Year: 5
FOCUS
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Likely time: 15 hours
ACTIVITIES
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RESOURCES
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Investigate the microclimate of the school site in order to site new benches and tables.
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- Discussion of knowledge of weather, word storm of vocabulary of different types of weather.
- Discussion of weather on our school site and how it affects school life
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- Weather display
- Photos of weather
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Observing and asking relevant geographical questions
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- Where are the best places to site new benches and tables? How can we tell?
- Children make their own maps/sketches and key to show where the wettest, windiest and warmest sites are.
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- Maps and plans of the school site at a range of scales
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Data collection and recording activities
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- Use of weathering evidence data sheet. Children use this as a focus for their work, looking for evidence of weather and erosion, etc.
- They are asked to describe the aspect by using the compass rose painted on the playground. (Use of eight compass points.)
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- Weathering evidence data sheet
- Compass rose or compasses
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Interpretation and analysis of data
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- Use of weather measuring instruments, children investigate their own ideas. Were they right about where the wettest, windiest and warmest places were?
- Keep results in an appropriate form.
- Special needs pupils mark results on photocopied map.
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- Anemometer
- Wind vane
- Thermometer
- Rain gauges
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Communicating findings
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- Using the results children discuss whether their ideas were right. They find a way of presenting their findings to the rest of the class and the P.T.F.A. to explain where to site tables and chairs – tables, graphs and maps.
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- Squared paper
- Children’s graphs and tables
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| Evaluation |
- Were your investigations helpful? Were there any surprising results? What should we change, if anything, about our quiet area?
- Video children explaining their ideas/display.
- In the results the current quiet area was found to be one of the coldest and windiest spots - therefore planting will take place around it. The study needs to be done again in the summer to check that results are similar. When planting has taken place a modified study could take place to compare the new microclimate around the quiet area with the old one.
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