LESSON PLAN 2
The Tornado Diaries
Tornadoes
K-2
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes have been reported in every state
and, though they generally occur during spring and summer, they can
happen any time of the year.
Key Terms and Concepts
Tornado Science
annual
circular motion
damage
debris
Enhanced Fujita
Scale (EF Scale)
funnel cloud
seasons
tornado
twister
Purposes
To help the students understand the properties of tornadoes
To guide the students in finding out when and where tornadoes
are likely to occur
Objectives
The students will—
• Demonstrate why tornadoes are called “twisters.”
• Observe and describe how a tornado moves and trace its path.
• Use Create a Tornado to build and demonstrate a tornado with
their families. (Home Connection)
• Create a word list that describes tornado movement and use it to
illustrate a tornado. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Locate their state on the Map of the United States and then use the
Tornado Information Map to determine the number of tornadoes
expected for the state in a year.
• Using a calendar, note the seasons in which tornadoes are most
likely to occur in their area.
• Mark (color) other states on the Map of the United States with
their families. (Home Connection)
• Discuss the states they talked about with their families.
• Read a picture book about tornadoes. (Linking Across the
Curriculum)
• Color code states to rank them according to tornado occurrences.
(Linking Across the Curriculum)
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
1
Activities
“Create a Tornado”
“Tornado Mapping”
Tornadoes
K–2
LESSON PLAN 2
The Tornado
Diaries
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
2
“Create a Tornado”
SET UP 10 minutes CONDUCT 15 minutes
Science: Physical Science and Earth Science; Language Arts: Writing;
Fine Arts: Visual Arts
Tornadoes
K–2
LESSON PLAN 2
The Tornado
Diaries
TEACHING NOTE A Tornado Tube, available in novelty or teachers’ supply stores,
may be used for this activity.
1.
Tell the students that they are going to see a demonstration to
help them understand why tornadoes are also called
“twisters” and, sometimes, “funnel clouds.” Fill the plastic
soda bottle with water.
2. Put three drops of dishwashing liquid into the bottle along with a few
marbles or other small objects. Recap the bottle tightly.
Materials
• 2-liter plastic soda bottle with
cap
• Dishwashing liquid
• Water
• Marbles or other small objects
• Small spinning top
• Create a Tornado, 1 copy per
student (Home Connection)
3. With a hand on each end, hold the bottle on its side. Move the bottle
using a circular motion to swirl the liquid.
4. Keep the liquid swirling as you turn the bottle upside down. Be sure to
keep the cap end of the bottle steady while you continue to swirl the
liquid in the large end.
5. Ask the students to describe what they see. How does this represent a
tornado? Reinforce their understanding of the words “twister” and
“funnel” when they describe a tornado.
Wrap-Up
Based on the demonstrations, have the
students work together to list all the words
they can think of to describe the movement
of a tornado. (These may include—”spinning,” “twirling,” “speeding,”
“rushing,” “blowing,” “twisting,” “running” and “skipping.”) Have them
draw the funnel-shaped cloud of a tornado on a large sheet of construction
paper and write the descriptive words in the winds around the tornado.
TEACHING NOTE Turn this into a bulletin-board activity with a large funnel cloud
in the center of the board and the words spiraling around the tornado. As the
students continue to learn more about tornadoes, add information to your bulletinboard display.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
3
Linking Across the Curriculum
Science: Physical Science and Observation
Tornadoes
K–2
LESSON PLAN 2
The Tornado
Diaries
For this activity you will require a small top and several tiny toy
cars, trees, animals and houses.
Now that the students understand the shape and spin of a tornado, demonstrate its movement with a spinning top.
1. Spin the top and ask the students to describe how the top is
moving like a tornado. Have the students trace its path.
2. Place tiny toy cars, animals, trees and houses on the floor. Set
the top spinning through them. Explain that a tornado creates a
path of destruction when it touches the ground. Point out that the
tornado winds push the objects and do not “suck them in.”
3. Focus their observation of the spinning top, which represents a
tornado. Ask the class: Does the amount of destruction change
when the top moves at different speeds through the toy props?
Home Connection
Distribute Create a Tornado so that the students can build and demonstrate
their own tornadoes with their families. Tell the students they will also need
a small top and tiny toys, such as cars, houses animals and trees. Have the
students draw their demonstration—the setup and the results—and then
return the sheets to you.
TEACHING NOTE You may want to give the students a Masters of Disaster
tornado sticker when they hand in the activity sheets.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
4
“Tornado Mapping”
SET UP 20 minutes CONDUCT 30 minutes
Social Studies: Mapping; Language Arts: Listening
Work through this mapping activity as a whole class.
