Geography with ICT in Key Stage 3
Year 9: Thinking about climates 1: climate graph detective
Rationale and context for the lesson
The lesson described below could form part of a sequence of learning
on world biomes and would need to follow the study of weather and
climate and ecosystems. It offers a neat way of combining the skills
learned in the study of climatic and vegetation maps using atlases.
The lesson is designed to review both pupils’ learning and the
teaching on the topic.
By the end of this lesson all pupils will have completed a climate graph using ICT and most
should be able to apply skills of interpreting climate graphs and knowledge of biomes and
climate to correctly identifying the location of most climate graphs to regions/biomes. Some
pupils will be able to choose a country not included in the activity and predict what the
climate graph may look like with reasoned accuracy.
The following curriculum content can be assessed:
KS3 NC Orders for Geography: 2a,d,e,f, 6e.i,e.ii;
KS3 NC Orders for ICT: 1c, 2a, 3a,b;
Thinking skills: information processing, reasoning;
Key Skills: Application of number, Information technology, Problem solving.
Pupil prior learning
Pupils would need to know the location of world biomes and have an idea of which climates
are associated with which biomes. It is helpful if pupils are familiar with using spreadsheets
(such as Excel) and drawing graphs, however, pupils who do not have confidence in using
these packages can use the help sheet. Pupils should know how to minimise programs to
move between Word and Excel and have a sound knowledge of how to copy and paste
ICT expertise needed by the teacher

Being able to copy and paste from one document to another. Ability to minimise and work
between two software packages (Word and Excel)

Ability to use Excel to draw graphs
Resources for the lesson

Atlases

World map posters

Biomes poster (good for use with lower ability pupils)

Rainfall and temperature graphs instruction sheet (see below)

Climate graph detective instruction sheet (see below)

Rainfall and temperature statistics for a number of places around the world (see below)

