• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Air pressure, fronts and forecasting the weather; Conduction, convection and radiation). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. A barometer reading falls steadily over a day. What weather is most likely? (snow in summer for certain / clouds, wind and rain as low pressure arrives / no change at all / clear, calm sunny skies) → clouds, wind and rain as low pressure arrivesPrompt: Falling pressure usually means a depression is coming.
2. Which kind of energy transfer is this: hot air rising from a radiator? (conduction / convection / radiation) → convectionPrompt: Is the energy moving through a solid, carried by a moving fluid, or travelling as waves?
3. A weather station recorded air pressure changing from 1014 hPa to 1006 hPa over 6 hours. What does this suggest? (rain and wind are becoming more likely / settled, dry weather is becoming more likely) → rain and wind are becoming more likelyPrompt: Is the pressure going up or down?

• Show today's forecast and ask what it means for the class and how forecasters know.
• Share the objective: Global winds, ocean currents and climate zones. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Why do coastal places have smaller temperature ranges than inland places?
• Step 1: The sea moderates coastal climates: cooler summers and milder winters.
• Step 2: So the answer is: Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land
• Answer: Water heats up and cools down more slowly than land
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. The Gulf Stream (North Atlantic Current) affects the UK and Ireland. How? (It makes the UK colder than the Arctic / It has no effect on climate / It carries warm water north-east, giving milder winters than other places at that latitude / It brings sand from the Sahara) → It carries warm water north-east, giving milder winters than other places at that latitudePrompt: Compare winters in Ireland with those in Labrador, Canada, at a similar latitude.
2. Which climate zone is this place in: the Congo basin? (tropical / temperate / polar) → tropicalPrompt: How far is it from the equator?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Global climate: which statement is NOT true? (Mountains can cause heavy rain on one side and dry conditions on the other (a rain shadow). / Ocean currents move heat around the planet. / Warm air rises and cooler air sinks. / Winds blow from low pressure to high pressure.) → Winds blow from low pressure to high pressure.Prompt: Why are the poles cold?
2. Which climate zone is this place in: Ireland? (tropical / temperate / polar) → temperatePrompt: How far is it from the equator?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-8.