SC.5.E.7.6

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Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 5
Body of Knowledge: Earth and Space Science
Idea: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning
Big Idea: Earth Systems and Patterns - Humans continue to explore the interactions among water, air, and land. Air and water are in constant motion that results in changing conditions that can be observed over time.
Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved
Assessed: Yes

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5020060: Science - Grade Five (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
7720060: Access Science Grade 5 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
SC.5.E.7.Pa.3: Recognize the weather conditions including hot/cold and raining/not raining during the day.
SC.5.E.7.Su.5: Match specific weather conditions with different locations.
SC.5.E.7.In.6: Identify features of weather in different climate zones, such as tropical and polar.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Lesson Plans

Catch Me If You Can: Engineering Design Challenge:

In this lesson, 5th grade students work in small groups on a STEM challenge that involves science and math standards related to the water cycle, as well as learning the engineering design process.

Type: Lesson Plan

Weathering Weather:

This is a design challenge lesson allowing students to utilize their understanding of climate zones to design a tropical roof that would withstand the wind and water generated by a hurricane. This lesson also allows you to assess students understanding of operations with decimals to create their design under a given budget.

Type: Lesson Plan

Where in the World:

In the first lesson, students will determine latitude, longitude, continents, and ocean on a world map and label them correctly. In the second lesson, the students will be "dropped" off at an unknown location and they will have to figure out where in the world they are based on the plants, animals, and climate of that location so that they can be rescued by Professor Sohn.

Type: Lesson Plan

Anita Balance: Climate:

Anita Balance is a tightrope walker who is deciding to determine the location of her first big tightrope walk. Students must use their knowledge about climate to determine where the best/safest location (climate) will be to do her walk. This lesson provides opportunities for students to discuss how factors such as: precipitation, elevation and distance from the ocean affect climate.


Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorials

Climate Zones:

Explore the major climate zones on Earth and learn about the related weather patterns with this interactive research page.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Traveling With Boolean Logic Part 2: And Gates:

Learn how AND Boolean logic can be used to evaluate two different inputs resulting in a true or false output. While exploring the logic of a computer system in this interactive tutorial, you will learn about different biomes and how computers can make decisions based on the attributes of the biomes.

This is part 2 of 4 in a tutorial series about biomes and Boolean logic.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

What's the Weather Like?:

Learn to describe the relationship between latitude and annual mean temperatures on Earth with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity

Anita Balance: Climate:

Anita Balance is a tightrope walker who is deciding to determine the location of her first big tightrope walk. Students must use their knowledge about climate to determine where the best/safest location (climate) will be to do her walk. This lesson provides opportunities for students to discuss how factors such as: precipitation, elevation and distance from the ocean affect climate.


Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8

What's the Weather Like?:

Learn to describe the relationship between latitude and annual mean temperatures on Earth with this interactive tutorial.

Computer Science Original Student Tutorials

Traveling With Boolean Logic Part 2: And Gates:

Learn how AND Boolean logic can be used to evaluate two different inputs resulting in a true or false output. While exploring the logic of a computer system in this interactive tutorial, you will learn about different biomes and how computers can make decisions based on the attributes of the biomes.

This is part 2 of 4 in a tutorial series about biomes and Boolean logic.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorials

Climate Zones:

Explore the major climate zones on Earth and learn about the related weather patterns with this interactive research page.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Traveling With Boolean Logic Part 2: And Gates:

Learn how AND Boolean logic can be used to evaluate two different inputs resulting in a true or false output. While exploring the logic of a computer system in this interactive tutorial, you will learn about different biomes and how computers can make decisions based on the attributes of the biomes.

This is part 2 of 4 in a tutorial series about biomes and Boolean logic.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

What's the Weather Like?:

Learn to describe the relationship between latitude and annual mean temperatures on Earth with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.