Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Active learning works especially well for this topic because students need to see patterns and cause-effect relationships in data, not just memorize facts. Working with real datasets and simulations helps Year 6 learners move from abstract ideas about climate change to concrete evidence they can analyze and discuss.

• Year 6
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze Met Office data to identify trends in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the UK over the past 50 years.
2. Compare the socio-economic and environmental impacts of a major flood event in Bangladesh with a major drought event in Australia.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of two different international climate agreements in promoting global cooperation.
4. Explain the causal link between increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and specific extreme weather phenomena like heatwaves and tropical storms.
5. Propose mitigation strategies for a coastal community in the UK facing increased flood risk due to climate change.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Data Mapping: Extreme Weather Trends

Provide students with data cards on 10 recent events, including date, location, type, and impacts. In small groups, they plot events on a large world map, draw trend lines from 1980 onwards, and note links to temperature rises. Groups share regional comparisons with the class.

Prepare & details

Explain how a warming climate can lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather.

Facilitation Tip: During Data Mapping, circulate with printed Met Office graphs to help small groups notice trends over decades, not just single years.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Simulation Lab: Warmer Storms

Set up stations with bowls of coloured water: one cool, one heated. Use fans to blow over them, observing 'storm' formation with mist or spray bottles. Pairs record differences in intensity, linking to ocean warming, then graph class results.

Prepare & details

Compare the impacts of climate-related extreme weather events in different geographical regions.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Debate Rounds: Global Action

Divide class into teams representing countries. Assign positions on emission cuts or adaptation funds. Teams prepare evidence-based arguments for 10 minutes, then debate in rounds with peer voting on strongest cases.

Prepare & details

Justify the need for global cooperation to address the challenges of climate change.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Impact Case Studies: Regional Focus

Assign pairs a region like the UK or Australia. They research one event using provided articles, create infographics on human and environmental effects, then gallery walk to compare across groups.

Prepare & details

Explain how a warming climate can lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should ground the topic in local data first—UK students connect more to storms and floods than distant heatwaves. Avoid overwhelming students with global statistics; use regional case studies to build causal chains step by step. Research suggests hands-on data work reduces climate anxiety by turning abstract threats into manageable inquiry.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently linking rising greenhouse gases to measurable changes in UK storm intensity and global hurricane patterns. They should use evidence in discussions, explain processes in diagrams, and show growing awareness of both scientific causality and social responsibility.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Data Mapping, watch for students who claim extreme weather has always been this bad; remind them to compare 30-year averages on the Met Office graphs to see rising trends.

What to Teach Instead

During Data Mapping, students should trace the upward lines on the graphs together and note how the last decade shows more frequent high-impact storms than earlier decades, challenging the idea of constant risk.

Common Misconception

During Simulation Lab, watch for students who think climate change only makes temperatures rise, not storms stronger.

What to Teach Instead

During Simulation Lab, have students run the storm model twice—once with 'normal' temperatures and once with 'warmer' settings—and compare wind speeds and rainfall totals side by side.

Common Misconception

During Impact Case Studies, watch for students who assume the UK faces few climate threats because they hear more about hurricanes in other countries.

What to Teach Instead

During Impact Case Studies, assign each group a UK town and ask them to map flood risk using local flood maps, making the national threat visible through familiar geography.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Data Mapping, present students with a recent UK flood news headline and ask them to mark on a map where it happened, identify the extreme weather type, and explain one link to climate change using their graph knowledge.

Discussion Prompt

During Debate Rounds, assign roles and pose the question: 'If a wealthy European country experiences drought due to climate change, what responsibilities does it have to support farmers in a poorer country?' Listen for students using evidence about shared responsibility and global cooperation.

Exit Ticket

During Simulation Lab, ask students to complete an exit ticket with a simple diagram showing how increased greenhouse gases warm the air, which then holds more moisture and increases hurricane intensity, labeling at least two key components.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to predict future flood risk for their town using rainfall projections and local geography.
• Scaffolding for struggling learners: provide a word bank and sentence starters for writing explanations about storms, such as 'Warmer air holds more moisture, which means...'
• Deeper exploration: invite a local climate scientist via video call to discuss how UK flood data is collected and used in policy decisions.

Key Vocabulary

Greenhouse Effect	The natural process where certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the planet. Human activities have intensified this effect.
Climate Change	Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities, leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather.
Extreme Weather Event	Unusual weather phenomena that are extreme in relation to historical patterns, such as severe floods, droughts, heatwaves, or storms.
Mitigation	Actions taken to reduce the severity of climate change, such as decreasing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing carbon sinks.
Adaptation	Adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities.