CLIL

Weather and Climate

1

Warming uphttp://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/climate-weather-sci

LISTENING COMPREHENSIONFill the gaps with the missing words

Climate and weather together are the most influencial forces on ……………… .One can influence ………………… we choose to live, the other often determines what we do, where we …………,

and what we …………. each day.Climate refers to the average …………………… conditions over a long period of time.The earth has climate ………………… . Some areas are mild, like the Mediterranean of southern ………………….,

others are harsh like the frozen Tundra of ………………………… .Today …………….. can survive in all climates.Weather refers to the day to day conditions of the …………………….. .At a particular place and time weather can be ………………… or annoying. It can also be devastating.Atmosphere scientists called …………………………. are working to find better ways to forecast the weather. where, wear, metereologist, atmosphere, humans, earth, Europe, Africa, Greenland, live, weather, time, zones, areas, glorious

2

Weather vs. Climate

• Weather : atmospheric conditions (temperature, rainfall, etc…) at a specific point in time.

• Climate : atmospheric conditions (temperature, rainfall, etc…) of a region over a long period of time.

• Climatology is the science that studies the climate in various areas of the world

3

GLOSSARY FOR WEATHER

It’s …• sunny• cloudy• snowy• rainy• windy• foggy

It’s …• boiling (very hot) • hot• warm• not very warm• cold / chilly• freezing /icy (very cold)

It’s…• wet/humid• dry

4

GLOSSARY FOR WEATHERThere is a…• gentle breeze• wind• strong wind• tornado• hurricane

There is a…• drizzle (light rain)• heavy rain• storm• thunderstorm

5

Definition of the categories of weather

The weather in action is divided into the following categories of phenomena:

dew

fog

frost

clouds

precipitation

storms

optical effects

6

• Dew, fog and frost all result from condensation at or near ground level.

• Clouds form when condensation takes place above the ground.

• Precipitation includes the most common types of precipitation: rain, freezing rain, snow, hail, flood.

• Storms cover the most extreme and destructive weather phenomena, such as thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes.

• Optical effects are really atmospheric phenomena rather than weather (the rainbow).

7

ACTIVITIESWriting and Speaking

• Activity 1 Writing: individual Look at the European map and describe what the weather is like in four cities of your choice.

• Activity 2 Speaking: work in pairsLook at the European map and describe what the weather is like in a city of your choice. Your partner answer the question.

8

What affects climate?

There are many different factors that affect climate around the world.

The most important natural factors are:• Distance from the sea (Continentality)• Ocean currents• Direction of winds• Shape of the land (“relief” or “topography”)• Distance from the equator (latitude)• Altitude• Human influence

9

Distance from the sea (Continentality)

The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are cooler and wetter than inland areas.

10

Ocean currents

• Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures.

• To increase

• To reduce

11

The diagram shows the ocean currents of the world.

The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic flowing from the Gulf of Mexico to the British Isles.

Gulf Stream

12

The Current is flowing

• The Gulf of Mexico has higher air temperatures than Britain as it is closer to the equator. 

• So the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm.   

• The Gulf Stream keeps the west coast of Europe free from ice in the winter and, in the summer, warmer than other places of a similar latitude.

13

Direction of winds

Winds blowing from the sea often bring rain to the coast; winds can also bring dry weather to inland areas. 

14

The shape of the land ('relief')

• The Mountains affect the climate.

• This happens because as altitude increases, air becomes thinner and is less able to absorb and retain heat.

15

MOROCCO, ATLAS MOUNTAIN

In Morocco, Atlas Mountainsact as barriers for winds, air

stream and humidity.

16

The LATITUDE AFFECTS the TEMPERATURE The climate becomes colder further from

the Equator and closer to the Poles

17

Altitude

Altitude is the height above sea level.

The higher the place is above sea level the colder it is. 

Air temperature diminishes by about 6°C every 1000 metres above sea level.

18

HUMAN ACTIVITIES

The factors previouslymentioned affect the climate naturally.  Also human activities influence our climate. GREENHOUSE EFFECT,for example, increases Temperatures.

19

Language for learning

Comparative and Superlative

• Cool, cooler, coolest• Cold, colder, coldest• Warm, warmer, warmest• High, higher, highest• Hot, hotter, hottest• Close, closer, closest• Thin, thinner, thinnest

ING-form and Future• To flow, flowing, will flow• To keep, keeping, will keep• To blow, blowing, will blow• To bring, bringing, will bring• To heat, heating, will heat• To become, becoming, will

become

20

ACTIVITIESComplete the sentences with the following wordsdriestcoldest sunniest wettest windiest hottest

 In Italy, one of the ………………………………. cities is Bolzano.The …………………………….. town is in Tuscany. It rains a lot!Sicily is the ……………………………….. part in Italy.In Sicily, it’s always dry and sunny, too! It’s the ……………………………. place in Italy.The ………………………………. place is Sardinia. The wind there is really strong!Syracuse is the ……………………………… city. The sun is always shining!

 

Complete the sentences with the comparative form of the following adjectiveswarm cold foggy good bad cool Piacenza is ………………………… than Milan today. We can’t see the car that is in front of us there!Rome is ……………………… than Milan this morning. (Rome 25°C - Milan 22°C)This afternoon the temperature is -2°C in Aosta whereas it is -12°C in Courmayeur. Courmayeur is ……………………. than Aosta.In Sardinia it is raining but in Sicily the sun is shining. In Sicily the weather is ………………… than in Sardinia.It is snowing in the Alps but it isn’t in the Appennines . Today the weather is …………….. in the Alps than in the Appennines.During the summer, the temperature is …………………. in the mountains than in the cities.•  

21

Complete the following sentences with will or won’t and the verb givenTomorrow it ……………………… (to be) minus 3 degrees. I ……………………(to wear)

my heavy coat.Next Saturday it ………………………….. (to snow) in the Alps.Next Sunday it ………………………………. (be) rainy. We ………………………. (not to play)

our football match.

Complete the following sentences with the ing form of the verb given Strong winds are ………………………. (to blow) today. It is very foggy. I am ………………………. (to drive ) carefully.We can’t go ……………. (to ski) because it is ……………… (to snow) heavily.Now it is not only ………………… (to rain), it is also …………………. (to hail)!Finally the sun is ………………….. (to shine).The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current ………………………. (to flow) from the Gulf of Mexico.

22

Evaluation

Poor Satisfactory Good Very good

Excellent

CONTENTContent Knowledge

Problem solvingConcept processing

LANGUAGEUse of specific vocabularyCommunication skills

ATTITUDEIndividual behaviourGroup behaviour

23

Learning Unit developed by: Enrica Vittoria Giusti English teacher

Daria Salvo Geography teacherManuela Schiavone Geography teacher

Lower Secondary School Luca Beltrami ICS “A. Diaz”, Milano

24

ResourcesThe images of the worksheets about the glossary of flora and fauna are from:

Geoscuola 1, Atlante allegato, Giunti Editore.

25