Temperature and time zones: how warm and what time?
Read a thermometer, also below 0 °C, work out how much warmer or colder it got, and what time it is in another country. Read one step, play with it, then tap “I understand this”.
Read the thermometer
Temperature measures how hot or cold something is, in degrees Celsius (°C). Water freezes at 0 °C, your body is about 37 °C and water boils at 100 °C.
- First check how many degrees each small line is: look at two numbers and count the lines between them.
- Read at the top of the red line.
- Start at the nearest number below the red line and count the small lines up.
- Below 0 °C we write a minus sign: −5 °C is 5 degrees colder than freezing point.
The thermometer
Choose a scale and change the temperature.
The Celsius scale is built around water: at 0 °C water freezes and at 100 °C it boils. Temperatures below freezing get a minus sign.
Practise: read the temperature
Every thermometer can have a different scale. Always check first what one small line is worth.
Thermometer game
Read the thermometer and choose the right temperature.
Correct: 0On a 2 °C scale one line is not 1 degree. Count in twos: 20, 22, 24 …
How much warmer or colder?
To find the difference between two temperatures, subtract the lower one from the higher one. If one temperature is below 0, count up to 0 and then on.
Morning and afternoon
Tap “New day” for new temperatures.
Weather report
Choose the right difference.
Correct: 0Time zones: what time is it there?
The earth turns, so the sun does not rise everywhere at the same time. The world is divided into time zones. Countries east of us are ahead (later), countries west of us are behind (earlier).
World clocks
Change the time in South Africa and look at the other clocks. Blue clocks are at night.
Call your cousin
Work out what time it is in the other country.
Correct: 0The earth turns from west to east, so the sun rises first in the east. When it is already evening in Tokyo, it is still afternoon here.
Check yourself
- Read at the top of the red line; first check what one line is worth.
- Below 0 °C the temperature gets a minus sign: −5 °C is colder than 0 °C.
- From −3 °C to 9 °C: 3 up to 0, plus 9 = 12 degrees warmer.
- East of us = later (add hours); west of us = earlier (subtract hours).
Write these points in your maths book. Read them again the night before the test.
Quick questions
Tap an answer. If you get one wrong, read why and go back to that step. You get new questions every time.
You ticked all 4 steps! Now you are ready for the quiz.- Practice sheet for this classQuestions + memo · 3 A4 pagesPractice sheet
- Paper 17 pages · PDFPaperMemo
Ready for more? The Grade 6 temperature quiz gives you new questions every time.
- One step a day is enough. Ten calm minutes work better than an hour the night before the test.
- Look at the weather report on TV or in the newspaper together. Ask: “How much warmer is it in Upington than in Cape Town?”
- Ask your child to tell you the rule in their own words. If they can explain it, they understand it.
- The ticks (“I understand this”) are saved on this device only. We never ask for names or emails.
Follows CAPS for Grade 6 Maths. Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.