Austin Golles
David Wells
12/14/15
ESSC 311
Lesson Title: Climate Around the World
Objective: Students will be able to describe and identify four major climates in different regions
of the world.
Standard: 3-ESS2-2: Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions
of the world.
Engage
Our Engage section will give students an example of a climate that is extremely different
from where they live at the same time of year. For example, you want to make sure that during
the winter when you are teaching this lesson that the climate you choose to show is also during
the winter. This is to ensure that the students begin to understand that even though the climate
where they live (for our example, Michigan) is cold and snowy, at the exact same time in
Florida, it is often 80 degrees and sunny, and people are lying on the beach in their bathing suits.
Explore
For our Explore section, we will split students up into groups, with each group receiving
a different climate that they will have to explore by way of a website
(https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/), and take notes on with a worksheet.

In a classroom, we can also supply the students with different websites, books, and data
charts to supplement this activity as well.
Students will be asked to study one of four “climate types” from the website:
1. Tropical
2. Moderate
3. Polar
4. Dry
From the website, we would like the kids to find a few factors that distinguish their climate, such
as the “kind” of climate (wet, dry, hot, cold, etc. [we want the students using vocabulary that is
familiar to them!]).

Even though students can use their own vocabulary, it is important to ensure that students
are able to differentiate from the different climates using that vocabulary, and if not clear
enough, giving them vocabulary that allows them to do so. For example, teach the
students that the word arid means to describe a desert climate.
Also, have the students find things like precipitation, temperatures, and the range of “seasons”
that the area has.
After the groups are done researching with their individual groups about a particular
climate zone, we will then set up a “jigsaw” activity where the kids then split into another group
(one expert from each climate zone per group) and then explain how their climate differs from
others. This will also allow students to compare and contrast the different zones. We want each
student to be able to combine the information they learn from each group member into an
understanding that different regions of the world have vastly differing weather and climate from
where the students live.
Explain
Our main goal for the students here is for them to specifically understand the meaning of
the word climate, as well as to understand the difference between climate and weather.

Climate = how the atmosphere “behaves” over a long period of time/the long-term
averages of daily weather in a particular area. (defined by nasa.gov)

