Grade 6 · Science · Lesson 27

Weather vs Climate; Climate Change Basics

When you wake up, you check the WEATHER — is it raining today, will it be cold tonight? When a geographer describes a place, they talk about its CLIMATE — is the area dry year-round, do summers get scorching hot, do winters bring heavy snow most years? Weather and climate are connected, but they are not the same thing. Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes people make when they talk about climate change.

What this lesson teaches

1Distinguish weather (short-term) from climate (long-term average)
2Identify the main human causes of climate change
3Describe how greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere
4Explain key effects of a warming climate on Earth

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