Teaching hidden climate threats: drought in the UK

Jones, Verity; Williams, Sara; McEwen, Lindsey; Whitehouse, Sarah; Gorell Barnes, Luci

Abstract

Winning the GA’s silver publishing award in 2020 for their e-book and associated teacher notes, the team behind the resource creation reflect on the impact of their work and the importance of climate discussions in the primary classroom.

Over the life course of the children in our current year six (10 – 11 year olds in 2022), they will have experienced extreme weather conditions in the UK. The Met Office (see Web Resources) have reported on winter storms of 2014; flooding resulting from storms in 2015; damaging winds of 2016 and 2017; five unseasonably strong storms in 2018 along with significant snowfalls; severe flooding and heavy rainfall through much of 2019; ten storms bringing turbulent, wet weather in 2020; and a further five in 2021. By February 2022, the shores of the UK had been battered by Storm Dudley, Eunice and Franklin in quick succession. The media reports on burst river banks, submerged streets, homes evacuated, trains cancelled, risk and loss of life. These immediate and visible threats to people and place litter our screens and fill our radio waves. With the continuation of the climate crisis, such reporting is only set to increase and as teachers of primary geography, they can provide a useful stimulus for discussions about the changing weather, the water cycle, land use impacts etc. However, they can also reinforce UK weather stereotypes and misconceptions. In this article, we would like to present the often overlooked experience within the UK, and consider why and how we can go about teaching drought.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 25, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 25, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jun 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 26, 2024
• Journal: Primary Geography
• Print ISSN: 0956-277X
• Publisher: Geographical Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 112
• Pages: 24-25
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9534136
• Publisher URL: https://portal.geography.org.uk/journal/view/J9781899086202