Weather = the short-term conditions of the atmosphere and what happens weather-wise in
a particular area in terms of minutes and hours.
Next, show the video (https://youtu.be/cBdxDFpDp_k) to the students as an excellent
example of how climate and weather differ. Discussion will also be held on the different types of
climate zones, in particular the climate zone we live in (in Michigan’s case, we are located in the
humid continental climate zone).
The four different climate types used in this lesson are tropical, moderate, polar, and dry.
Tropical climates, which include the two subgroups tropical wet and tropical wet and dry, are
found along and around the equator, and due to this location, areas in this climate are in direct
sunlight, and are hot and warm all year round with an average temperature of 80 degrees
Fahrenheit. Some tropical climates get steady, regular precipitation, sometimes daily, while other
areas in tropical climates have incredible amounts of rain only in the summer months.
Moderate climates have three subgroups: humid subtropical, Mediterranean, and marine
west coast. The southeast United States are great examples of areas of humid subtropical,
moderate climates. Florida has a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures usually stay high
(above 70 degrees F) throughout the year, but cool down for a few months, so there are really
only 2 seasons here: summer and winter. Most humid subtropical areas receive about 48 inches
of rain each year. Mediterranean climates are often found on the western sides of continents.
Mediterranean climate gets its name from the climate found around the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean climates have long warm summers and shorter, milder winters, although few
places in this climate actually get snow. Marine West Coast climate areas are typically located
along the west coast of mid-latitude continents. Show the students on the world map where you
are referring to. Marine West Coast is influenced by the presence of mountains. This is why it
covers more land in Europe than it does in North America, because North America's mountains
block the humid air from moving farther inland. This is a very mild climate, with few extremes
in temperature. The coldest month rarely averages lower than 30 degrees F and the warmest
month averages about 72 degrees F. The ocean keeps the air over the land cool in summer and
warm in the winter. This creates a mild, but wet climate. Some areas of Marine West Coast only
get 30 inches of rain while others can receive as much as 98 inches! In some places it rains 150
days out of 365!
Polar climates have two subgroup climates: Tundra, and Ice Cap climates. Tundra climate
is mainly found along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Tundra climate areas experience a very
harsh winter and a cool summer. During the summer, much of the snow and ice melts and forms
soggy marshes and bogs. However, some of the deeper parts of the soil stay frozen even through
the summer--a layer called permafrost, as in permanent-frost. The permafrost can be between 10
and 35 inches. The permafrost prevents the melted snow and ice from draining into the ground
water, so marshes and bogs form. Winters are very harsh in Tundra climate. Winter month’s
temperatures are usually between -18 and -50 degrees F. "Summer" temperatures range from 3550 degrees F. High latitudes are the main cause of the low temperatures. These areas mainly
receive indirect sunlight. Indirect sunlight delivers light, but little heat. Even during the
summer, Tundra mainly receives indirect sunlight, which is why temperatures rarely go above 50
degrees F. Tundra climates receive low levels of precipitation. Between 5-15 inches of
precipitation falls every year in Tundra climates, usually in the summer. Ice Cap climate is only
located near the poles, but this climate covers nearly 20% of the Earth. Since Ice Cap is at the
poles, it has extreme seasons. There isn't a regular kind of summer since the temperatures almost
never go above freezing. However, there are two seasons. The seasons are determined by the
amount of light. During the "summer", there is nearly 24 hours of light, since the pole is pointed
toward the sun. During the "winter" the pole is facing away from the sun, which causes nearly
24 hours of darkness. Ice Cap is the coldest climate on Earth. Antarctica is usually colder than
the Arctic. The "warmest" month averages about -16 degrees F. The coldest month averages
about -70 degrees F. During the winter, temperatures regularly reach -90 degrees F. The coldest
temperature ever recorded was -128.6 degrees F! Ice Cap temperatures are so low because these
areas are near the poles. These areas receive only indirect sunlight, and during winter it doesn't
even receive indirect sunlight! During the winter this area is in total darkness. Ice Cap climates
averages less than 10 inches of precipitation, so technically it is a desert--for this reason
climatologist (people who study climate) call Antarctica a "polar desert".
Lastly, we will discuss dry climates. Dry climates are made up of two subgroups: arid
and semiarid climates. Nearly 33% of the Earth's land is covered in arid climate. The word arid
means dry. Arid climates are usually deserts. Most arid areas do not have regular seasons. For
instance the Sahara Desert is always hot and dry. Temperatures can reach as high as 130 degrees
F or as low as negative 30 degrees F. The temperatures will depend on the location of the desert.
Precipitation (or the lack of) is the main factor that defines arid climate. To have an arid climate,
an area must receive less than 10 inches of rain per year. However, many areas of arid climate
receive far less than that. Some deserts around the world don't receive 10 inches of rain in 10
years! The Atacama Desert in Chile is known as the driest place on Earth. It averages only 0.04
inches of rain each year! Semiarid climates are always found on the outer edge of arid climate
areas. Think of semiarid as a bridge between dry and wetter places. These areas can be very
dangerous. They sometimes receive enough rain to support some farming, but after a few years
the area can experience a long drought (no rain) and people can starve. Semiarid climates in
northern United States the semiarid climate can be very cold, especially during winter.
Temperatures can be as low as -15 degrees F. However, in the African Sahel or northern
Australia, temperatures remain high throughout the year, so location is clearly the cause of
temperature in semiarid climate. Since semiarid climates are found surrounding arid climates, it’s
no surprise that they are dry areas. An area is considered semiarid if it averages between 10-20
inches of rain throughout the year.
Elaborate
For the Elaborate section, ask the students to pick another climate besides the one that
they currently live in, and describe what kinds of clothes that they would have to buy and wear
based on the different climate that they are moving to. Students will be asked to describe what
the climate is like in a couple of different ways as reasons for why they choose the clothing that
they did. Next, instruct them to write this down on the back of their worksheet in a few
sentences, and if they would like to, they can include a drawn picture as well. Students will then
share what kind of climate they chose to move to with their classmates. This activity will help to
stress the idea of describing different climates like the standard calls for, and it also helps the
students to obtain further information on different climates found in the world.
Evaluate
The evaluate for this lesson will be two-fold, and will be a group-based evaluation based
on some questions about the differences between weather and climate, as well as some questions
about different climate zones. Only one or two questions will be asked about the difference
between weather and climate. The purpose of this is to ensure that full comprehension is
obtained by the students of weather being a short-term observation of atmospheric conditions
and weather events, while climate is a long-term observation of weather events and atmospheric
conditions over time. Finally, four to six questions will then be asked about different climate
zones of different regions of the world, and specifically the differences between these zones even
during the same time of year (i.e. hot & humid in Florida in December while cold and snowy in
Michigan in December).
Name:______________________
Name of Climate:
What is the climate like? Is it dry? Wet? Warm? Cold? Hot? What else can you use to describe
your climate?
How much precipitation does your climate get? What kind of precipitation is it (snow, hail, rain,
sleet, etc.)?
What are the temperatures like in you climate? How hot does it usually get? How cold does it
usually get? What is the average temperature?
What kind of seasons (if any) does your climate have?
Don’t do this question until asked! Please use the back of this page to talk about what you
would do if you moved from the climate you live in here in Michigan to another one of the
climates you learned about. I would like you to say what kind of clothes you would have to buy
or items you we need to be comfortable living in this new area, and why!