TOPIC 1: WEATHER IN OUR DISTRICT

Introduction:
In Primary three, you learnt about weather and things which bring about weather. In this
topic, you are going to learn more about the weather conditions and elements, how you can
measure and record weather in an area and how weather and climate affect your own life.
Lesson 1:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
 Understand the meaning of weather.
 Identify the different weather conditions
You will need;
 A pen
 A Notebook
 A pencil
Activity 1.1: Understanding weather
1. Look outside. What would you say the weather is around your home?
2. What was the weather like around your home yesterday?
3. Is today’s weather different from that of yesterday? If yes, talk about the differences.
4. In your own words, what do you understand by weather?

When we talk of weather, we are actually talking about the condition of the air or
atmosphere at a given time. The weather may be sunny or cloudy. It may be hot or cold,
windy or calm. It may be rainy.

Activity 1. 2: Identifying weather conditions

With a friend, study the pictures in the Figure below:

A B

C D
1. Identify the weather condition in each picture.
2. Write two sentences talking about the weather conditions in each picture.
3. Read what you have written to your parent / guardian.
Evaluation Exercise 1:
1. What is Weather? Weather is the condition of the air at a given time.
2. How can a P.4 child manage rainy weather?
3. Give the importance of each of these weather conditions to the people in your community;
(a) Sunny
(b) Rainy
4. Apart from the weather conditions shown in the figure above, can you mention any other
two conditions of weather?

Lesson 2:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
 Understand the elements of weather
 Understand the difference between weather and climate
You will need;
 A pen
 A Notebook

Activity 2.1: Understanding elements of weather

(a) With a friend, discuss and list the things you talked about when describing weather in the
two activities of lesson 1.
(b) Write them in your note book.

The conditions that prevailed in the atmosphere around your home yesterday could have
been different from what they are now. What are those conditions called?
The things you have written in Activity 2.1 (a) are called elements of weather. Rainfall,
sunshine, heat and coldness (temperature), air pressure, humidity or moisture in the air and
clouds are all things which bring about the weather conditions of a place.

Activity 2.2: Understanding the difference between weather and climate

With a friend, do the following:
1. Talk about the seasons in a year in the area where you live.
2. Write at least two sentences describing the seasons.

In your sentences, you have probably written about the times of the year or seasons in which
you can expect heavy rain or sunshine in the area where you live.
When you describe such seasons of weather, you are talking about the climate of your area.
The kind of weather a place has over a long period of time is its climate.

Evaluation Exercise 2:
1. Mention any three elements of weather.
2. How many seasons are there in a year in the area you live?
3. What is climate?
4. How is climate different from weather? Weather changes in a short time, while climate
takes long to change.

Lesson 3:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
 Understand the elements of weather.
 Measure and record the different elements of weather.
Introduction
Weather changes are very important in our daily lives. This is the reason we have to record
weather conditions every day in order to make weather forecasts. Weather forecasts enable
people to plan their activities and to safeguard against bad weather. A place where weather is
measured and recoded is called a weather station.

Activity 3.1: Temperature

Have you ever woken up in the morning when there is mist in the air outside the house? What
did you feel on your body?
What do you always feel when you sit under the sun?
You have probably thought of coldness in the case of a misty morning, and hotness in the
case of sitting under the sun. The atmosphere usually has different amounts of heat at
different times. The hotness or coldness in the air or body is called temperature.
We us a thermometer to measure the temperature of the air or body.

Activity 3.1: Rainfall

Measuring amount of rainfall
You are going to make a rain gauge which you will use to measure rainfall.
This is a short-term gauge so it is checked after each downpour. Collect the materials listed
below and follow the steps outlined to make the gauge.
What you need;
 Water bottle (at least 2 litres)
 Scissors
 Masking tape / glue
 Ruler
 Stones
What to do?
1. Use the scissors (under adult supervision) to cut the top off of the water bottle.
2. Pour stones into the base of the bottle.(This weighs it down)
3. Add water until you can just see it at the top of the stones. (This helps to fill the space
between the stones)
4. Stick a line of masking tape or a piece of paper vertically along the outside of the
bottle. Draw a starting line where your initial water line is. Use a ruler to mark inches
going up.
5. Put the top inside the water bottle and upside down. (This helps to direct rain into the
gauge)
Put the rain gauge outside somewhere open, so it can collect rain without any trees or a
roof in the way. You can use the marked lines on the tape to see how much rain falls in
any given period of time.

