Introduction
You are helping the local meteorologist for the day. You are given information on an upcoming storm from his assistant. However, it does not say what kind of natural disaster it is. You think it may be a tornado or a hurricane. Can you determine what kind of storm it is by the assistant's information?
Task
By the end of this lesson, you will:
- Have a greater knowledge on hurricanes and tornados
- Be able to synthesize information on natural disasters from videos
- Have a look into the life of meteorologists and storm chasers
Process
Use the information given from the meteorologist's assistant and the four videos below to determine the type of storm that is present. Be sure to watch all four videos, there is important information in each!
Assistant's Report:
Today, August 29th, a storm is taking place in New Jersey. Wind speeds that have been recorded are 76 mph and 186 mph. It appears to be moving in a circular motion. Temperatures have been at an average of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with very humid conditions and thunderstorms.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWh9jV_1ac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KDz6dGQ5RE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4rgvu4xDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eRzNC8JDoA
If you cannot click a link, copy and paste it into your web browser's top bar.
Evaluation
Which type of storm do you think is happening? Back up your answer using facts from each video. Make sure to state why it is not another type of storm, as this discussion is also a part of your grade!
Conclusion
Good job!
You now have a better understanding of two types of natural disasters.
The next type of natural disasters we will be looking at is earthquakes. You can find out more about them in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgB1IWr6O4
Credits
Thank you to the creators of the videos, and also to Dr. Bush for providing information on WebQuests!
Teacher Page
1) Grade Level: 6th Grade Content area: Meteorology (Science)
2) ->Goal: Students will be able to determine the types of natural disaster that is described using the provided videos.
-> Assessment: Students will be assessed on providing the correct answer, and also being able to back up their answer using the information found in the provided videos.
-> Process: Students will be able to identify defining factors of tornados and hurricanes, and then synthesize this information to determine the type of storm present.
3.1) Student will be able to synthesize and compare the different factors that cause and the conditions present in tornados and hurricanes.
3.2) Student will be able to correctly identify a hurricane based on location, wind speed, and the weather.
3.3) You are helping the local meteorologist for the day. You are given information on an upcoming storm from his assistant. However, it does not say what kind of natural disaster it is. You think it may be a tornado or a hurricane. Can you determine what kind of storm it is by the given information?
Given information: Today, August 29th, a storm is taking place off the east coast. Wind speeds that have been recorded are 76 mph and 186 mph. It appears to be moving in a circular motion. Temperatures have been at an average of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with very humid conditions and thunderstorms.
3.4) Students will watch all videos, and then determine which storm they think is happening. This allows groups to give their own ideas and analysis of the videos.
Tornado videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWh9jV_1ac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KDz6dGQ5RE
Hurricane videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4rgvu4xDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eRzNC8JDoA
3.5) Students will be given the date, location, wind speed, and weather patterns for the upcoming storm. Keeping this information in mind, they will watch four videos: Two on tornadoes and two on hurricanes. Students will then synthesize the given information to determine the type of storm present.
3.6) Students will be evaluated on finding that the storm is a hurricane. They will also be given points for backing up their reasoning, such as stating the range of wind speeds that normally take place in a hurricane (74-200mph), the location of them (off the coast), and the temperature at which they take place (82 degrees Fahrenheit).