Turning up the temperature in Year 7

Did you know that Antarctica is a desert? That’s right… deserts are not all hot! To be classified as a desert an area needs to receive less than 250 MM of precipitation a year. You might not think that Kenya has any deserts, but it does, it actually has TWO! The Nyiri Desert is located east of Lake Magadi and in southern Kenyan and closer to home is the Chalbi Desert. The Chalbi Desert is roughly 400 KM north of School and is Kenya’s largest desert at 1,000 KM².

This week the Year 7s have been investigating the Chalbi Desert, focussing on locating it on a map, understanding its characteristics and looking at its climate. The children used real life climate data to plot Chalbi Desert climate graphs. These unique graphs have a dual Y axis representing Rainfall and Temperature - to the untrained eye they can be hard to understand. However, Year 7 took it in their stride; noting that the bar chart could be seen as raindrops which are informing us of rainfall. On the other hand, the line graph informs us of temperature and so the lines can be related to the rays of sunshine.

With plenty of focus, sharp pencils and steady rulers, the Year 7s were highly successful in plotting their graphs. Next lesson we will be looking at the flora and fauna found in the Chalbi. Mrs Walby and other children in the class will continue to share anecdotes from their own adventures to the Chalbi. Our Braeburn value of curiosity is a fundamental thread in our Geography lessons and we hope that children will be inspired to explore the amazing landscapes we have around us.