Earth Science Lesson Plan

# of Class Periods: 4

Time: 80 minute block

• 8.E.1.3. Students are able to explain the factors that create weather and the instruments and technologies that assess it.
• 8.S.1.1. Students are able to describe how science and technology have been influenced by social needs, attitudes, and values.

• Students will know the different characteristics of a tornado.
• Students will understand how scientists study and forecast tornados.
• Students will apply their knowledge of tornado formation to predict whether a tornado could form based on certain weather conditions.

Day 1

• The students will do an exploration activity.  They will use computers to explore the website www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/.  The students will look at parts 1 & 3-6.  (20 min.)
• Lecture will cover a quick review of the facts they discovered in the exploration activity.  The lecture will cover the factors that form a tornado.  (20 min.)
• The students will be divided into groups with three people in a group.  A list of specific websites will be given to each group.  The group will then view these websites.  They will make a small presentation about the information contained in their websites.  (40 min.) (Interpersonal)

Day 2

• The students will present their presentations to the class.  (30 min.) (Verbal-Linguistic)
• In their groups, the students will make their own tornado formation model out of colored clay.  The groups will receive a rubric on the requirements and scoring of their model.  (40 min.) (Visual-Spatial)
• A review/answer time will close the class.  (10 min.)

Day 3

• A field trip to the local weather service station to see how they forecast and study tornados.  (Naturalist)

Day 4

• A quiz will be given at the beginning of class.  (30 min.)
• The students will be given time to write a reflection in their class journal.  (10 min.) (Intrapersonal)
• Groups will present their models to the class, and give a brief explanation of their model.  (30 min.)
• Lesson Closure.  (10 min.)