Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students think about what the weather is doing today both where they are and in other parts of Australia. Students recognise a range of weather types and where these occur in different parts of Australia.

Teacher content information: 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.

Prior to this activity, create or print a large map of Australia (e.g. from Google Maps) that you can use to create a weather map with your students.

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 holding a class discussion with students on today’s weather.

How was it when they were last outside?
How was it when they left for school this morning?
What is it doing now? Can they see out the windows?

Then ask the class to imagine that they hadn’t been outside today and had no idea whether it was sunny or cloudy or warm or cold. How would they know what the weather is doing? Ask them to have a look around the classroom and look at what other students are wearing: are they wearing clothes for warm weather or cold weather?

What other things can they see in the classroom that reminds them of what the weather’s like outside? They might notice decorations for a particular holiday, certain autumn or spring colours, or a stack of umbrellas or gum boots in one corner of the room.

Write these suggestions on the board and as a class come to a conclusion about what the weather is doing today where you are.

Step 2.

Discuss with your students the idea that that people all over the world are affected by the weather, and that people in different parts of Australia are having different weather from your students:

Do they know what the weather might be like at the very top of Australia, in the middle or at the bottom?
Is it warmer or cooler or rainier or sunnier?

Working as a class have a look at the Weatherzone website (www.weatherzone.com.au). Have a look at what the weather is doing today in your area and then compare that to what is happening in all the capital cities and in the middle of the country. Talk about what the weather and the images used on the website mean (such as the sun, cloud or storm symbols).

Where is the hottest place and what is the highest temperature?
Where is the coldest place and what is the lowest temperature?
Where is it raining?
Where is it sunny?
Are there any storms?

Step 3.

Using the large map of Australia (use one already available to you or print one from Google Maps) create your own weather map, asking students to draw labels to stick onto the areas that you look at showing what the weather is doing (e.g. draw a sun for the warm places and write the top temperature). Consider also writing a descriptive word or phrase for the weather in each location. Think about using words or phrases such as ‘scorching’, ‘stinking hot’, ‘scary and stormy’, ‘raining cats and dogs’, and ‘blowing a gale’.

Assessment/Reflection

Ask your students to choose one of the places they have investigated that’s experiencing different weather from what they have in their own area today. Ask them to draw two pictures: one of themselves doing an outside activity in their town today, and one of them being outside in the other location. The pictures should reflect differences in clothing as well as in what the sky and land might look like in both places.

Extension/Homework

Ask students to think about how plants or animals might respond to the different weather conditions around the country. Students should pick one area other than their own and explain in words or drawings how one animal or plant might respond to this weather.

What's the weather doing today?

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