What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate
Videos
Grades3, 4, 5, 6Earth and Space Sciences
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by NASA
What it is
- This video examines the difference between weather and climate, how NASA observes changes in the Earth's climate, and evidence that global warming is occurring.
- Students will learn that weather and climate cover different time ranges, NASA uses satellites to observe changes in Earth's climate, and rising sea levels provide evidence that global warming is happening.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video presents a lot of information for students without being lengthy or overwhelming.
- Keeping the poster of the video's animations up in the classroom is an excellent way to reinforce and remind students of the concepts they learned.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students need to be familiar with Antarctica and Greenland and the fact that there are ice sheets in these locations.
- Students need to understand the concept of orbiting and know what a satellite is.
Differentiation
- Teachers can pause the video and check for comprehension by asking students to define weather and climate or give examples of how we know the climate is changing.
- Teachers can use this video as a conceptual introduction to extreme weather events and their connection to climate change.
- This video can enhance a lesson on biomes and their corresponding climates.
- This video can supplement a lesson about the Antarctic ice sheet and its importance.
From the scientist review
While related, climate and weather are not the same. This brief video from NASA explains how they are different and how they are keeping track of the changes with satellites. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on science.nasa.gov
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
