MMathematicsWater and climateS1 · S2 · S3Geography · Physics

Water and climate lab: rain, temperature and a school tank

Many schools lack water from June to August. With a year of rainfall and temperature records, find the dry season, then design a rainwater tank so the school never runs dry.

▶ Start the lab 🧠 Questions 📄 My report

LevelS1 to S3 (statistics), all levels for the design

TimeAbout 50 min

You useClimate data, bar and line graphs, tank model

PriceFree: no account

🎯 Aim

To describe a climate with statistics (total, mean, median, range) and to use rainfall data to design a rainwater harvesting system for a school.

You will learn to

Calculate total, mean, median and range from a data table.
Read bar charts and line graphs of climate data.
Calculate the volume of rainwater collected by a roof.
Use a model to choose a tank size and explain your choice.

🧭 What to do

Look at the rainfall bar chart and the temperature graph. Which months are dry?
Answer the statistics questions from the table (use 💡 Hint if needed).
Study the temperature readings of one dry-season day.
In Rainwater harvesting, change the roof area, roof material and water use.
Increase the tank size until the school never runs dry. Watch the tank graph.
Write your conclusion and download your lab report.

🔬 Lab bench

📋 The data

Monthly rainfall (mm) and mean daily temperatures (°C) typical of a highland city near the equator such as Kigali (about 1 550 m), rounded for learning; not official records.

🧠 Investigate: answer from the data

Type your answer and tap Check. Use 💡 Hint first; open the method only when you are stuck.

📄 My lab report

Your report collects the aim, your data table, the graphs, your answers and your conclusion. It is made on your phone or computer: nothing is sent to anyone.

My conclusion

Check your conclusion

The year has two rainy seasons (March–May and October–December) and a long dry season from June to August, when maximum temperatures are highest. A 400 m² iron-sheet roof collects about 320 m³ of rain in a year, more than a school using 1 000 L per school day needs, but a large tank (about 50 m³) is required to store water for the dry season.

➕ Get more from this experiment

📝 Free

Print the worksheet (button above), download the data, and save your report. Teachers can project this page in class.

📦 Premium Lab Pack

1 000 RWF

Worksheet with 5 more towns (Huye, Musanze, Rubavu, Nyagatare, Rusizi)
Group project: rainwater plan for your own school
Teacher guide and answer key
Exam-style statistics questions with marking scheme

See the pack

👩‍🏫 For teachers

Use it as a practical when apparatus is missing, as homework, or as a project. Free lesson plans help you plan, teach and assess.

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DONAT STEM Interactive Labs · original work by BIZIYAREMYE Donat · data are realistic models for learning · free forever