Lesson Plans
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Education and Outreach Program creates basic science lessons related to weather and climate for K-12th grade. ARM Education strives to make lessons that are relevant to the needs of the schools in the communities where ARM has its sites, the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States, the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), and the North Slope of Alaska (NSA). However, almost all of these lessons are useful for students anywhere. To learn more about the ARM Climate Research Facility, click to view a short video (YouTube).
Additional classroom materials are available at Just for Fun, including an activity book full of Climate, Coloring, Crosswords... and Other Fun Stuff!
Getting Started
Lesson Plans and Activities
Click on a table header to sort the table by name, type, grade level, category, or site.
Name | Type | Grade Level | Category | Site |
---|---|---|---|---|
Common Covering Clouds (PDF, 297KB) | Lesson Plan | K-2 | Weather and Climate | |
When Floating Ice Melts in the Sea (PDF, 631KB) | Lesson Plan | K-2 | Oceans | |
Planting Trees (PDF, 285KB) | Lesson Plan | 3-5 | Climate Change | |
Rainfall and the Water Table (PDF, 625KB) | Lesson Plan | 3-5 | Climate Change | |
Making Clouds (PDF, 247KB) | Lesson Plan | 6-8 | Weather and Climate | |
Why Is It Hotter at the Equator? (PDF, 1.6MB) | Lesson Plan | 6-8 | Weather and Climate | |
Monsoon Convection Cells (PDF, 254KB) | Lesson Plan | 9-12 | Weather and Climate | |
Thermal Expansion of Water (PDF, 870KB) | Lesson Plan | 9-12 | Oceans | |
Air Density and Temperature | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Air Pressure | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Comparing Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity (PDF, 39KB) | Activity | 6-9 | Atmosphere | |
Measuring Quantities of Gases | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Measuring Water Vapor | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Atmosphere | |
Outgassing | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Plant Growth and Carbon Dioxide | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Simple Light Scattering | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Sunlight and Water Evaporation | Activity | Atmosphere | Tropical Western Pacific | |
The Thermodynamics of Pizza(PDF, 155KB, also available in PPT, 152KB) | Activity | Atmosphere | North Slope of Alaska | |
Acid Rain | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Amount of Greenhosue Gases in the Atmosphere | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Bringing Climate Change into the Classroom (PDF, 261KB) | Activity | Climate Change | North Slope of Alaska | |
Environmental Changes | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Expansion of Population and the Environment | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Global Warming | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Historical Climate Statistics | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Make Your Own El Niño (PDF, 64KB) | Activity | Climate Change | ||
The Pacific and El Niño | Activity | Climate Change | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Tracking Global Climate Change | Activity | Climate Change | ||
Coastal Erosion | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Dissolved Gases in Water | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Estimating Local Sea Level | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Moving Water and Waves | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Ocean Currents | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Past Sea Level Data | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Rate of Coral Growth | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Sea Water and Agriculture | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Surface Currents | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Temperature of the Pacific Ocean | Activity | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Whales and Sea Ice: Investigating Insulation (PDF, 148KB) | Activity | 3-6 | Oceans | North Slope of Alaska |
When Land Ice Melts | Activity | 3-6 | Oceans | Tropical Western Pacific |
Adapting to Survive (PDF, 12KB) | Activity | 6-9 | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Arctic Microclimates (PDF, 34KB, also available in PPT, 80KB) Arctic Microclimate Worksheet |
Activity | 6-9 | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Climate in the Pacific Region | Activity | 6-9 | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific |
Clouds of Changing Times (PDF, 43KB) | Activity | 2-4 | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Current Weather | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Effects of Solar Radiation on Land and Sea | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
The Extraordinary Life of the Alaskan Tundra (PDF, 77KB) | Activity | Middle School/High School | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Iñupiat Weather Expertise (PDF, 102KB) An extended version of An Iñupiat Weather Report (PDF, 30KB) |
Activity | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska | |
Measuring Cloud Heights | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Measuring Solar Radiation | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Measuring Wind Profiles | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Microclimate | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Mountains of Erosion (PDF, 39KB) | Activity | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska | |
Observing Wind Speed and Cloudiness | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Reason for the Seasons | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Surface Meteorological Observation System (SMOS) | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Understanding Wind Direction and Making a Wind Vane (PDF, 37KB) | Activity | K-3 | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Understanding Inversions (PDF, 175KB) More About Inversions (PDF, 264KB) |
Activity | Weather and Climate | ||
Vertical Cloud Radar | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Wave Erosion (PDF, 22KB) | Activity | 4 | Weather and Climate | North Slope of Alaska |
Weather and Climate Statistics | Activity | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific | |
Weather Balloons | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | |
Winds | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific |
Your Own Greenhouse | Activity | Middle School/Junior High | Weather and Climate | Tropical Western Pacific |
Background Information
- General Background Information
- Online Meteorology Guide
- Geophysical Focus Areas
- Global Temperature Record
Tools
- Tools of the Atmospheric Scientist: Lessons in Interpretation of Data
- Heat Index Calculator
- Relative Humidity Calculator
- Temperature Conversions Calculator
- Wind Chill Calculator
Movies
We would like to hear from you. Please send us your feedback.