Global Wind Patterns
CONCEPTUALExplain that unequal solar heating drives large-scale atmospheric circulation: Hadley cells (0-30°), Ferrel cells (30-60°), and polar cells (60-90°) produce the trade winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies; describe how the Coriolis effect from Earth's rotation deflects winds rightward in the Northern Hemisphere; explain the jet stream as a fast high-altitude wind that steers weather systems; connect jet stream waviness and Arctic amplification to prolonged extreme weather
Mastery Evidence
Assessment Prompt
“Can [child] explain why the UK tends to get wet weather arriving from the west — what global pattern of winds is steering weather systems, and how does Earth's rotation contribute to this?”
Prerequisites1
- Climate ZoneshardAges 9—11
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- Seasons & Weather Patterns soft
Climate as long-term patterns benefits from knowing seasonal patterns
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Geography & Local Weather hard
Climate concept requires knowing that different places have different typical weather
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Geography & Local Weather hard
Climate zones formalize the concept of different weather around the world
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Seasons & Weather Patterns soft
Climate as long-term patterns benefits from knowing seasonal patterns
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Geography & Local Weather hard
Climate concept requires knowing that different places have different typical weather
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Shapes of land and water hard
Must know land and water features before learning where water is found on Earth
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- Heating & Cooling Changes soft
Understanding state changes supports knowing water as solid (ice) and liquid
- States of Matter Vocabulary hard
Describing and measuring changes of state requires solid/liquid/gas vocabulary and the term 'change of state'
- Drawing Particle Diagrams hard
Observing and describing change of state requires reading particle diagrams showing how arrangement changes on heating or cooling
- Heating & Cooling Changes soft
Water cycle benefits from curriculum states of matter (heating/cooling changes state)
- States of Matter Vocabulary hard
Describing and measuring changes of state requires solid/liquid/gas vocabulary and the term 'change of state'
- Drawing Particle Diagrams hard
Observing and describing change of state requires reading particle diagrams showing how arrangement changes on heating or cooling
- Temperature & Thermometers soft
Water cycle evaporation relates to temperature (heat drives evaporation)
- Sunlight warms things up soft
Sun drives weather builds on curriculum sunlight warms Earth's surface
- Days, Weeks, Months & Years soft
Observing and describing seasonal changes requires basic date and time vocabulary (months, seasons, year)
- Ordering Events in Time hard
Understanding days/months/years builds on sequencing events chronologically
- What Causes Wind hard
Sun-driven weather systems extend the basic wind-cause concept to global scale
Unlocks2
- Greenhouse Gas SciencehardAges 11—12
- Hurricanes, Tornadoes & MonsoonshardAges 12—13