Curated OER
Mapping a Refuge
Students record observations gathered while at a national wildlife refuge. In this lesson on wildlife refuges, students choose an observation spot and record seasonal changes throughout the year.
Curated OER
Arctic Microclimates
Students identify, measure, and average micro-climatic temperatures in a particular region. They draw a small-scale map of an area to be sampled (classroom, playground, park, backyard) and identify potential locations for...
NASA
El Nino: Making Sense of the Weather: Global Wind Patterns
This is an educational site offered by NASA that has information on global winds, including prevailing westerlies, with illustrations. Included is a short activity to illustrate the winds.
NASA
Nasa: Global Wind Patterns
This site from NASA lists and defines global wind patterns. It features a graphic of these patterns and a self-test with answers.
Idaho State University
Global Wind Systems [Pdf]
A great description of the global scale circulation and heat energy. Discusses a single-cell model, a three-cell model, jet streams and more.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Wild Wind
Students will learn the difference between global, prevailing and local winds. In this activity, students will make a wind vane out of paper, a straw and a soda bottle and use it to measure wind direction over time. Finally, they will...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Climate and Weather
Eight hands-on lessons module in which students explore climate and weather. Inquiry-based investigations include observing weather, weather reporting, weather maps, weather satellites, causes of weather, and climate change.
PBS
Pbs/global Weather Machine
This site explains wind systems as part of a global weather scheme, with illustrations.
Other
Kites as Education: Wind Origins
This "kite science" site offers information on wind and the atmospheric conditions that cause it. From "Principles of Aeronautics."
NOAA
Noaa: Southern Region Weather: Global Circulations
"Global Circulations explain how air and storm systems travel over the Earth's surface. The global circulation would be simple (and the weather boring) if the Earth did not rotate, the rotation was not tilted relative to the sun, and had...
NOAA
Noaa: Weather Systems and Patterns
Imagine our weather if Earth were completely motionless, had a flat dry landscape and an un-tilted axis. This, of course, is not the case; if it were, the weather would be much different. The local weather that impacts our daily lives...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Global Weather Machine
In this illustrated essay from NOVA Online, explore the cyclical process of weather creation and the effects of El Nino on the global weather system.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Earth Science for Kids: Weather: Wind
Kids learn about wind including how it is formed, how it is measured, local and global winds including prevailing, westerlies, trade, and polar easterlies.
Weather Wiz Kids
Weather Wiz Kids: Wind
Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Since the earth's surface is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs the sun's radiation unevenly. Two factors are necessary to...
Other
Arm Program's Education Center: Global Warming
An all purpose site with something for everyone. Learn about global warming and climate change, ask a scientist, take a quiz, or get a lesson plan!
Other
Niwa: Climate and Weather
Want to learn more about the climate and weather? This webpage contains links to websites around the world concerned with providing information about climate and weather. Topics include ozone, greenhouse gases, global warming, tornadoes,...
Other
Digital Library for Earth System Education: Teaching Box: Essentials of Weather
A suite of lessons focusing on the basic elements of climate and weather. Inquiry-based exploration of extreme weather events and the factors of weather including clouds, wind, air pressure, temperature, and the water cycle.
National Weather Service
National Weather Service: Jet Stream: The Jet Stream
The concept of jet streams is explained on this site. Read about why jet stream winds blow from west to east, what the polar jet and subtropical jet are, the role that the rotation of the Earth plays, etc.
Other
The Weather Underground: Weather in France
The Weather Underground lets you click on the name of a town or city in France and find the current weather conditions (temp, humidity, dew point, wind etc.) and a week's forecast. Includes moon phase, sunrise and sunset times.
NASA
Nasa: El Nino
A concise explanation of El Nino. Discusses global wind patterns and ocean temperatures. Offers interactive weather-related learning activities.
University of Oregon
University of Oregon: Global Climate Animations
Check out this site for global climate animations. "Get a feel for why we have seasonal weather changes or why other regions have different weather than you do."
Center for Educational Technologies
Exploring the Environment El Nino: The Child Returns
Use remote sensing data and background information to look at regional and global consequences of El Nino. Try working with the 'situation' to test your understanding.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: Fact Sheet for El Nino
This site from the Univ. Corp. for Atmospheric Research provides detailed information on El Nino and its effects on the trade winds is offered at this site, with satellite photos.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: The 1991/1992 Drought
This site from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research offers information on drought and global climate conditions, with an explanation of the trade winds.