The Bureau of Meteorology website has information on past, present and predicted future weather and climate for the states and territories of Australia, for Antarctica and for the rest of the world. The 'Our services' section provides opportunities for further research into meteorological data about agriculture, past weather, water information, marine and ocean, UV and sun protection, environmental information and aviation weather services.
Structure and features
The Bureau of Meteorology website initially provides the weather for the day.
- Students can select the states and territories of Australia, Australia as a whole, Antarctica, and global weather data.
- Locate information on temperature, rainfall, humidity and solar exposure (sun) for South Australia, Australia and different places around the world.
- When looking at Australian data, students can access national weather and warnings, data for major cities, radar images, maps; satellite images, rainfall, river conditions, forecasts, observations, radar and satellite, graphs and maps, past weather, and severe weather.
- In the 'Our services' section students can look through a broad range of meteorological data.
- Get students to look at the ‘Climate and past weather’ section which includes:
- outlooks and influences
- maps
- extreme records.
For teachers
- This resource and the suggested process is suitable for years 3 to 6 and beyond.
- A general search before accessing this resource using ‘what is weather and climate for kids’ is advisable for students to have a definition and understanding of ‘What is weather?’ and ‘What is climate?’
- Restricting the research focus to temperature, rainfall, humidity and solar exposure (sun) is recommended for most students.
- A before and after reflection of student understanding is recommended.
- Be clear about assessment support and requirements.
Teacher notes
This resource aligns with year 3 in the Australian Curriculum.
