1. Weeklong Lesson Plan
Danielle Stucki
Monday:
What:
- Find out what students know about natural disasters. (Naturalistic- G)
- Complete a K-W-L chart to find out what students already know and what they
would like to know. Do not fill out the “what students learned part until the lesson is
completed. (Communication-SPS)
- Discuss the student’s comments.
- Read the section on violent weather from the book Weather and Climate by Barbara
Taylor. Discuss storms and tornadoes. Ask students if they have a personal story to
share. (Intrapersonal- G)
- Give the formal definition of a tornado.
- Ask students if they can make use of the facts they have been given to draw a picture
of a tornado (Application- Bloom). Using markers, crayons, or colored pencils, and
construction paper, have students draw a picture of what they think a tornado looks
like or what kind of damage it can do to the environment. Have them write a sentence
or two describing their drawing. (Visual-Spatial-G) (Science Standard 2.2.5) (Art)
Why:
Students will begin to understand natural disasters.
Objective:
By the end of today’s lesson, students will be able to understand what tornadoes are, and
have a better understanding of the destruction they can cause.
Tuesday:
What:
- Read the section about Tornado Alley and give the definition from the book Weather
and Climate by John Basset.
- Learn about the region of Tornado Alley. Use a map to show students exactly where
the region is located. Discuss the geography/characteristics of the land of this area.
(Visual-Spatial- G) (Social Studies)
- Explain to students that there are 5 categories of tornadoes (Fujita Scale). Ask
students, how can you classify the types of tornadoes? (Comprehension- Bloom).
Discuss and classify tornadoes in each category. (http://www.fema.gov/kids/tornado.htm)
(Logical-Mathematical-G) (Classifying-SPS)
- Discuss where and how tornadoes happen.
- Review: How can you rate the strength of a tornado? (Evaluation- Bloom)
- Writing Assignment: Do you know the difference between a tornado warning and a
tornado watch? If so, explain. (Intrapersonal-G)
- Listen to the song Tornadoes by Ron Brown on the site
http://www.songsforteaching.com/intellitunes/tornadoes.htm and have students sing along.
(Music)
- Have students create a short poem or song about tornadoes. Allow them to be
creative and use hands, feet, or other available resources to create music or a beat to
go with their poem or song. (Language Arts and Music)

2. Why:
Today’s reading activity will allow students to see pictures of tornadoes and the
destruction they can cause.
Objective:
By the end of today’s lesson, students will know the 5 categories of tornadoes and be able
to explain where/what Tornado Alley is and identify the region on a map.
Wednesday:
What:
- View the FEMA for kids website (http://www.fema.gov/kids/tornado.htm)
- Learn the terms tornado warning and tornado watch. Have students see if they
got the answer to Tuesday’s question correct.
- Why do you think we have watches and warnings for tornadoes? (Analysis-
Bloom)
- Discuss that tornadoes are not always predictable. We do not always know what
will happen or how it will effect people and the environment. (Science Standard
2.5.5)
- Watch the tornado video clip and discuss what students saw. (Observing and
Inferring-SPS)
- Read the section be prepared for storms from The Kids Book of Weather Forecasting.
Discuss Tornado Safety and visit the “things to know” link on FEMA site.
- Computer Lab: Have students explore the FEMA for kid’s website. Have them write
down interesting facts that they find. (Intrapersonal- G)
- Discuss student’s findings from FEMA for kid’s site.
- Ask, what can happen if a tornado occurs? (Synthesis- Bloom)
- Assessment: Have students make a plan for emergency weather situations. They may
type this on the computer. Have students share their plan with the class.
(Interpersonal- G)
Why:
Students will gain valuable knowledge about what to do if a tornado strikes.
Objective:
By the end of today’s lessons, students will be able to describe the difference between a
tornado warning and a tornado watch. By using technology they will be able to identify
facts about tornadoes and tornado safety, and will have developed the knowledge to
create an emergency plan.
Thursday:
What:
- Have students write a poem about tornado safety.
- Read collecting tornadoes from the book Weatherwatch by Valerie Wyatt.
- Have student’s work individually to complete tornado math worksheet (printed from
FEMA website)(Math Standard 2.1.6). Allow 20 minutes for completion. (Logical-
Mathematical-G)

3. - Have students write the answers on the board to each question. (Bodily-Kinesthetic-
G)
- Review the worksheet/answers and discuss how students came to find their answers.
Why:
Students will develop an understanding that math relates to real world experiences, such
as tornadoes.
Objective:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to relate math to real life experiences, and
understand the importance of knowing how to do math.
Friday:
What:
-Fun Friday Experiment
- Daily Math problem: If a tornado is traveling 40 mph how long will it take to travel 5
miles? (Logical-Mathematical-G and Measurement- SPS). Allow students 10 minutes
to work on problem before discussing answers and how they got them. Have a student
share their answer and how they came up with it. Discuss how long a mile is so that
students can visualize how far 5 miles is. (Measurement-SPS)
- Have the student’s sit wit you in a circle and construct the tornado in a bottle. Follow
steps below:
- Before beginning the experiment have students predict what will happen. (Predicting)
- Complete the Experiment on page 102 in The Kids Book of Weather Forecasting
Have the students watch and then explain what they saw. (Observation and Inferring-
SPS)
- Discuss that our tornado model is not the same size as a real tornado, and does not do
the same things as a real tornado does. (Science Standard 2.6.2)
- Can you recall a fact about tornadoes or tornado safety? (Knowledge- Bloom).
(Assessment) After the experiment assess students by asking them to each state one
fact they learned about tornadoes or tornado safety. (Verbal-Linguistic- G)
Why:
This type of assessment will allow me to hear what students have learned about
tornadoes.
Objective:
By the end of the week, students will have gained valuable knowledge and understanding
of tornadoes and tornado safety