Tornadoes!

Objectives

• Students will compare the parts of a real tornado with the parts of a tornado created in a demonstration. (Comprehension)
• Students will label "Tornado Alley" on their maps. (Knowledge)
• Students will label the locations of famous tornado disasters on their maps. (Comprehension)

Materials

• When Disaster Strikes: Hurricanes and Tornadoes by K. Greenberg
• Two liter soda bottle filled with water, twigs, rocks, soil, etc.
• A blank United States map for each student
• Information on each of seven tornado disasters

Procedures

1. Gather the students on the carpet area. Using the diagram on page 39 of When Disaster Strikes: Hurricanes and Tornadoes , explain how tornadoes are formed.
2. Using a two liter soda bottle, filled with water, twigs, rocks, etc., demonstrate a real tornado by spinning the bottle around in a circular motion. Ask students to point out how this fake tornado resembles a real tornado.
3. Tell children that tornadoes do not   occur evenly throughout the United States. Instead, they occur mostly in an area commonly known as "Tornado Alley", though they can   strike anywhere. Show the boundaries of "Tornado Alley" on the wall map. Hand out a blank United States map to each child and ask everyone to draw a ring around the states which make up the deadly "tornado alley".
4. Tell class that they are now going to read about a specific tornado disaster which occurred in the United States. Split class into 7 roughly equal groups. Pass out information of one of the seven tornado disasters to each group. Ask the children to read the information and plan to present information to the class about their particular tornado disaster. One student should be responsible for finding the exact location on the map and the other two to three students should divide up the information to present to the class.
5. As students present the tornado disaster stories at the front of the class in front of the wall map, the listeners should place a small picture of a tornado on their United States map at the correct location and label the city and state.
6. Ask the class how many of the famous tornado disasters were located within "Tornado Alley". Were they surprised? Have the children ask their relatives if any of them have had a "tornado experience" and bring stories to class.

Evaluation

1. Did students correctly point out the funnel? Calm spot? Constant spin of "air" and debris?
2. Did their maps have a ring around the states which comprise "Tornado Alley": Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and the southern part of Canada?
3. Were the students paying close attention to their peers' presentations...did they correctly label their maps according to tornado occurrences?