Weather

These items are designed for the teacher to use in the classroom or as background reference material.
Categories of educational information on this page:

General Weather-Related Materials
Hurricanes
UV Radiation
Drought and the Water Cycle
Tornadoes
Lightning
Weather Balloons
Teacher Training Information

GENERAL WEATHER-RELATED MATERIALS

• A Guide to Developing a Severe Weather Emergency Plan for Schools - this guide has been designed for schools, but it can be used by people who work in businesses, shopping malls, depots, hotels and hospitals.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/er/lwx/swep/

• JetStream - An Online Weather School -JetStream is arranged by subject: beginning with global and large scale weather patterns followed by lessons on air masses, wind patterns, cloud formations, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, damaging winds, tornados, tropical storms, cyclones and flooding. Interspersed in JetStream are "Learning Lessons" which can be used to enhance the educational experience. Want to Make a Cloud Spotter Wheel? To make this handy wheel which tells about the various kinds of clouds and shows the appropriate picture, click here.
  www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/

• Masters of Disaster - This project, developed by the Red Cross, helps teachers integrate disaster safety concepts into their regular lesson plans. NOAA works with the Red Cross and other federal agencies to help protect our citizens from weather disasters. (This is a not a U.S. Government website. NOAA is not responsible for the content of external internet sites).
  www.redcross.org/disaster/masters

• National Weather Service's Resources for Educators - This page provides links to NWS National and Regional office education web pages and, if available, to your local NWS office's education outreach web page. It also provides links to demonstrations and projects which can be used by teachers; weather and oceanographic images; and the names of people in your area who can assist in weather and flooding education efforts.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/edures.htm

• Student Activities in Meteorology - These classroom activities for middle school students include the topics of Doppler Radar, Severe Weather - Lightning and Tornados, Wind Chill, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Depletion, as well as Space Weather Monitoring.
  www.fsl.noaa.gov/visitors/education/sam1/SAM_Intro.html

• Student Activities in Meteorology II - More classroom activities for middle school students have been developed. Topics include the anatomy of clouds, forecasting severe weather, disappearing ozone, forecasting tornadoes, El Nino and La Nina and the Greenhouse Effect.
  www.fsl.noaa.gov/visitors/education/samii/SAM_II_Intro.html

• Educator Resources: Sources of Curricula Information - This page is a link to the National Science Education Standards, classroom activities, special courses and projects, and to sources of data for teachers.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/educ/educ1.htm

• How the Weather Service Gets the Word Out - This document shows how the National Weather Service (NWS) strives to utilize the latest technologies available for the dissemination of climate, water, and weather data and information. Timely access to weather information is provided through NWS systems, including the - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio (NWR) - NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) - Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) - Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN) Teachers will find information about resources from the American Meteorological Society and Project Atmosphere including the formation of the Atmospheric Education Resource Agent (AERA) network, DataStreme, AAAS, the American Geological Institute, and others, with information about audiovisual materials, computer software, and data sources.
  www.nssl.noaa.gov/resources

• Resource Listing for Weather and Climate Instruction - This document is intended to assist those who teach weather and climate at any level from pre-school through introductory college level courses, by listing some of the available instructional resources. Teachers will find information about resources from the American Meteorological Society and Project Atmosphere including the formation of the Atmospheric Education Resource Agent (AERA) network, DataStreme, AAAS, the American Geological Institute, and others, with information about audiovisual materials, computer software, and data sources.
  http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/resources

• Science with NOAA Research - This web page provides middle school science students and teachers with research and investigation experiences using on-line resources. Teachers will find information that will help them prepare students for investigating the various sites in this program. Even if the teacher does not have much experience in using web-based activities in science classes, the directions are easy to follow. Topics include tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes, and forecasting.
  www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/

• National Severe Storm Laboratory's Weather Room - This page provides general information for kids, parents, and teachers. Elementary school coloring books are available for printing and use for weather education. There is information about tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning and thunderstorm, with weather lessons on the basic introduction to map analysis and interpretation, and information about weather careers.
  www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/

• EXPLORES! Using Satellite Data - Florida State University implements the NOAA Direct Readout Program from the polar orbiting satellites. To date the university has installed over 230 weather satellite ground stations designed to receive live imagery from NOAA 12, 14, and 15 satellites (as the constellation now stands), and also supports WEFAX in about 1/4 of these schools. This site includes postings of APT, WEFAX and GVAR imagery received at FSU, plus weather satellite interpretation messages. (This is a not a U.S. Government website. NOAA is not responsible for the content of external internet sites).
  www.met.fsu.edu/explores

