Climate in Indonesia: A Comparative Study Lower Secondary SOSE Unit Studies of Asia Learning Emphases Developing concepts of Asia Specific Indonesia focus: Describe key elements of climate as they relate to Indonesia (eg monsoons, wet and dry season). Demonstrate an understanding of the regional differences in climate across the Indonesian archipelago. Design a poster highlighting Indonesian regional climatic differences. Students search for information about Australia's and Indonesia's climates on the Internet, using search engines and Boolean phrases, and analyse the major climatic differences between Australia and Indonesia and across the Indonesian archipelago. Is There an 'Australian Climate'? Comparing Indonesia's Climate with Australia's In-depth Climate and Weather Study of an Indonesian Region Teaching and Learning Activities Is There an 'Australian Climate'? Ask students to draw a picture showing 'Australia's climate'. Hopefully, there will be a range of impressions! Display the drawings in the classroom and discuss: Does Australia have the same climate in every region? Is the climate of North Queensland the same as Canberra's? Is the climate of Sydney typical of the rest of Australia? Is Broome's climate the same as Perth's? Explain to students that, in small groups, they are to search the Internet for sites that provide information about Australia's climate. Brainstorm appropriate Boolean phrases, eg 'Australia and weather', 'Australia and climate'. (See the Lower Secondary English Unit Newspapers: A Comparative Study on this site for an example of a search engine activity using Boolean phrases.) The groups then give a small talk to the rest of the class about whether the information they have found truly reflects the diversity of Australia's climate. Comparing Indonesia's Climate with Australia's Just as Australia has a diversity of climatic conditions, so does Indonesia across the archipelago. Students access the following sites for a good general description of Indonesian climate: Highlights on Indonesia http://www.indonesianet.com/hilight/hiland.htm Encarta Encyclopedia: Indonesia, Republic of http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761573214 Indonesia Facts and Tips: Climate http://www.planetholiday.com/asia/indonesia/indonesia_climate.asp noting the main points. Discuss with students whether this information would be representative of all regions of Indonesia, reminding them of their statements about the 'Australian climate'. Ask such questions as: Would the temperature in the mountains be the same as on the coast? Would the amount of tropical rainfall be the same on different islands across Indonesia? Would there be much difference between the minimum and maximum daily temperatures? Is humidity a climatic feature across Indonesia? Is there a summer and winter in Indonesia? Using the information about Australian and Indonesian climate and weather, students write a class summary comparing the two countries. In-depth Climate and Weather Study of an Indonesian Region Students form groups and select a region or island of Indonesia. Their task is to predict climate in their chosen area, record its weather patterns over a 10-day period and draw a topographical map of the area. They present the information on a poster. Before commencing, students predict what the climate would be like. Students then search the Internet using such phrases as 'Indonesia and weather', 'Indonesia and climate', 'Irian Jaya and weather', to compare their predictions with fact.   Classroom Resources | Curriculum Guides | Resources | Go Indonesia! | Home | Access Asia Lesson Plans  Commonwealth of Australia and Curriculum Corporation