Lesson Plan Title : Climate Search

Age Range: Grade 3 through Grade 5 (Elementary)

Overview and Purpose: Hot, cold, wet, dry... The weather is always changing. How do we know where and when to go on vacation? Climate Zones can help with that!

Objective: The student will be able to use the Google Earth to observe and describe the different climate zones.

Resources:

Internet access to Google Earth (a short lesson on how to use the program may be necessary)

Teacher-created worksheet with locations for all the climate zones

Activities:

Divide the students into pairs. Explain that they are going to observe different parts of the globe. They will need to identify the correct climate zone of the area and use three sentences to describe what they see.

Pass out the worksheets and have them follow the directions.

When students are finished they should go back to their favorite zones and explore the land masses in greater detail.

Hints for the worksheet:

Try to choose locations that have a street view so students can get a close up look.

The edge of Antarctica shows the ice melting and breaking up in the water. It is a better picture than if the students are looking at an entirely white screen.

Wrap Up:

You may want to ask your students to think "outside the box" and plan a vacation to an unusual place. What Climate Zone is it in? When will they go? What will they pack? Where will they stay? What kinds of activities would they expect to be able to do there?