ALEX | Alabama Learning Exchange

Preparing for Natural Disasters: Tornado

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This lesson provided by:

Author:	Stephanie Roden
System:	Hartselle City
School:	Crestline Elementary School
And
Author:	elisa harris
System:	Hartselle City
School:	Hartselle City Board Of Education

General Lesson Information

Lesson Plan ID:	35430
Title:	Preparing for Natural Disasters: Tornado
Overview/Annotation:	The lesson will begin by students performing a think-aloud as they consider the similarities of five words: tornado, shelter, basement, underground, and safe room. Students will use a pros and cons graphic organizer as they read articles on three different types of tornado shelters: underground shelters, part of the house shelters, and prebuilt shelters. The students will find the advantages and disadvantages of each type of structure. At the end of the lesson, the teacher will create a table that lists all the shelters and the pros and cons of each. Students will then determine which shelter they feel is most efficient in an "exit slip" response. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

Associated Standards and Objectives

Content Standard(s):

Social Studies SS2010 (2010) Grade: 3 Geographic and Historical Studies: People, Places, and Regions	9 ) Identify ways to prepare for natural disasters. Examples: constructing houses on stilts in flood-prone areas, buying earthquake and flood insurance, providing hurricane or tornado shelters, establishing emergency evacuation routes Unpacked Content Strand: Economics, Geography Course Title: Geographical and Historical Studies: People, Places, and Regions Evidence Of Student Attainment: Students: Investigate and explain ways to prepare for natural disasters. Teacher Vocabulary: flood-prone areas earthquake insurance flood insurance hurricane shelters tornado shelters emergency evacuation routes Knowledge: Students know: Appropriate ways to prepare for natural disasters in order to minimize negative effects. Vocabulary: flood prone areas, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, hurricane shelters, tornado shelters Skills: Students are able to: Establish an emergency plan. Understanding: Students understand that: There are appropriate ways to prepare for natural disasters in order to minimize negative effects. Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards AAS Standard: SS.AAS.3.9- Participate in a classroom discussion about different types of natural disasters and ways to prepare for them.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science DLIT (2018) Grade: 3	R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions. Unpacked Content Evidence Of Student Attainment: Students will: locate information from digital sources to answer research questions. curate information to present or share with others. Teacher Vocabulary: curate keyword search engine database Knowledge: Students know: that information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources. how to use resources to organize information. how to use resources to present or share with others. Skills: Students are able to: create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library. use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT ( ), and quotation marks. organize information. share information by creating a digital resource. Understanding: Students understand that: information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions. information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science DLIT (2018) Grade: 3	16) Conduct basic keyword searches to produce valid, appropriate results, and evaluate results for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness. Examples: Use search techniques, check for credibility and validity. Unpacked Content Evidence Of Student Attainment: Students will: conduct basic keyword searches to produce valid, appropraite results, and evaluate results for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness. Teacher Vocabulary: keyword search valid true accuracy/accurate relevance/relevant Knowledge: Students know: strategies to conduct keyword searches. strategies evaluate the accuracy of information. not all information online is valid or true. Skills: Students are able to: conduct basic keyword searches using basic words and phrases. explain how they know information located online is valid or true. Understanding: Students understand that: using specific keywords while searching will deliver best results. not all information online is valid or true.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text. a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence. b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 19. Explicit main idea Implied main idea Supporting details 19a. Supporting details Main idea Textual evidence 19b. Recount Summarize Key ideas Knowledge: 19. Students know: The main idea is the most important idea presented in the text. Sometimes an author will clearly state the main idea, while other times an author will merely suggest the main idea. The supporting details explain the main idea or provide more information about the main idea. 19a. The supporting details explain the main idea or provide more information about the main idea. Textual evidence is quotations from the text that are used to provide information. 19b. Key ideas are important details within a text. Recount means to retell the big ideas of the text. Summarize means to briefly state the big ideas of the text. Skills: 19. Students are able to: Identify the main idea in of a text. Determine if the main idea is explicitly stated or implies. Identify the supporting details of a text. 19a. Explain how the supporting details provide more information about the main idea, using evidence from the text. 19b. Retell or summarize the most important (key) ideas from a text. Understanding: 19. Students understand that: Literary and informational texts have a main idea, or most important message, and supporting details, which provide more information about the main idea. An author can choose to state the main idea in the text or provide clues to imply the main idea. A text usually just has one main idea, but multiple supporting details. 19a. The supporting details help explain the main idea or provide more information about the main idea. 19b. Texts have key ideas, and they can retell or summarize these important ideas to demonstrate comprehension of the text.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	23. Identify and use text features in informational passages to locate information. Examples: headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends a. Explain how text features support details in the text. b. Explain how illustrations contribute to meaning in a story. c. Interpret text features used in written and digital formats. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 23. Text features Locate Informational passage Identify 23a. Explain Text features Supporting details Text 23b. Explain Illustrations Contribute Meaning in a story 23c. Interpret Text features Written formats Digital formats Knowledge: 23. Students know: Informational passages often include text features that can be used to locate information within the text. 23a. Text features can provide additional or clarifying information about details in a text. 23b. Illustrations included with a story can contribute to the story's meaning. 23c. Text features can be used in printed (written) and digital text. Skills: 23. Students are able to: Identify text features in informational passages, such as headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends. Use text features to locate information within an informational passage. 23a. Identify text features and explain how the text features supports details in a text. 23b. Identify an illustration and explain how it contributes to the meaning of the story. 23c. Interpret text features presented in a digital format. Interpret text features presented in a written format. Understanding: 23. Students understand that: Informational passages have predictable features that can be used to locate important information within the text. Text features that are often used in informational text include headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, and legends. Using text features helps support their overall comprehension. 23a. An author chooses to include text features to provide additional information, clarify information, or enhance ideas with in a text. Using text features supports their comprehension of details in a text. 23b. Authors and illustrators choose to include illustrations to enhance the meaning of the story provided in the text. 23c. Text features are often included in written (printed) text and digital text. In either format, text features can be used to locate information or enhance overall comprehension.

