When Air Masses Meet: Weather Fronts and Air Pressure

About This Resource

A complete Grade 6 science pack on air pressure and weather fronts. Students learn that high pressure usually brings settled weather and low pressure brings clouds and rain, compare cold and warm fronts, read symbols on a simple weather map and use a barometer reading to make forecasts. Includes slides, a lesson plan, worksheet, quiz, homework, A5 flashcards, a rubric, Word files and answer keys.

Overview

Air has weight and presses down on everything; this is air pressure, measured with a barometer in hectopascals (hPa). Where air sinks, pressure is high and skies are usually clear and calm. Where air rises, pressure is low; the rising air cools and forms clouds and rain. Large bodies of air with similar temperature are called air masses, and the boundary between two of them is a front. At a cold front, cold air pushes under warm air and forces it up quickly, often bringing heavy showers or storms. At a warm front, warm air slides gently up over cold air, bringing longer, steadier rain. Students interpret diagrams, weather map symbols and barometer readings.

Resource Details

Subject: Science
Topic: Weather Fronts and Air Pressure
Category: Weather & Seasons
File Type: PDF
File Size: 332.5 KB
Published: 14 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 6 (ages 11–12) 55 minutes Interpreting diagrams and maps explaining predicting

Learning Objectives

Explain how high and low pressure affect the weather.
Compare the weather brought by cold fronts and warm fronts.
Read simple weather map symbols and barometer trends to make a forecast.

How to Use This Resource

Ask: "Why does the weather change from day to day?" Collect ideas.
Teach air pressure and fronts with the slides, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6. Use the quiz and send the homework page home.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Air has weight: compare a balloon full of air with an empty one on a balance.
Front in a tank: a teacher demonstration with cold blue water and warm red water meeting in a container.
Forecast desk: groups read a weather map and present a one-minute forecast.

Differentiation

Support: give a cold front and warm front comparison chart. Challenge: students explain why wind blows from high to low pressure and why a rapidly falling barometer suggests a storm.

Assessment

Use the worksheet and quiz to check explanations. Use the rubric for the forecast presentation.

Teacher Tips

Remind students that forecasts describe what usually happens; real weather can vary. On weather maps, cold fronts are shown with blue triangles and warm fronts with red semicircles pointing in the direction the front is moving.

What's Included

10-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 6 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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