will be affected by the weather.

Other factors to consider in your play:

Can you use music in your play? What sort of music would suit the weather you have chosen and the plants and animals that feature in your play?
How will you show your audience that the weather is very important to where and how we can live?
What costumes could you use? How will you identify the different types of weather, and other plant, animal and people characters?

Consider having a small performance of your play at your school.

Assessment/Reflection

Ask students to answer the reflection questions on the Student Worksheet.

Earth Hour - A Play About the Weather

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