Title: Twister

Age Levels: 3rd - 4th Grade

Teacher Background Information: See following section provided.

Brief Description:

I. Major Concept - The students will learn about tornadoes and their affect on communities.

II. Objectives -

A. The students will learn and explain the scientific explanation of how a tornado is formed without the use of notes by the end of the week. Each student will contribute at least one piece of information on the formation of a tornado.

B. The students will identify the states included in Tornado Alley on a relief map with 95 % accuracy. They will also understand

why these states are prone to tornadoes.

C. The students will enhance their knowledge of how a tornado affects a community by researching past tornadoes and making their own weather broadcast at the end of the week. All students will assist in researching and presenting their broadcasts.

D. The students will graph the number of tornadoes each year for the

past ten years. They will graph the number of tornadoes in

each of the states located in Tornado Alley. Through the use of

bar graphs each student will supply one of the facts for the

bar graph.

E. The students will demonstrate an understanding of multiplication and division facts without the use of calculators through the use of the tornado game with 100% accuracy.

F. The students will be introduced to the book, Tornado, and they will either write a short story or a poem about a tornado. They must be typed and eet the criteria listed on the rubric.

III. List of Materials - Located on individual activities.

IV. References

A. For the Teacher

1. http://www.civil.buffalo.edu/wind/windinf2.html/

2. Williams, D. (1991). Thematic unit: Weather. New York: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

3. (1999). Primary theme unit. Scholastic Instructor 108 (6),

46-50.

4. http://www.shorstmeyer.com/tornadoes/bubble1.html

B. For the Student

1. Baum, F. (1982). The wizard of oz. New York: Holt, Rinehardt and Winston.

After Dorothy is swept away by a tornado to the land of Oz, she must find her way to the great wizard in order to get home.

2. Berger, G. & Berger, M. (1999). Can it rain cats and dogs? New York: Scholastic Inc.

This book is full of information about tornadoes and their formation. Also it includes information on the destructive nature of the tornado in relation to people, wildlife, and the community.

3. Byars, B. (1997). Tornado. New York: Harper Trophy.

As they wait out a tornado in their storm cellar, a family listens to stories from their farmhand about the dog that was blown into his life by another tornado when he was a boy.

4. Gibbons, G. (1987). Weather Forecasting. CITY: Macmillan

Publishing Co.

Describes forecasters at work in a weather station as they use sophisticated equipment to track and gauge the constant changes in the weather.

V. Content Related Words (See attached)

A. Atmosphere: The air surrounding the earth.

B. F-Scale: An abbreviation for the Fujita-Pearson Intensity

Scale, used by meteorologists to measure tornado wind

speeds.

C. Meteorologist: A scientist who studies the weather.

D. Precipitation: Liquid or frozen water that falls from the sky.

E. Tornado Warning: A report that a tornado has been sighted in

the area.

F. Tornado Watch: A report that weather conditions are right to

produce a tornado, but none have been sighted.

G. Tornado Alley: The area of the United States where tornadoes

are most common.

H. Vortex: A rotating column of air or water.

VI. Projects and Activities for Students (See attached)

A. Tornado Game

B. Tornado Alley Graph

C. Twister Bottle

D. Tornado Alley

E. Gusty Gathering

F. Weather Reporting

G. Reading Corner

H. Writing Workshop

VII. Culminating Activities (See attached)

A. Meteorologist

B. Chat Time

VIII. Evaluation (See attached)

A. Short Story/Poem Rubrics

B. Self-Evaluation Sheets

1. The student has included an introductory, 1 2 3 4 5

body, and concluding paragraph.

2. The student uses proper grammar. 1 2 3 4 5

3. The paper is free of spelling errors. 1 2 3 4 5

4. The student uses at least 5 vocabulary words. 1 2 3 4 5

5. The content of the paper is comprehensible. 1 2 3 4 5

6. The paper must be at least one page in length. 1 2 3 4 5

7. The paper is typed. 1 2 3 4 5

1. The student has included at least three stanzas 1 2 3 4 5

in the poem.

2. The poem has at least six lines per stanza. 1 2 3 4 5

3. The student uses proper grammar. 1 2 3 4 5

4. The poem is free of spelling errors. 1 2 3 4 5

5. The content of the poem is comprehensible. 1 2 3 4 5

6. The student uses at least 5 vocabulary words. 1 2 3 4 5

7. The poem is typed. 1 2 3 4 5

Materials: One quart, clear plastic bottle (with cap) filled with water, four drops of clear liquid soap, two drops of blue food coloring, one marble, and a pinch of glitter.

Procedure: Add the soap, food coloring, marble, and glitter to the water in the bottle and replace the cap, making sure it is fastened securely. Then swirl the bottle several times until a vortex or funnel forms inside.

