Understanding Temperature

Overview

In this fifth lesson of How Weather Shapes Our Lives and Communities, students explore temperature as a measure of how hot or cold something is. They use thermometers safely, observe changes in temperature, and connect temperature to daily choices and seasonal weather.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe temperature using words such as hot, warm, cool, and cold.
• WALT use a thermometer to observe and compare temperatures.
• WALT notice and describe a change in temperature.
• WALT connect temperature with how people live and work in their community.

Success criteria

• I can explain that temperature tells us how hot or cold something is.
• I can read a thermometer with help.
• I can compare two temperatures using words such as warmer, cooler, hotter, or colder.
• I can describe one way temperature affects what people do or wear.

Curriculum links

• Geography — weather words such as sun, cloud, rain, hot, and cold.
• Geography — seasonal changes in temperature and sunlight during the year.
• Geography — names of seasons and typical weather patterns.
• Geography — recognising that hot weather can cause sunburn and heat stroke.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and prior knowledge. Show a picture of two children dressed differently for a sunny summer day and a chilly winter morning using the opening weather comparison slide. Ask, “How could we find out which day is warmer?” Students turn and talk, then share temperature words they know.

2. 4–9 min · Direct teaching. Use the temperature teaching slides to explain that temperature tells us how hot or cold something is. Model reading a simple classroom thermometer: identify the scale, locate the liquid or digital number, and say, “The temperature is ___ degrees.” Introduce warmer, cooler, higher, and lower. Remind students never to place a thermometer in their mouth and to tell an adult if one breaks.

3. 9–13 min · Teacher demonstration. Demonstrate measuring two safe objects or places, such as the classroom air and a shaded outdoor area. Before each reading, students make a prediction with a partner. Record the readings on the board and model a sentence: “The shaded area is cooler because its temperature is lower.” Students practise saying one comparison sentence.

4. 13–23 min · Pair investigation. Give each pair a thermometer and the temperature observation worksheet. Students measure two or three safe locations or objects selected by the teacher, such as inside air, outside air in the shade, a classroom table, and a cup of room-temperature water. They record or draw each reading, then complete a comparison sentence. Rotate thermometers between pairs if necessary. Circulate and ask, “What did you predict?”, “What is the temperature?”, and “How do you know which is warmer?” Do not use hot water, direct sunlight, or unsafe locations.

5. 23–27 min · Share and interpret. Return to the investigation discussion slides. Invite pairs to share one result and compare readings on the class chart. Discuss why readings may differ, including sunlight, shade, location, or the material being measured. Connect the findings to community life: people may choose clothing, outdoor activities, shade, water, or sunscreen according to the temperature.

6. 27–30 min · Plenary and exit check. Display the final reflection slide and ask students to complete orally: “Temperature tells us…”, “A thermometer helps us…”, and “On a very hot day, I can stay safe by…”. Take a quick individual response: students draw or write two thermometers and circle the one showing the warmer temperature, then name one safe choice for hot weather.

Resources

• the complete temperature slide deck
• the temperature observation worksheet
• Child-safe classroom thermometers or digital thermometers, one per pair where possible
• Clear plastic cups and room-temperature water
• Whiteboard or large class recording chart
• Pencils and clipboards
• Shade-accessible outdoor measuring spot
• Sunscreen, hats, and drinking water for outdoor work if required

Assessment

• Listen for accurate use of hot, cold, warm, cool, warmer, and cooler during partner talk and investigation.
• Check whether students handle thermometers safely, read or record a temperature with support, and make a valid comparison.
• Use the final drawing and safety response to identify students needing further teaching about temperature, thermometers, or protection from hot weather.

Differentiation

• Support learners with picture cues, a labelled model thermometer, a reduced choice of locations, and sentence frames: “The ___ is warmer than the ___ because ___.”
• Pair students strategically and provide adult support for reading the scale or recording numbers. Allow students to draw observations or dictate responses.
• For English language learners, rehearse gestures and real objects for hot, cold, warm, cool, higher, and lower before the investigation; accept home-language discussion where helpful.
• Extend confident learners by asking them to order three readings from coolest to warmest and suggest why two pairs might obtain different results. Reinforce that hot weather can cause sunburn and heat stroke, and discuss shade, hats, sunscreen, and water as protective choices.