Sample of completed spreadsheet and graph (see climategraphs1.xls)
Adapting the activity and follow-up
Pupils could be asked to carry out the same activity for regions within countries. For
example, for climatic regions within India or Brazil. The lesson also links to tourism, i.e. pupils
investigate holiday activities and relate them to the biome, e.g. Egypt and camel safaris.
1 ICT Lesson plan – climate graphs
downloaded from: www.geography.org.uk
Rainfall and Temperature Graphs instruction sheet
1. Collecting the data
The data has been downloaded into a Word document in the following file:
Humanities – Geography - GCSE Climate stats
 Open a Word document and find your data.
 Open a new document in Excel.
 Go back to Word, then highlight the Rainfall Data and Months (not the total).
 Paste this into Excel.
 Copy the Temperature data in C and paste this beneath the Rainfall Data.
2. Drawing the rainfall and temperature graph
To draw the graph in Excel:
 Highlight all the data
 Click on the Chart symbol on the toolbar.
 Select Custom and then the option ‘Line Column on 2 axes’. Select Next.
 Choose suitable titles for the graph and both axes. For the purpose of the quiz, you
need to print a graph without a title.
 X = months first Y = rainfall second Y = temperature.
Locate the graph as a separate chart. Select ‘Finish’.
In order for all the graphs to be compared easily, it may be necessary to make the scales
similar for the rainfall and temperature. The scale that the class will use is 0 to 220 (mm) for
rainfall and -20 to +30 (°C) for temperature.
Right click on the Y-axes, then select Format axis then select Scale.
Maximum = 360
Minimum = 0
Major unit = 20
Complete the above for temperature axis.
Maximum = 30
Minimum = -20
Major unit = 5
Copy the graph and paste it into a new Word document.
Drag it out to fill the whole page.
Write on the top of the page the number you were given.
Now Print your graph.
2 ICT Lesson plan – climate graphs
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‘How much do you know about
climatic regions and ecosystems?’
Climate Graph Detective
You will need to locate the following cities in the atlas and then
annotate your copy of the world map to locate them.
City
London
UK
City
Kiev
In Salah
Algeria
Tomsk
Russia
Manaus
Brazil
Tunis
Tunisia
Harare
Zimbabwe
Cape Town
South Africa
Rome
Italy
Oslo
Norway
Coppermine
Canada
Jakarta
Indonesia
Berlin
Germany
Windhoek
Namibia
Christchurch
New
Zealand
Vancouver
Canada
Graph No
Country
Graph No
Country
Russia
 You will now look at a series of climate graphs. Using your
geographical knowledge and detective
skills, you should enter in the table above, what number graph you
think represents each country.
Extra Select a couple of examples and say why you made the
climate/country match that you did.
Extra Take a country not studied and draw what you think the climate
graph may look like. Explain the shape you have drawn.
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Rainfall and Temperature statistics
Windhoek, Namibia
Located at about 22.57°S 17.10°E. Height about 1728m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
23.3 22.1 21.0 18.9 15.9 13.2 13.2 15.8 19.2 21.6 22.5 23.4 19.2
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
78.1 80.3 78.7 37.7
6.6 1.2 0.7 0.9 2.8 11.8 26.9 41.7 365.1
Jakarta, Indonesia
Located at about 6.18°S 106.80°E.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
25.8 25.9 26.3 26.8 26.9 26.6 26.3 26.5 26.9 26.9 26.6 26.2 26.5
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
341.6 301.8 209.8 134.6 108.1 90.2 59.0 47.7 68.8 106.4 139.1 207.6 1821.0
Oslo, Norway
Located at about 59.03°N 10.50°E. Height about 6m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
-0.1 0.0
1.3 4.8 10.9 15.0 17.1 16.3 13.0 9.6 5.0 1.8
8.2
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
55.1 37.1 71.4 37.4 40.8 49.7 58.5 69.1 65.6 90.2 69.3 52.2 704.9
Cape Town, South Africa
Located at about 33.97°S 18.60°E. Height about 42m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
21.0 21.2 20.0 17.4 15.1 13.3 12.5 13.0 14.3 16.2 18.2 19.9 16.8
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
15.9 15.2 21.6 49.5 91.7 105.4 91.2 82.6 54.3 39.6 24.2 19.3 612.5
Tunis, Tunisia
Located at about 36.83°N 10.19°E. Height about 3m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
10.4 10.8 12.8 15.2 18.3 22.6 25.5 26.3 23.9 19.5 14.8 11.7 17.7
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
61.6 52.4 45.6 38.4 22.2 10.4 3.3 7.2 32.0 54.9 53.5 62.9 446.1
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Tomsk, Former Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics
Located at about 56.43°N 84.90°E.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
-18.8 -16.5 -9.9 -0.2
8.4 15.3 18.2 15.2 9.1 0.7 -10.5 -17.0
-0.5
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
26.9 17.9 21.9 25.6 44.8 61.1 73.6 67.9 44.2 47.7 46.0 34.0 512.6
Kiev, Former Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics
Located at about 50.40°N 30.40°E.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
-5.6 -4.7
0.3 8.1 15.3 18.8 20.4 19.0 14.0 8.0 1.2 -3.1
7.6
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
37.7 34.4 38.9 44.8 51.8 69.1 77.1 64.4 46.7 43.3 45.4 43.5 598.3
Christchurch, New Zealand
Located at about 43.50°S 172.50°E. Height about 8m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
17.3 16.9 15.4 12.2
9.2 6.4 6.0 7.6 9.7 12.4 13.7 16.1 11.9
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
