Title of Lesson:

       ONLINE
by: Kristie Lara                                                             

Grade Level: Elementary

Goal: To present websites on U.S. tornadoes that focus on location and strength.

Learning Objectives: 
Students will be able to:
Explore tornado facts using the Internet.
Communicate and discuss what is viewed on the websites.
Identify Tornado Alley on a map.
Describe the Fujita Tornado Scale.
Explain the cause of tornadoes in the U.S.         

NJ Core Content Science Standards:
5.2 All students will develop problem solving, decision making, inquiry skills, reflected by formulating usable questions and hypothesis, planning experiments, conducting systematic observations, interpreting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions and communicating results.

5.2.2 Develop strategies and skills for information gathering and problem solving, using appropriate tools and technologies.  

Standards 5.2 & 5.2.2 mean that the student will learn science through the Internet.  They are going to investigate and learn about violent weather, specifically tornadoes, through the use of the Internet.  The students will also learn about how a tornado is measured by using the Fujita Tornado Scale. 
5.10 All students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics and geophysical systems of the earth.

This describes what we will be reviewing from the first lesson on violent weather.  We will focus again on the air pressure and air molecules and the way the hot air rises and the cold air sinks.

5.10.4      Identify existing weather conditions and recognize how they affect our daily lives.

5.10.5      This standard allows the student to examine different parts of the world for tornado activity.  We will also discuss a part of the U.S. called Tornado Alley, which has the most tornado activity in the U.S

 Materials/Resources: Internet sites:
1) http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/yesterday.html

2) http://www.spc.noaa.gov/archive/tornadoes/f5torns.htm

3) http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo

4) http://whyfiles.org/013tornado/tornado_main2.html

5) http://whyfiles.org/013tornado/tornado_main1.html

Procedure for Teaching 
In the beginning before the students get started on the lesson the teacher will begin to review  prior lessons about tornadoes. The teacher will review why tornadoes occur, where are they most frequent, and other facts through class discussion.

Each students will work with a partner and begin to focus their attention on the computer work in pairs. Students will be asked the importance of the Internet and test bookmarks of 5 websites presented by the teacher. Students will be guided through the process of getting onto these sites that have already been book marked. 

As they begin to work on the computer I will hand out a sheet with questions. Students will work on answering these questions in their journals in pairs.

Student Product:
Questions for worksheet: 

1. Please identify which states are more likely to have tornadoes according at website (5).
2. Why do you think that these states are more likely to have tornado activity? website (5)
   On website (4) can you explain how the Fuijita Scale measures a tornado?
3. From website (2) can you tell what was the date of the last tornado activity seen in the state of Texas?
4. On website (1) find out if there was any tornado activity in the U.S. yesterday?
5. Go to website (3) and scroll down to where it says Storm Report data for past days and type in last year (“01” for 2001 for example), the month of your birthday, (April = “04” for example), and then date (day) of your birthday in the order “year/month/date”. A map will appear. Record any tornado activity that may have occurred on your birthday last year and in which states it occurred.

 As students are completing the web quest, have them create their own 3 question web quests using just one or two of the sites for others to complete on index cards. Task cards can be exchanged and used as alternative assignments or enrichment. A trivia game can also be created with facts from these sites.

Review answers with the students at the end of the class period. Clarify misunderstandings and explain important concepts in greater detail.  

Assessment:
3 questions, taken from the last 3 learning objectives, can be asked for students to write about in their journals or as a quiz and/or explained orally.

Reflection:
This lesson was taught by D. Zinicola to her sons ages 9 and 11. They enjoyed going back and forth between the 5 sites to find information. Older students may not need the hints that tell them which website to go to, making it more of a “quest” for them. There is just enough to do for one class period, yet these sites are rich with many more facts and concepts than one can absorb in one science period. Therefore, any independent or group projects that can be extensions of this “quest” would be useful, especially for those students who finish early. It is more important that students understand the CAUSE of tornadoes, and the geography and climate of tornado alley than the number facts. It is here that the teacher needs to offer demonstrations and instruction that lead to understanding of movements of air of different temperature, pressure, and density in conjunction with a map showing how such air moves over regions. These are broad concepts that can be applied to the understanding of other phenomena.