Tornadoes
K–2
1. Distribute Map of the United States. Have the students pinpoint the state
in which they live on their maps.
LESSON PLAN 2
2. Have the students color their state red and complete statement 1 on their
activity sheets.
The Tornado
Diaries
3. Using the Tornado Information Map transparency in Masters of
Disaster Activities, have the students determine the average number of
tornadoes that hit their state each year. Have the students write this
number in Statement 2 on their activity sheets.
Materials
• Map of the United States, 1
copy per student
• Transparency of
Information Map
4. Using the transparency, have the students determine the months tornadoes are most likely to occur in their state and write the names of the
months in Statement 3 on their activity sheets.
5. Use a calendar to match these months with the seasons and determine
the season(s) that tornadoes are most likely to occur in your state. The
students will then complete Statement 4 on their activity sheets.
Tornado
• Crayons or markers
• Twisters! by Lucille Recht
Penner,
illustrated
by
Kazushige Nitta (Random
House Children’s Books, 1996)
(Linking
Across
the
Curriculum)
Wrap-Up
Using the Tornado Information Map transparency, guide the
students as they search for states that average the highest
number of tornadoes each year. On their maps they will—
• Color the states blue that average over 30 tornadoes.
• Color the states green that average over 25 tornadoes.
• Color the states yellow that average over 20 tornadoes.
Based on their maps, ask the students why the area north from
Texas to Kansas and over to Iowa and Missouri might be called
“Tornado Alley.”
TEACHING NOTE Florida has a high number of tornadoes because hurricanes
frequently spawn them. Also, Florida has five times more thunderstorms each year
than any other state because of its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
5
Home Connection
Have the students take home their completed Map of the United
States and have family members talk about other states where
they have lived or visited, states where relatives live or states students
would like to visit. Ask family members to talk about tornadoes they may
have experienced or heard about. Back at school, ask volunteers to share
family tornado recollections.
Tornadoes
K–2
LESSON PLAN 2
The Tornado
Diaries
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts: Reading
Read Twisters! by Lucille Recht Penner, illustrated by Kazushige
Nitta, to the class or find other picture books about tornadoes. Illustrations
can help the students understand the characteristics and power of tornadoes.
Mathematics: Charts and Graphs
Challenge the students to create a color-coded map that ranks states
according to average tornado occurrence—from those with the most tornadoes to those with the fewest.
Science: Earth Science; Language Arts: Research and Writing
There are many myths about tornadoes. Challenge students to go
on a tornado myth scavenger hunt on the Internet. When they
have found as many myths as they can, help them compile their
findings and create a simple presentation on a bulletin board or
in a small book to educate people about the truth about tornadoes.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
6
Create a Tornado
Page 1 of 2
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Gather the
materials below to make a
tornado with your family.
Materials:
• 2-liter plastic soda bottle
with cap
• Water
• Dishwashing liquid
• Marbles or other small objects
Steady
1. Fill the bottle with water.
2. Put 3 drops of dishwashing liquid into the bottle.
3. Place a few small objects into the bottle. Recap the
bottle tightly.
4. With a hand on each end, hold the bottle on its side.
Move the bottle in a circular motion to swirl the liquid.
5. Keep the liquid swirling as you turn the bottle upside
down. Keep the cap end of the bottle steady while
you continue to swirl the liquid in the large end.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
CREATE A TORNADO
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Create a Tornado
Page 2 of 2
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Draw how you set up your equipment.
Draw what you saw.
Return this sheet to your teacher after you complete it.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
CREATE A TORNADO
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Washington, DC
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
MAP OF THE UNITED STATES
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Page 1 of 2
Map of the United States
Map of the United States
Page 2 of 2
1. The state I live in is ______________________________.
2. About ______tornadoes happen in my state each year.
3. The months that tornadoes usually happen in my state
are ___________________________________________.
4. The season(s) that tornadoes usually happen in my
state is (are) ___________________________________.
(spring, summer, fall, winter).
Take this map home and talk with your family about other
states you have lived in or visited, states where relatives
live, or states you would like to visit. Mark these places on
the map. Then return the map to your teacher.
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
MAP OF THE UNITED STATES
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Visit the American Red Cross Web site
at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
TORNADO INFORMATION MAP
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Science, Lesson Plan 2/The Tornado Diaries
Average Number of Tornadoes, 1950–1994, and Most Likely Months for Tornadoes
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Page 1 of 1
Tornado Information Map