02 Weather and Climate Change
Weather
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Weather is a popular context for learning in many schools as children and young people have direct experience of different types of weather and the impact it can have on their lives, from sunny school trips to sports days cancelled because of heavy rain. This makes learning relevant, immediate and meaningful. It also offers strong links to different curriculum areas and can provide an effective context for interdisciplinary learning within Curriculum for Excellence.
The theme of weather also arouses the natural curiosity of children and young people and provokes many questions that can provide opportunities for further study, scientific enquiry and investigation such as ‘Where does rain come from?’ and ‘What makes thunder and lightning?’.
Weather also provides an important starting point for understanding seasons, climate and climate change. It has an international dimension - many schools compare and contrast weather data with partner schools around the globe and individual weather events in one part of the globe can affect us too.
Reflective questions
- How can we develop in learners a curiosity and understanding of the environment and their place in the living, material and physical world?
- How can we establish the foundation for more advanced learning and future careers in the sciences and the technologies?
- How can we enable learners to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield?
Photograph credits
The images used above are licensed under Creative Commons on Flickr by the following photographers: weemacd, ecstaticist, swan-scot, bob the lomond, and trekker308.
Related links
Local science centres
Science centres across Scotland offer a range of learning opportunities.
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