• National Climatic Data Center - This web site is a pathway to connect both national and global climate data sets used by the government and the private sector. The Center acts as the Nation's scorekeeper regarding the trends and anomalies of weather and climate.
  www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/climateextremes.html

• Climate Prediction Center - The Climate Prediction Center serves the public by assessing and forecasting the impacts of short-term climate variability and emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events. Educational materials include information on the ENSO cycle, and fact sheets and monographs.
  www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/education.html

• Weather Education and Safety Homepage -- Provides information on weather terms, satellites and radar, tornadoes, etc. Has quizzes and some fun stuff to do.
  tgsv5.nws.noaa.gov/er/lwx/wesh/index.htm

• Educational Sources - This page links teachers with an array of information from National Weather Service offices and others that focus on weather education.
  wchs.csc.noaa.gov/education_sources.htm

• Office of Meteorology Publications - You can make your own copies of publications by downloading Adobe Acrobat and printing the many available publications.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/

• Resources for Educators - This pages offers teachers many resources including sites where courses and projects are offered. (See Courses in Meteorology for Teachers in directory on left hand side of page.) These include projects developed for teacher training from the American Meteorological Society's Education program.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/edures.htm

  HURRICANES

• Hurricane Basics - This booklet offers teachers many resources and information about hurricanes including how they form and grow. It also includes the cycle of Atlantic storm names for the years 2005 through 2010 and a tracking chart for the Atlantic/Caribbean Sea site.
  www.climate.noaa.gov/education/hurricanes/hurricane_basics.pdf

  UV RADIATION

• Sun-Wise School Program - NOAA partnered with the U.S. EPA to help educators raise sun safety awareness. EPA has developed the SunWise School Program, a national education program for grades K-8. SunWise Partner Schools sponsor classroom and schoolwide activities that raise children's awareness of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and simple sun safety practices. SunWise is a collaborative effort of schools, communities, teachers, parents, health professionals, environmental groups, meteorologists, educational organizations, and others. With everyone's help, sun protection can grow beyond classrooms to the entire community. epa.gov/sunwise/summary.html

  DROUGHT and THE WATER CYCLE

• Drought Science for Educators - One of NOAA's partners in dealing with the causes and the effects of drought is the National Drought Mitigation Center. This site helps teachers of grades 5-12 incorporate drought into their lectures. (This is a not a U.S. Government website. NOAA is not responsible for the content of external internet sites).
  drought.unl.edu

• The Water Cycle Game - This game explains the complexity of the water cycle through role-playing as a molecule of water. Students can gain a better understanding of the complexity of the movement of water.
  response.restoration.noaa.gov/watercyclegame

  TORNADOES

• VORTEX: Unraveling the Secrets - A Storybook This project, Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment, helps teachers and students understand facts about tornadoes and shows how the scientific method of making observations, collecting data, and developing and testing hypotheses to reach an informed conclusion is used.
  www.nssl.noaa.gov/noaastory/

  LIGHTNING

• Take an Online Lightning Quiz - Here's your opportunity to see if you know about the dangers of lightning.
  www.wrh.noaa.gov/Saltlake/lquizhtml/intro_slide.html/

• The National Lightning Safety Page - Here's lots of information about lightning safety. You can download the Online Lightning Quiz to your computer by clicking on the .exe file. Be aware that this is a very large file.
  www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/more.htm

  WEATHER BALLOONS

• The Weather Balloon - Learn about weather balloons - what they are, how they take observations, and how the information is used to predict the weather. Your machine will need to have the "RealVideo" plug-in and a sound card with speakers to access this information.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/educ/radiosnd.rm

• Weather Balloon Video (Small Image) - Watch a weather balloon being inflated and released, then listen to the signal from the instrument (radiosonde) attached to the weather balloon as it transmits data back to the ground where the data is plotted on a computer. This is a stamp-sized version at 390kb. Your machine will need to have the "RealVideo" plug-in and a sound card to access this information.
  www.nws.noaa.gov/om/educ/wxblstmp.rm

  TEACHER TRAINING INFORMATION

• Teacher Enhancement Programs - The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Charleston has compiled a list of programs for teachers interested in weather.
  wchs.csc.noaa.gov/teacher_enhancement.htm

• The Teacher at Sea Program - This program allows a teacher in grade K-16 to apply for the opportunity to serve as a researcher on NOAA Ships. The current application materials and ship schedules are available on-line. A complete application consists of Form A: Participant's Application; forms B and C: Supervisor and Colleague Recommendations; and the Medical History Questionnaire. You need to send your completed application packet at least 3 months prior to your desired sailing date.
  www.tas.noaa.gov

Publication of the NOAA Education Team.
Website Owner: NOAA Office of Education.

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Last Updated: August 31 , 2006 11:30 AM