Climate Zones: Classifying Seven Weather Stations

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Social Studies · Geography
SP-GEOG-005 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Climate Zones: Classifying Seven Weather
Stations
Social Studies · Geography · Grades 9-12 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the classification rules on the board.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students use rules and data tables on their own.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Calculator (optional), Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will classify climate zones from temperature and precipitation data and explain how latitude
and elevation affect temperature.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: Check the rules IN ORDER. 1) Polar: warmest month below 10°C. 2) Dry: less than 250
mm of rain per year. 3) Tropical: coldest month 18°C or higher. 4) Temperate: coldest month from −3°C up to
18°C. 5) Continental: coldest month below −3°C (and warmest month 10°C or higher).
☐ Also write: Tropics = between 23.5°N and 23.5°S. Temperature drops about 6.5°C for every 1,000 meters you
climb.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is a geography lesson about climate, the usual weather of a place over many years. You will act
like a climate scientist. A table gives temperature and rainfall for seven weather stations, and simple rules on the
board tell you how to sort them. Follow the rules in order and every answer will be clear.
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet face down.
Wait for directions.
5–13
Read the rules on the board aloud. Work Station X:
warmest 30°C, coldest 20°C, rain 1,800 mm. Not polar, not
dry, coldest is 20 (18 or higher), so Tropical.
Listen and copy the rules.
13–27
Tell students to fill in the zone column of the station table.
Apply the rules in order for each station.
27–40
Tell students to answer questions 1–7.
Answer questions on latitude, ranges and
elevation.
40–47
Tell students to answer questions 8–12.
Decide true or false and explain.
47–50
Collect worksheets.
Hand in work.

SubstitutePlans.com
Social Studies · Geography
SP-GEOG-005 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
If things go wrong
• If students say Station E could be dry, remind them to check rules in order. Polar comes first.
• If students ask what a degree range is, explain: warmest month minus coldest month.
• If a student gets lost, have them cover everything except one station and read the rules from the board.
• If students finish early, check the table and use the early finisher list.
Early finishers
• Predict which station would be best for growing rice and explain why.
• Write a rule you would add to the system to tell wetter places from drier ones.
Support and challenge
• Support: Have students classify only stations A, C, D and E and answer questions 1, 2 and 8.
• Challenge: Ask students to explain why Station E’s range is large even though it is polar.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: