Hot and Cold Places

Curriculum Links

Subject: Geography
Key Stage: 1 (Year 1)
National Curriculum Focus:

• Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and in other areas of the world
• Locate hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify hot and cold places on a world map.
2. Understand what makes these places hot or cold.
3. Describe characteristics of hot and cold places, including weather and some examples of animals or clothing.

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Lesson Structure (60 Minutes)

1. Starter Activity (10 Minutes) – Feeling the Weather

• Engage their senses: Have two mystery 'weather' boxes – one with warm items (e.g. a soft scarf, a mitten, a photo of the desert) and one with cold items (e.g. an ice pack in a sealed bag, a woolly glove, a picture of the Arctic).
• Questioning: Ask students:
  • "How does this feel?"
  • "Where do you think we would find places like this?"
  • "Have you ever felt this type of weather before?"
• Mini demonstration: Show a classroom globe and spin it, pointing to different areas saying, “Is this a hot or cold place? Why?”

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2. Main Teaching (15 Minutes) – Where in the World?

• Introduction to the Equator: Use a large map or globe to visually demonstrate the location of the Equator. Explain that places near it are hot and places far from it (near the poles) are cold.
• Use visual images: Show pictures of well-known hot places (Sahara Desert, Amazon Rainforest) and cold places (Antarctica, Arctic).
• Class Discussion: Ask, “What do you think life is like in a hot place?” and “What do people need to wear in a cold place?”

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3. Group Activity (15 Minutes) – Map Matching Challenge

• Sorting Game: Split students into small groups and give each group a set of laminated picture cards showing different locations (e.g., a desert, a snowy mountain, a rainforest, a tundra).
• Matching Task: Each group will place their cards on a large classroom map, deciding if the place is hot or cold.
• Review answers: Discuss their choices as a class, correcting any misconceptions using real-world examples.

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4. Independent Activity (10 Minutes) – Weather Passport

• Each student will create a mini “Weather Passport” with two pages.
  • Page 1: Draw and label a hot place (e.g., desert, savanna). Write/draw what you would wear there.
  • Page 2: Draw and label a cold place (e.g., snow-covered mountains, Antarctica). Include one fact about this place’s weather.
• Support students with sentence starters if needed:
  • “In hot places, you need to wear…”
  • “Cold places often have…”

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5. Plenary (10 Minutes) – Quickfire Weather Game

• Stand Up/Sit Down Game: Teacher calls out different places (e.g., “Amazon Rainforest” = HOT, or “Antarctica” = COLD).
  • If the place is hot, students stand up.
  • If the place is cold, students sit down.
• Fast finishers challenge: Ask them to tell the class one thing about that place (e.g., “The Arctic has snow and polar bears.”).

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Resources Needed

• Large world map/globe
• Mystery ‘weather’ boxes with real objects (gloves, ice pack, mittens, scarves)
• Laminated flashcards of hot and cold locations
• Printed Weather Passport worksheets
• Colouring pencils/crayons

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Assessment & Differentiation

Assessment:

• Check understanding through class discussions and questioning.
• Observe group tasks and correct misconceptions.
• Review student Weather Passports for key features of hot and cold places.

Differentiation:

• For students needing extra support: Provide picture labels for sorting tasks and sentence starters for writing.
• For more able students: Encourage them to describe differences in temperature and weather patterns in more detail (e.g., deserts are hot but also cold at night).

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Teacher Reflection Notes

• Which parts of the lesson did students engage with the most?
• Did they accurately place locations on the map?
• Were any areas of confusion that need revisiting in future lessons?

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Extension Idea:

Create a classroom “Weather Detective” role, where one student each day reports on a new hot or cold place using Google Earth or a weather chart!

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This lesson ensures an interactive, hands-on approach that fully engages Year 1 students while meeting UK curriculum goals. Exciting, relatable, and memorable! 🌍☀❄