All lessons › Rain, seasons and Country › Lesson 1
Australian primary science · Year 4 · Lesson 1 of 3
Wet season, dry season
Inquiry question: When does the rain fall in different parts of Australia?
Marked no materials needed
Pattern seeking
What students learn
Rain is precipitation, one part of the water cycle. Different places in Australia have different rain patterns across the year, and long-term data helps us see and explain them. Weather describes short-term conditions; climate describes patterns over many years. Human activities can change climate.
Success criteria
- I can read rainfall in millimetres from a table.
- I can find the wettest and driest months for a city.
- I can describe a rain pattern and link rain to the water cycle.
- I can distinguish weather from climate and explain one human influence.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know that rain falls from clouds and that water evaporates in the sun.
- iPads with Bottlebrush Education open (nothing else needed) — 13 (one per pair)
- Projector or big screen — 1
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the rainfall table) on your screen to demonstrate.
- Check the iPads are charged.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs read the rainfall table in the student view.
- For each city, find the three wettest months and the three driest months.
- Write the season those wet months are in (summer, autumn, winter or spring).
- Write one sentence describing each city’s rain pattern.
- Distinguish next week’s weather from the long-term pattern. Read the source and ask how human activities can influence climate; do not infer a trend from one month or one average table.
- Sketch a quick column graph for one city in your book (optional), then play Data detective.
Teacher modelling prompt
Show the table. Point to Darwin and think aloud: “January: about 420 millimetres. July: less than 10. The big numbers are all in the summer months, December to March. So Darwin has a wet summer and a dry winter.” Write the pattern sentence on the board.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: When does the rain fall in different parts of Australia?
| City | Three wettest months | Three driest months | Season of the wet months | The pattern in one sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Use the bottom row of the table. Whose claim fits the data?
Provided example or reference data
Average rainfall each month, in millimetres (rounded long-term averages, based on Bureau of Meteorology climate statistics)
| Month | Darwin (NT) | Perth (WA) | Melbourne (Vic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 420 | 20 | 50 |
| February | 370 | 10 | 50 |
| March | 320 | 20 | 50 |
| April | 100 | 40 | 60 |
| May | 20 | 90 | 60 |
| June | less than 10 | 130 | 50 |
| July | less than 10 | 150 | 50 |
| August | less than 10 | 120 | 50 |
| September | 20 | 80 | 60 |
| October | 70 | 40 | 70 |
| November | 140 | 20 | 60 |
| December | 250 | 10 | 60 |
| Whole year (about) | 1700 | 730 | 670 |
Check the data source in the teacher lesson. Illustrative or fictional data are not measurements collected by your class.
Check understanding
What should pupils know? What is precipitation, and what has to happen in the water cycle before it can fall?
Explain with evidence: Perth gets about 150 mm in July and 10 mm in December. Describe Perth’s pattern and say which season is wettest.
Apply the idea: A family in Darwin wants to plan a camping trip with no rain. Which months would you suggest? Use the data.
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.