Year 5 – 6 | Our World

Protecting My Skin full resource download  |  Concept 3: Our seasons download

Background

This activity provides students with the opportunity to compare and contrast the climate and other sun related
characteristics of the countries throughout the world in relation to their location in Australia.

The inquiry includes the following elements:

• Investigation and comparison of what it would be like to live in a place with a different climate
• Considerations regarding local, regional and state, territory, rural and urban settlement patterns. Note factors such as
  geographical features, climate and water resources
• Interpretation of information and/or data collected (e.g., sequence events in chronological order, identify patterns and
  trends, make connections between old and new information).

Key messages

• The angle of the earth to the sun creates the seasons. The intensity of the sun changes due to this angle. Daily UV levels
  remain fairly constant despite changes in local weather on the ground.
• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is not hot. It cannot be felt and isn’t connected to temperature. UV levels can be damaging on
  cool, cloudy, warm and sunny days.
• Checking the UV Index forecast helps us determine when the UV Index is 3 or above and sun protection is required.
• UV levels are affected by several factors including geographic location, altitude, time of day, time of year, surrounding
  surfaces and cloud cover.

Resources

• SunSmart Global UV app
• Bureau of Meteorology
• ARPANSA
• Electronic device or research texts

Instructions

1. Activate prior knowledge and ask key questions.
2. Students choose three countries from around the world and investigate the climate and other sun related
   characteristics in relation to their location in Australia.
3. Select a specific day to record the season, climate, temperature, UV Index of the selected countries.
4. Students draw conclusions and give explanations, based on the information and/or data displayed in texts, tables,
   graphs and maps (e.g., show similarities and differences).
   Note: Students may note population settlement patterns for local, regional, national, rural and urban settings, and
   compare for discussion and class sharing.
5. Present findings and conclusions in a range of communication forms (e.g., written, oral, visual, digital, tabular, graphic),
   appropriate to audience and purpose, using relevant terms.

Key questions

• What do you think you will discover or learn by completing this inquiry?
• What did you notice when comparing the geographical location, UV Index and climate?
• What similarities and differences did you notice? Explain
• Why is it important to know the difference between UV radiation and heat?

Variation: Places I have been

• Create a graph with towns, cities and places and the UV Index on a specific day. Include data such as climate, season,
  temperature and maximum temperature.