Evaluation Exercise 3:
1. Why is it important to record weather conditions every day?
2. What is weather forecasting?
3. Name the place where weather elements are measured and recorded.
4. State any one way in which weather forecasting is important to people.
5. Give the importance of a thermometer to a doctor.
6. (a) Mention the instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall.
(b) Why is the instrument mentioned in (a) above placed in an open place?
(c) Give the use of a funnel on a rain gauge.
Lesson 4:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
 Understand the elements of weather.
 Measure and record the different elements of weather.

Activity 4.1: Humidity

Get a cold mirror or a piece of glass or if your house has glass windows, close the window
and do the following:
1. Breathe onto the mirror or glass. What do you notice? Have you seen anything coming out
of your mouth? Do you see anything on the glass? What happens when you let the glass stay
for some time?
2. Write your observations and share what you have written with a friend.

Most of the time, the air around us is not dry. It contains some amount of water in the form of
a gas which is not seen. This gaseous water or moisture is called water vapour. The amount
of water vapour held in air is called humidity. Humidity in the air is measured using a
hygrometer.

Activity 4.2: Sunshine

In most parts of our country, the sun shines almost every day. Sunshine benefits us in many
ways.
In your notebook:
1. State how sunshine is useful to you and your local area.
2. Write a story of 5 sentences explaining what would happen if it did not shine for three
months in your home area.
Sunshine is recorded using a Campbell Stokes sunshine recorder.

Activity 4.3: Cloud cover

With a friend, go outside the house, observe the sky and:
1. Describe the appearance of the clouds.
2. Describe the cloud cover using the key provided in table below.
3. List the types of clouds that you know.
4. State the importance of clouds to human beings.
5. Write a report about cloud cover in the area around your home.
The amount of cloud cover is estimated in oktas.

Clear sky (blue) Scattered clouds Partly cloudy Mostly cloudy

Overcast Sky hidden Sky cover missing

Activity 4.4: Atmospheric pressure / Air Pressure

Have you ever slept on a hard surface for long hours? How did you feel when you got up?
Why do you think you felt that way? You probably felt some pain in your body. This is
because the weight of air that surrounds us or the atmosphere was pressing your body against
the ground. This weight is called atmospheric pressure.
Atmospheric pressure is measured using a barometer.
Evaluation Exercise 4:
1. Mention any two elements of weather.
2. Describe the cloud cover in the following pictures.

3. What is atmospheric pressure?

4. State the instrument used to measure the following elements of weather;
 (a) Cloud cover (b) Sunshine (c) Humidity
5. Give any two uses of sunshine to the people in your local area.

Lesson 5:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
 Understand the effects of weather on your way of life and that of your community.

Activity 4.4: How weather affects your way of life and that of your community
You have already learnt how the different elements of weather affect people’s ways of life. A
number of your activities and those of other people in your community depend mainly on
sunshine, temperature and rainfall.
During the rainy season, plants are happy and people are busy in their gardens. Weather
changes can affect you and your community in either a good or bad way.

In your notebook, copy and fill in the table below:

Weather Element Why it is good Why it may be bad

1. 1.
Rainfall 2. 2.
1. 1.
Sunshine 2. 2.
1. 1.
Temperature 2. 2.

TOPIC 1: VEGETATTION IN OUR DISTRICT

Introduction:
In Primary three, you learnt about the environment and things which make up the
environment. In this topic, you are going to learn more about the environment, how you can
care for things in the environment in an area and how weather affects your environment.