Weather and Climate and Associated Hazards

[Victoria Ellis]

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[Emma Johns]

Unit outline sheet for students.

[Tania Grigg]

Thanks for sharing this it is really useful. I am starting with this unit next week but I am going to begin with Global Warming - don't fancy starting with the Atmospheric Circulation Model! Are many people thinking of doing this unit?

[sarah]

I'm also starting with global warming, after the AS papers I want to teach something that will convince students that geography is worth sticking with. Just starting to plan but am finding the new A2 (silver) textbook a good starting point.

[Joshie]

We are seriously thinking about Weather or Ecosystems and are not sure which! Has anyone got any advice? I've heard that weather is difficult, but I think more interesting than ecosystems?

[Victoria Ellis]

I asked my students which topics they would like to do, and they were adamant that they wanted to do Plate Tectonics, and then were split 50-50 for Weather and Ecosystems. I had considered combining the two and teaching them together, as the structures of the two units are very similar, and and there are obvious links between the two. Not sure that time will allow, however.

If it helps, David Redfern pointed out yesterday how much more content there is in the Weather unit than the Ecosystems or Plate Tectonics units....

[Emma Johns]

Anything else of any use from the man himself?

[Victoria Ellis]

Sorry - didn't see your message before. Anne has put her notes from the meeting on a thread in the General category.

[Liz Hunt]

We are doing the climate topic first and using it as a field study to help prep for unit 4a. Climate transects through a city provide and excellent study and in my mind this is the only real physical topic worthy of a field study in the A2 year (possibly ecosystems but gets a bit biological!).
Liz

[Emma Johns]

Liz, do you have any resources/workbooks fo this type of study? I've never taught weather before and this would be a useful addition to the course for my girls.

[Liz Hunt]

Not got anything yet! Will be making some resources in the first few weeks of september. As soon as I make some I will post them for you. I had one student do a study such as this for her coursework this year and she got full marks so I know it has the rigour to suit. Will probably do 3 or 4 transects from CBD to edge of Gloucester or Oxford or Bristol and measure temp, wind speed, land use characteristics etc at various sampling strategies out to the rural urban fringe. Try to have trasects which vary - urban, rural, next to river, high land etc. Good to see if the urban heat island effect is in action. Loads of secondary data avaliable to back it up too.

[Adele Burke]

if it is any use we used to complete our old AS coursework with ocr on urban microclimate. We did 4 transects in Cheltenham (3 urban transects and 1 following a green corridor). They had the choice of just investigating whether a urban microclimate existed or investigating whether green corridors influenced urban microclimates. It was only allowed to be upto 1,200 words but I have an example on file if it is any use to anyone, especially if you have not completed this sort of thing before.

[Emma Johns]

It would be really useful to get a copy if possible Adele, never done anything like this before and this sounds manageable. What type of equipment do I need?