Weather Around the World

Suggested Grades

5+

Objective

Students will learn a few key weather terminology and a variety of climates through examining and recording weather characteristics in a variety of communities around the world.

Materials

• newspapers with daily weather forecasts of cities all over the world OR weather internet sites (see below)
• graph paper
• markers

Method

• Have each student pick a city that they would like to do their weather project on.
• Explain to students the following weather terms:
  • Humidity- a measure of the water vapor content of the air, also known as relative humidity.
  • Temperature- the degree of hotness or coldness measured bu a thermometer.
  • Pressure- the force of the atmoshphere, also known as barometric pressure and is measured in kilopascals.
  • Visibility- the distance one can see horizontally.
• Every day (best to do it at the same time of day)students check the newspaper or the internet and record their city's weather, looking specifically for the terms listed above.
• After two weeks of recording, have students graph their results for each weather term.
• Compare them with others in the class. What are some reasons for differences?
• Variation: Pick only a few cities to examine and graph the results on big class graphs (one for each term that you would like to be covered). Pick a different colour for each city and then compare them with eachother.

Additional Resources

Internet Resources

The Weather Office
Weather data provided by Environment Canada.