3.4.+Measure+and+record++weather+conditions

Fieldwork Introduction by Nicholas
The Edexcel IGCSE in Geography enables students to: • develop and apply their learning to the real world through fieldwork and other out-of classroom learning; • use geographical skills, appropriate technologies, enquiry and analysis.

Edexcel offer eight fieldwork opportunities that involve out-of-classroom activities, but realise “that this is not always possible”. But “In the examination, questions may be asked on all eight fieldwork opportunities.”

Even if they do not wish to do the actual investigations suggested by the Board, students do need to have a good practical knowledge of what to do.

1 Planning and data collection 2 Presentation and analysis of data 3 (a) Interpreting your data and coming to the conclusion (b) Evaluating your methods, with an emphasis on how you would improve them.
 * Fieldwork has three main components, once you have decided on topic.**

At all stages keep a log of what you are doing. When collecting the data, be sure to include in your log factors which may affect your results, for example what the weather is like., how may people were not willing to be interviewed. In some cases, having completed some data collection you may have ideas about how you could have done it better. Jot these down in your log.

Read up on the topic you are going to investigate, so that you have a good understanding of it. Decide on the exact angle you are investigating Decide on what data you want to collect and how you will do this.
 * 1 Planning stage**

You need one or more maps show where the area is Tabulate (put into tables) the statistics you have collected Use a wide range of methods of presentation. Include some hand drawn charts as well as IT-prepared ones Be as accurate as possible Make sure sketches and photographs have titles and are labelled or annotated.
 * 2 Presentation and analysis of data**

When analysing your data, keep in mind what you have put forward as your main idea, and relate your data to it.

Describe the results and suggest reasons for them. Write down your conclusion Show to what extent your conclusions bear out your aims (b) Evaluation There will be sections where you know you could have done better. Write about these and how do you would have improved them the second time round.
 * 3 (a) Interpretation and conclusion**

Now for the current assignment
You have 3 options. The syllabus suggests you do one practical and one virtual per section (We have been doing section A so far). So certainly for those of you who did practical last time, the virtual one would be good this time – but if you fancy another practical – be my guest.

Option 1:
I have collected and collated suitable data from my weather station. This included: Wind speed Gust speed – the difference between these 2 is the wind speed is more constant whereas gusts are just quick one-offs Wind direction Rainfall Minimum and maximum temperatures Minimum and maximum pressures Humidity

The assignment comes in 2 parts. Part 1: Look at each data set separately – decide on a suitable way to create a graph and having created the graph, look at what the pattern tells you. Use all the information you have to explain what you see. Part 2: Feeling brave? Look at all the graphs you have and see if there is a pattern between any 2 of them – as you saw in class I tried one which did not have any pattern linking them at all! However, I am sure you could find one that might work? Having made a graph joining your 2 ideas, now you need to explain why this is. Again use all the geographical evidence at your finger tips to explain what you see. Remember these kind of assignments have conclusions and evaluations! Here are some files for you to use: The data in an excel document with a radial graph that you can just fill in the information as you need it: This is the data in word, together with some blank graphs that you can print out and use if you are not happy working in EXCEL:

Option 2
Using the option 2 PowerPoint ‘Predicting Weather through clouds’ and also anything else that may help you, keep a weather prediction record for 2 weeks. Remember to record dailyhow well you did. This too will need a conclusion and evaluation. I had a cry for help from Callan - he rightly pointed out that Nicholas's help sheet included doing graphs - and he was kind of stuck about what to use. This is the reply I sent and I think it may be a useful hint for the rests of you guys. I take it that you are referring to Nicholas’ contribution? I think maybe he did not think in terms of that precise idea of a project – it was one that came to me over the week end!

Having completed your 2 weeks with predicted and actual weather, then you could use Venn or Carroll diagrams E.g predicated heavy rain/ not heavy rain against heavy rain did/did not happen. Do all possible combinations and then do percentage success for each one and graph all those results in some way – from that you could tell what you were most successful in predicting and what you weren’t. Next you could then explain from your geographical knowledge why some predictions were easier/more difficult to make than others If you have a thermometer, by the way, you could take the temperature and predict whether it will rise or fall – no cheating by using the local news!! Remember annotated pictures are a good source of graphical information.

Option 3 – this might be good for non-UK students in particular
If you have access to a variety of measuring instruments or would like to make some of your own (build your on weather station pdf, then you might consider doing this one. It is called microclimates, if you have a largish garden or other available space (someone else’s garden?). You may have noticed that different parts of the garden tend to have better growing plants or you grow vegetables in one place rather than another? Or maybe the birds tend to hang out more in one place than another. This could all be down to micro-climate – that means that each little area will have its very own climate that makes it better for some things to happen there rather than somewhere else. It could be that one bit is windier than another – or one part gets more sunlight than its shady neighbour – that one part feels warmer than the others or that one part gets the full force of the rain while another part is sheltered from it and often dry. It is not very scientific using words like more or less, you need some numbers to prove your case. Hence you need to measure the amount rain one place receives in comparison with the other. What about the temperature and wind speed? The assignment is this: What might you want to put in a particular place/ Eg a washing line might want it as windy as possible but not too much in the shade. So if this was your idea, then you would measure the wind speed and temperature in several places over a few days and come to a conclusion as to the best place and then explain your reasoning. Aim: to find the best place for a ………….. Introduction: a good diagram of the garden labelling the features that will affect the various microclimates. Then explain what you need from the place you are going to put. Method – collecting the data – including it you had to make anything to do it Results: Table + graph of all results. Conclusion: what you found out and what that helped you decide Evaluation: how well did the whole thing work? Did you have good enough equipment? Did you collect enough data? Could you have measured anything else?