Name: Date:
Student Exploration: Comparing Climates (Customary)
[Note to teachers and students: This lesson was designed as a follow-up to the Observing
Weather (Customary) lesson. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.]
Vocabulary: adaptation, climate, equator, hot desert climate, humidity,
latitude, precipitation, temperature, tropical monsoon climate, weather
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Climate is the average of all weather conditions in a location.
Climates can be warm or cold, rainy or dry, and windy or calm.
What do you think the climate is like where this palm tree grows?
It should be hot and dry.
2. What is the climate like where you live?
It is cold and wet.
Gizmo Warm-up
In the Comparing Climates (Customary) Gizmo, you will
compare weather conditions, landscapes, and wildlife from
different parts of the world. To begin, choose Barcelona from
the Location 1 menu. Select the LANDSCAPE tab. Barcelona is
a city in Spain that is located on the Mediterranean Sea. You are
looking at a landscape near Barcelona.
1. Drag the slider from January to December. Based on what you observe, do you think
Barcelona has large temperature changes throughout the year?
No. The temperature ranges from 79degrees to 54 degrees. Not much change.
2. Click on an olive tree and read about it. Based on what you read, do you think the climate of
Barcelona is very wet or rather dry? Explain.
It has a very dry climate. The trees are able to handle droughts which means that it lives in a
dry location. It is also fire resistant.
2019
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Describing On the WORLD MAP tab, select New York from
climate the Location 1 menu.
Introduction: Climate is the average of weather conditions in a location over many years. In
this Gizmo you will focus on four aspects of climate: temperature, wind speed, precipitation
(rain and snow), and humidity (how much moisture is in the air). Other climate characteristics
include cloud cover and hours of sunlight.
Question: How do we describe climate?
1. Predict: Look at New York’s position on the globe. What do you notice? It is located in the
northern hemisphere.
Based on this, what do you think New York’s climate will be like? It should be humid
subtropical.
2. Observe: Select the LANDSCAPE tab. Drag the slider from January to December.
A. What changes do you see throughout the year? There are various differences in
Temperature. It ranges from 32 to 77 degrees.
B. How many distinct seasons do you notice? 4 seasons. Winter fall spring and summer
3. Analyze: Go to the DATA tab. Look at the Avg. temperature graph and table.
A. What is the general shape of the graph? Bell shaped
B. What are the highest and lowest monthly temperatures, and what would you
estimate is the average temperature for the year? (Hint: The average temperature for
the year will be about halfway between the highest and lowest temperatures.)
Highest temp. 77 degrees Lowest temp. 32 degrees Avg. temp. 50/60f
C. Select Two locations and choose Barcelona for the second location. Based on
what you see, which location experiences greater seasonal changes? Explain.
New York. The graph has a larger curve and ranges through more numbers that the
graph for Barcelona.
(Activity A continued on next page)
2019
Student Exploration: Comparing Climates (Customary)
[Note to teachers and students: This lesson was designed as a follow-up to the Observing
Weather (Customary) lesson. We recommend doing that activity before trying this one.]
Vocabulary: adaptation, climate, equator, hot desert climate, humidity,
latitude, precipitation, temperature, tropical monsoon climate, weather
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Climate is the average of all weather conditions in a location.
Climates can be warm or cold, rainy or dry, and windy or calm.
What do you think the climate is like where this palm tree grows?
It should be hot and dry.
2. What is the climate like where you live?
It is cold and wet.
Gizmo Warm-up
In the Comparing Climates (Customary) Gizmo, you will
compare weather conditions, landscapes, and wildlife from
different parts of the world. To begin, choose Barcelona from
the Location 1 menu. Select the LANDSCAPE tab. Barcelona is
a city in Spain that is located on the Mediterranean Sea. You are
looking at a landscape near Barcelona.
1. Drag the slider from January to December. Based on what you observe, do you think
Barcelona has large temperature changes throughout the year?
No. The temperature ranges from 79degrees to 54 degrees. Not much change.
2. Click on an olive tree and read about it. Based on what you read, do you think the climate of
Barcelona is very wet or rather dry? Explain.
It has a very dry climate. The trees are able to handle droughts which means that it lives in a
dry location. It is also fire resistant.
2019
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Describing On the WORLD MAP tab, select New York from
climate the Location 1 menu.
Introduction: Climate is the average of weather conditions in a location over many years. In
this Gizmo you will focus on four aspects of climate: temperature, wind speed, precipitation
(rain and snow), and humidity (how much moisture is in the air). Other climate characteristics
include cloud cover and hours of sunlight.
Question: How do we describe climate?
1. Predict: Look at New York’s position on the globe. What do you notice? It is located in the
northern hemisphere.
Based on this, what do you think New York’s climate will be like? It should be humid
subtropical.
2. Observe: Select the LANDSCAPE tab. Drag the slider from January to December.
A. What changes do you see throughout the year? There are various differences in
Temperature. It ranges from 32 to 77 degrees.
B. How many distinct seasons do you notice? 4 seasons. Winter fall spring and summer
3. Analyze: Go to the DATA tab. Look at the Avg. temperature graph and table.
A. What is the general shape of the graph? Bell shaped
B. What are the highest and lowest monthly temperatures, and what would you
estimate is the average temperature for the year? (Hint: The average temperature for
the year will be about halfway between the highest and lowest temperatures.)
Highest temp. 77 degrees Lowest temp. 32 degrees Avg. temp. 50/60f
C. Select Two locations and choose Barcelona for the second location. Based on
what you see, which location experiences greater seasonal changes? Explain.
New York. The graph has a larger curve and ranges through more numbers that the
graph for Barcelona.
(Activity A continued on next page)
2019