Local/National Standards:

Primary Learning Objective(s):

Students will collect information from various websites on constructing tornado shelters.

Students will arrange the information on the different types of tornado shelters from non-fiction text passages in a graphic organizer.

Students will analyze the structures and determine which structure they feel has the most potential to remain intact during a tornado.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

Preparation Information

Total Duration:	61 to 90 Minutes
Materials and Resources:	Student Materials (per student): Notebook paper Pencil or pen Articles/Websites: "Taking Cover: A Guide to Tornado Shelters" from National Geographic "Comparing Safe Rooms and In-Ground Storm Shelters" from Rhodes Construction "The Safest Place to Be During a Tornado" from Shelter Insurance "Safe Rooms" brochure from the National Weather Service Teacher Materials: Copies made for Pros and Cons Graphic Organizer (See Attachments) Document camera Green and yellow highlighters
Technology Resources Needed:	Internet-capable technology devices (iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, etc.) The teacher will need a document camera (ELMO).
Background/Preparation:	Student Background Information: Prior to this lesson, students have read nonfiction texts on how climates impact weather which can, in turn, produce different natural disasters due to the geographic location. Students then read texts on tornadoes specifically, focusing on the cause and effect of tornadoes. If students need to review this lesson, students can watch the video Tornadoes 101 from National Geographic. Teacher Background Information: In the south, tornado shelters are often recommended because of the likelihood of tornadoes in the area due to the warm, humid air in the Gulf of Mexico often meeting the cool air from Canada. In turn, many different options for tornado shelters exist including underground shelters, a shelter that is part of the house, and a premade shelter. Each type of shelter has its own pros and cons. The teacher should make all required copies prior to teaching the lesson. Each student will need three copies of the attached graphic organizer.

Procedures/Activities:

Before Strategy/Engage: 10 minutes

1. The teacher will write the following words on the board: tornado, shelter, basement, underground, and safe room. Ask students to brainstorm on paper how they think these words are connected. Allow students 5 minutes to brainstorm and write their thoughts on paper.

2. The teacher should call on various students. The teacher can guide students, if needed, to how the words are connected to safety for civilians and how shelters are a way for people to prepare for national disasters like a tornado.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain: 70 minutes

1. Pass out the Pros and Cons Graphic Organizer. Each student should receive three graphic organizers. Show students how to write each type of tornado shelter at the top of the page: Underground Shelter, Part of the House Shelter, and Prebuilt Shelter.

2. Model for students how to find pros and cons of an underground shelter by using the article "Comparing Safe Rooms and In-Ground Storm Shelters" from Rhodes Construction. Put a copy of the article under a document camera in order to highlight the pros in yellow and the cons in green. The teacher should highlight the pros of an underground shelter from the article (ex. cost). Then ask students to find the cons in the article (ex. flooding). Have students call them out as the teacher highlights them in green. Transfer the highlighted information into the graphic organizer. (15 minutes)

3. Ask the students to read the other articles while looking for pros and cons to each type of shelter and writing the information on their graphic organizer as modeled before. (40 minutes)

4. After forty minutes has elapsed, call on students to share their findings. On chart paper or the board, create a large table that lays out the pros and cons of each of the three tornado shelter designs the students researched: underground shelters, part of the house shelter, and prebuilt shelters. The teacher should write the pros and cons of each on the chart paper or board to reflect the student answers. (15 minutes)

After Strategy/Explain & Elaborate: 10 minutes

1. Ask students the following question as an "exit slip" writing prompt: Which design of a tornado shelter do you think is the best to assist citizens with public safety? Do you think there is an alternative design that could be made or a hybrid of the ones already available? Remind students that they may look at their notes of the pros and cons of each design.

2. Students will write the answers on the paper by using both writing and drawings. The teacher should circulate the room as students write, reminding students to reference their graphic organizer.

Assessment

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment: The teacher should informally assess students through questioning in the before strategy and during modeling of how to find the pros and cons of an article. The teacher should circulate the room and give guidance to students as they work on their graphic organizers while reading.

Summative Assessment: The teacher should formally assess students by reviewing each student's three Pros and Cons Graphic Organizers of each type of shelter at the conclusion of the lesson. The teacher should review each student's "exit slip" to ensure the students have achieved the stated objectives of the lesson.

Acceleration:	Students can expand their knowledge of storm shelters by reading about local companies that provide shelters in the Tennessee Valley including Valley Storm Shelters.
Intervention:	If students struggle finding information on devices, the teacher can make copies of the articles and allow the students to use green and yellow highlighters to find the information as the teacher modeled.

View the Special Education resources for instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.

ALEX Lesson Plan

Preparing for Natural Disasters: Tornado