As part of our DataStreme program, the AMS Education team developed a set of modules to help educators teach about weather, ocean, and climate. These modules include background content, activities, and answer keys on a variety of topics commonly addressed in K-12 earth and environmental science courses. They are free to use according to the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license.

These are designed for upper-level elementary school classrooms, but can be adapted for use in earlier grades. We offer similar textbooks and materials for undergraduate courses as well.  

Atmosphere

• Air-Sea Interaction | Key
• Atmosphere Aloft | Key
• Clouds* | Key
• Coriolis Effect | Key
• El Niño/La Niña* | Key
• Highs-Lows | Key
• Hazardous Weather
  • Hurricanes | Key
  • Thunderstorms | Key
• Jet Streams | Key 
• Sunlight and Seasons | Key

More atmosphere modules are in development.

Ocean

• Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation, Geostrophic Flow, and Oceanic Gyres | Key
• Density-Driven Ocean Circulation | Key
• Ocean Tides | Key
• Deep Ocean and Shallow Water Waves | Key
• Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation, Ekman Transport, and Coastal Upwelling | Key
• El Niño ~ La Niña | Key
• Sea Level Change | Key

Climate

• Introduction to Paleoclimatology | Key 
• Understanding the Polar Regions | Key 
• Land Ice, Sea Ice, Grounded Ice, and Impacts on Sea Level Rise | Key
• Ice Core Science and Engineering | Key 
• Ice Core Analysis and Paleoclimatology | Key

*These modules may require additional physical resources for their activities.

These resources were developed by the AMS Education team and supported by grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the NSF Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX). 

We also offer a free library of sketches of key meteorological and oceanographic concepts. 

All resources are © by American Meteorological Society.