40-minute lesson
Year 3 Geography: Climates of Australia
Lesson objective
- Explain the difference between weather and climate.
- Describe and locate the main climate types in Australia.
- Explain how climate affects the way people live.
Success criteria:
- I can explain the difference between weather and climate.
- I can locate tropical, arid and temperate areas on a map of Australia.
- I can describe how houses, clothing or activities suit a climate.
Materials
- A map of Australia
- Coloured pencils (green, orange, blue)
- Pictures of houses from different parts of Australia
Introduction
4 minIntroduce today's words:
- climate: The usual pattern of weather in a place over many years.
- tropical: Hot all year, with a wet season and a dry season; found in northern Australia.
- arid: Very dry, with little rainfall; much of central Australia is arid.
- temperate: Mild, with warm summers and cool winters; found in southern Australia.
- rainfall: The amount of rain that falls in a place, measured in millimetres.
Ask your child what they already know about climates of australia.
Explanation
8 minWeather is what the air is like on a particular day. Climate is the usual pattern of weather over many years. Darwin might have a rainy day in the dry season, but its climate is still tropical.
Australia is a large continent, so it has several climate types. A simple way to group them is tropical, arid and temperate.
Tropical climates are found in the north, including Darwin and Cairns. It is hot all year. There is a wet season (roughly November to April) with heavy rain and storms, and sometimes cyclones, and a dry season.
Arid and semi-arid climates cover most of the mainland, especially the centre and much of the west. They have low rainfall, hot summers and can have cold nights. Alice Springs has an arid climate.
Temperate climates are found in the south-east, the south-west and Tasmania, including Melbourne, Hobart and Perth. Summers are warm and winters are cool.
Climate affects how people live. In tropical areas, houses are often raised with wide verandahs to catch breezes. In cooler areas, houses may have heaters and insulation. First Nations peoples have lived successfully in every climate zone for many thousands of years, using deep knowledge of local seasons, water sources, plants and animals.
Worked examples
6 minWeather or climate?
Which statement is about climate? (a) It is raining in Hobart today. (b) Hobart usually has cool winters.
Step 1: (a) describes one day, so it is weather.
Step 2: (b) describes the usual pattern over years, so it is climate.
Answer: (b) is about climate.
Matching city and climate
What climate type does Darwin have, and how might a house there be designed?
Step 1: Darwin is in the far north: tropical climate.
Step 2: It is hot and humid, with heavy wet-season rain.
Step 3: A house might be raised off the ground, with wide verandahs, ceiling fans and louvre windows.
Answer: Tropical; a raised house with verandahs and good airflow.
Guided practice (do together)
8 min1. What is climate?
(a) The weather today (b) The usual pattern of weather over many years (c) A type of cloud (d) The temperature right now
2. Which climate type covers most of the Australian mainland?
(a) Arid and semi-arid (b) Tropical (c) Temperate (d) Polar
3. Which city has a tropical climate?
(a) Hobart (b) Melbourne (c) Darwin (d) Adelaide
4. Why are some houses in northern Australia built raised off the ground?
(a) To keep out snow (b) To be closer to the sun (c) Because the ground is made of ice (d) To help air flow and keep them cooler
Independent practice
10 min5. Which climate has warm summers and cool winters?
(a) Arid (b) Temperate (c) Tropical (d) Desert
6. A very dry climate with little rain is called ____.
7. Rainfall is measured in ____ (unit).
8. Name the town in the centre of Australia, in the Northern Territory, with an arid climate: Alice ____.
Questions to check understanding
- Can you explain the difference between weather and climate?
- Can you locate tropical, arid and temperate areas on a map of Australia?
- Can you describe how houses, clothing or activities suit a climate?
- What was the trickiest part today?
Answer guide
1. The usual pattern of weather over many years — Climate is the long-term pattern of weather.
2. Arid and semi-arid — Most of the mainland is arid or semi-arid.
3. Darwin — Darwin is in the tropical north.
4. To help air flow and keep them cooler — Raised houses allow breezes to cool them and help with heavy rain.
5. Temperate — Temperate climates are mild with four distinct seasons.
6. arid — Arid means very dry.
7. millimetres — Rainfall is measured in millimetres.
8. Springs — Alice Springs (Mparntwe) has an arid climate.
Review
4 minRecap the success criteria together. Watch for these common misconceptions:
- Children often think 'climate' and 'weather' mean the same thing.
- Some think all of Australia is hot. Parts of Tasmania and the Australian Alps regularly have snow in winter.
Extension activities
- Make a climate map of Australia using three colours and a legend.
- Record your local temperature and rainfall for two weeks and graph it.
- Design a house suited to a tropical, arid or temperate climate.
Suggested follow-up
- Revisit climates of australia tomorrow with two or three quick questions from memory.
- Try the online practice check for this topic and look at any questions that need another go.
Tips for parents
- Compare today's weather in your town with a city in a different climate zone using a weather app or the news.
- Ask relatives in other parts of Australia what their weather is like.
- When discussing First Nations knowledge of climate and seasons, use resources that communities have chosen to share publicly, and credit the community.