Atmospheric Circulation Worksheet

This atmospheric circulation worksheet will teach your students how unequal heating drives Earth’s atmospheric circulation. It is a rigorous worksheet covering global wind patterns, convection cells, and the Coriolis effect.

This activity uses short reading passages and critical thinking questions to guide students through the complex concepts of atmospheric circulation, from understanding why the equator is warmer than the poles to explaining how Earth’s rotation curves global winds.

Spark some critical thinking! This is not a “fluff” worksheet!

⭐ Get this at a discount in my Atmospheric & Oceanic Circulation COMPLETE UNIT!

Students READ short text passages on various atmospheric circulation topics and then complete VARIOUS QUESTION TYPES:

• Reading comprehension questions
• Flow charts
• Claims-evidence-reasoning prompts
• Cause and effect
• Information organizer grids

FOUR SECTIONS include text passages and questions related to:

1. Unequal Heating of Earth’s Surface
2. Convection and Air Movement
3. Global Wind Patterns
4. The Coriolis Effect

All information in the questions is provided in the short texts, so no prior knowledge is required. The worksheet is 4 pages long (2 front/back) and includes 4 short texts with 13 total questions.

Related Standard:

• NGSS MS-ESS2-6: Develop and use a model to describe howunequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Teacher Notes:

• Check out my Atmospheric & Oceanic Circulation COMPLETE UNIT!
• Includes answer key.
• Go paperless! This activity includes a digital Google Slides version.
• Please note that this atmospheric circulation worksheet is not editable.
• You can also shop my TPT store!