Alternatives: Inexpensive Tornado Tubes may be purchased from teaching supply stores and science specialty shops. A Tornado Tube is a short piece of hard plastic tubing that can join two 2-liter plastic soda bottles at the neck. To create a dramatic tornado effect, fill one bottle with blue tinted water. Connect the bottles with the Tornado Tube and then turn them so that the full bottle is on top (as if you were turning over an hourglass.) As you do this, move the bottles in a sharp twisting motion and a swirling vortex will flow into the lower bottle.

Resources:

Flagg, A. (1999). Primary theme unit. Scholastic instructor 108 (6), 48.

Materials: Weather reporting packet (attached), video camera, poster board, markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.

Procedure: The students will have finished their research on prior tornadoes in surrounding communities. They will then make a broadcast about the tornado they researched. Each group of reporters will be given the weather reporting packet which contains: the outline of the report, weather symbols, meanings and definitions, a map of North America, and a piece of poster board. Each group will create a map that they can use in their broadcast. They can use the symbols to mark the days weather forecast. They must be sure to explain to the viewers how the tornado formed and what the effects were on the community.

Resources:

Williams, D. (1991). Thematic unit: Weather. New York: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Materials: Tornado Pieces

Procedure: The students will each receive three game pieces. (The game pieces are in the shape of tornados and have flaps that open.) Each tornado has a multiplication or division fact on inside of the tornado. The student will read his or her problem and the person who has the answer to the problem will stand up and then read their problem. They will know if they have the answer because each tornado has a number on the outside flap. If their number is the correct answer then it is their turn to read their problem.

Resources:

Marilyn Wood from O'Loughlin Elementary School.

Materials: Tornado, paper, writing utensil

Procedure: The students will read and discuss the book, Tornado. When they have finished their discussion, each student will have the option of writing a short story, such as the story told by the farmhand, or they can write a poem. The students must use tornadoes for their topic and they must include at least five of the vocabulary words listed below. Also, the students will be given a rubric to follow.

Vocabulary Words and Definitions:

Atmosphere: The air surrounding the earth.

F-Scale: An abbreviation for the Fujita-Pearson Intensity Scale, used by meteorologists to measure tornado wind speeds.

Meteorologist: A scientist who studies the weather.

Precipitation: Liquid or frozen water that falls from the sky.

Tornado Warning: A report that a tornado has been sighted in the area.

Tornado Watch: A report that weather conditions are right to produce a tornado, but none have been sighted.

Tornado Alley: The area of the United States where tornadoes are most common.

Vortex: A rotating column of air or water.

Materials: Map of the United States on page 47, relief map on page 49 from the Scholastic Instructor magazine, colored pencils, crayons.

Procedure: The students will view the tornado map given to them and then do the worksheet Tornado Territory, the relief map. They will also be given factual information as to why Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri are classified as Tornado Alley. Class discussion will follow, and the students will have to answer any questions given by the teacher (the students assessment).

Resource: Author, Initial. (1999). Primary theme unit. Scholastic Instructor 108 (6), 47,49.

Materials: Poster board, crayons, markers, rulers, pages 47 &49 from Scholastic Instructor.

Procedure: Assign six groups, each one will be given a state: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, or Missouri. Each group must then research and find out how many tornadoes their state witnessed from 1989 to 1999. From their findings, each group must share their information to the whole class. Once all the information is gathered and shared, each group will design their own bar graph with all six states. They will conclude the lesson by presenting the finished product to the class (highlighting their given state).

Resource: Author, Initial. (1999). Primary theme unit. Scholastic Instructor 108 (6), 47,49.

Materials: Paper, pencil

Procedure: To conclude the unit on tornadoes, have a speaker come in who has witnessed, or experienced a tornado. In doing so, it will allow the students to get a one-on-one experience on how people feel and perceive such disasters. However, before the speaker arrives, ask the students to write some questions down that they might have for the speaker.

Resource: The speaker who will be coming into the classroom.

Materials: Guest Speaker

Procedure: The students will have the opportunity to listen to and

question a meteorologist about tornadoes. Each student should

have at least one question to ask the meteorologist.

Resources: Contact your local radio and/or television stations and ask

them if their meteorologists are available to speak with your

class.

Materials: Library or books on tornadoes

Procedure: The students will go to the school and public libraries to

research tornadoes. Each student will be part of a group and each group will research a specific tornado. They will need to gather information on how the tornado affected the community it hit.

Resources: Public/School libraries and librarians, internet

Reading Corner

Materials: Books

Procedure: Each student will choose a book of their choice about

tornadoes. The book can be fiction or non-fiction.