Today is rung 3 of 5 on this topic
Weather, climate and reading data
Can do: Knows weather is now and climate is the pattern over years, and can read a weather table.
Why it matters
The weather/climate distinction is the single most misunderstood idea in public science conversation, and it's easy to fix at eight.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
"It's cold today so climate change isn't real" — the sample-of-one error, which is really a data-literacy problem.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What's the difference between weather and climate?"
Solid looks like: Weather is today, climate is the long-run pattern for a place.
The full activity for this topic · 5 minutes daily for two weeks
Two Weeks of Weather
- 1Record temperature, rain and wind at the same time every day for two weeks.
- 2Graph the temperatures as a line graph.
- 3Work out the average and compare it to the typical value for your area and month.
- 4Ask: does one cold day tell you anything about the climate?
- 5Compare your data to a different country's for the same fortnight.
If it's too hard
Record temperature only and graph it.
If it's too easy
Compare your fortnight to the same fortnight last year and discuss what one year proves — and doesn't.
Say this
"One day is weather. What do you need to know the climate — a day, a month, or thirty years?"