47.6 37.2 60.5 60.1 81.3 49.7 64.9 44.7 38.6 35.2 45.6 46.2 612.1
Berlin, Germany
Located at about 52.47°N 13.40°E. Height about 50m above sea level.
Average Temperature
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
°C
-0.9 0.5
3.5 8.4 13.5 17.1 18.5 17.9 14.2 9.0 3.9 0.9
8.9
Source: derived from GHCN 1. 3198 months between 1701 and 1990
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
42.4 33.2 34.5 39.7 52.6 75.5 57.4 60.4 47.6 39.1 46.8 51.1 580.7
Coppermine, Canada
Located at about 67.80°N 115.10°W. Height about 0m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
-29.0 -29.7 -26.4 -17.3 -5.6 3.9 9.6 8.4 2.6 -6.9 -20.1 -26.0 -11.3
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
11.7 8.4 12.5 14.4 13.9 18.4 31.9 40.9 29.9 27.7 15.9 12.0 238.5
Roma, Italy
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Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
7.2 8.3 10.5 13.7 17.8 21.7 24.4 24.1 20.9 16.6 11.7 8.4 15.4
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
80.0 70.9 68.6 66.8 51.5 34.1 16.3 24.4 69.2 113.3 110.7 97.1 802.9
Harare, Zimbabwe
Located at about 17.82°S 31.02°E. Height about 1471m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
20.2 20.0 19.6 18.4 15.8 13.4 13.5 15.7 18.8 21.1 20.8 20.3 18.1
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
190.4 176.7 106.8 32.5 10.1 2.8 1.2 2.3 6.6 31.8 93.1 173.1 830.5
Manaus, Brazil
Located at about 3.13°S 60.00°W.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
26.0 26.0 25.9 26.0 26.2 26.3 26.5 27.2 27.5 27.5 27.1 26.6 26.6
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
263.9 262.0 297.9 282.7 203.7 103.1 66.9 45.6 63.0 111.1 161.0 219.8 2087.5
In Salah, Algeria
Located at about 27.20°N 2.40°E.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
14.3 16.8 20.9 25.2 30.5 35.7 36.8 36.5 33.0 26.8 20.2 14.0 26.1
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
1.6 3.4
1.2 2.0
0.4 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.5 1.6 1.2 3.0 15.8
London, UK
Located at about 51.50°N 0.30°W. Height about 5m above sea level.
Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
4.2 4.6
6.1 8.7 12.1 15.3 17.2 16.7 14.2 10.4 6.8 4.9 10.1
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
48.0 38.9 39.9 42.2 47.3 52.1 59.5 57.2 55.4 62.0 59.0 52.9 615.0
Vancouver, Canada
Located at about 49.18°N 123.10°W. Height about 3m above sea level.
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Average Temperature
°C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
2.7 4.4
6.1 8.9 12.3 15.1 17.3 17.1 14.3 10.0 5.9 3.7
9.8
Average Rainfall
mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
145.7 121.4 102.3 69.2 55.8 47.1 31.3 37.0 59.6 116.3 154.6 171.5 1106.6
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Thinking about climates 1: climate graph detective - Lesson Plan
Learning objectives
Learning outcomes
Geography
We are learning to:
 Draw climate graphs
 Interpret climate graphs
 Consider the practical use climate graphs for people, e.g. usefulness
when choosing a holiday
ICT
We are learning to:
 1c, 2a, 3a, 3b
 Plot two values on a graph in Excel
 Produce accurate and correctly labelled graphs
 Interchange between two software packages
Geography
What I am looking for is:
Pupils being able to apply their skills of interpreting climate graphs and
knowledge of biomes and climate to be able to correctly identify the location
of most climate graphs to regions/biomes.
Starter
5 minutes
Challenge
15 minutes
Development
15 minutes
Plenary
5 minutes
ICT
What I am looking for is:
 Accurate, well labelled graphs
 An understanding that there are many different graphing tools in Excel
yet they have to be appropriate to the task
Match the country to the biomes - provide pupils with a list of countries and ask them to identify which biomes they would be associated
with, for example: Ethiopia – deserts, Italy – Mediterranean, Sweden – coniferous forests, Brazil – tropical forests. Thinking skills activity
- provide made up images of animals and ask pupils which biomes they think they belong to and justify the reasons. Alternatively provide
pictures of animals and ask where would you find them (county and biomes). Why did you think this?
Pupils are given climatic data for one country (see Rainfall and temperature statistics) and a copy of the instruction sheet. They should
use them to produce a climate graph in Excel, and then print it off. A completed example of is shown on the attached Excel file (see
attachment 1). Each printed graph should be given a number rather than a title.
Back in the classroom the world map posters are displayed around the room. Using the climate graphs detective sheet, pupils move
around the class with the numbered graphs and must decide which climate graph matches which location. The pupils’ ideas are drawn
together in a question and answer session, and they are given the correct answers for the location of each graph.
Use a travel brochure to highlight the fact that pupils should be fully aware of the climatic regions of the world and what the fauna and
flora may be like. This may be useful when planning a holiday. Ask pupils where they would like to go for a holiday and what vegetation
and fauna they would expect to find there. Ask pupils for other reasons why climatic regions are important for geographers. You could
also ask pupils to think about the possible impact of global warming on biomes (to lead into work to be done in the next lesson).
8 ICT Lesson plan – climate graphs
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