Lesson Idea | Tornado Safe House

Summary

Students will learn how tornadoes form, information about tornado safety, and how engineers use models to create weather safe structures. Students will design, build, and revise a structure that will withstand strong winds simulated by a fan. They will use this information to make connections to their own constructions and then revise their structures.

Essential Question(s)

How do natural processes, like storms, create natural hazards that can harm people? What can we do to reduce the risks of natural hazards?

Snapshot

- Engage: Students will use the “Tell Me Everything You Know” strategy to list everything they know about tornadoes.
- Explore: Students will collaborate and use provided materials to construct a model of a tornado safe structure.
- Explain: Students will learn how tornadoes form, information about tornado safety, and how engineers use models to create weather safe structures. They will use this information to make connections to their own constructions and revise their structures.
- Extend: Students will make revisions to their structures in order to protect their paper person from a simulated tornado.
- Evaluate: Students will reflect on what they have learned about tornado safety, engineering, and how weather affects the way people live.

Materials:

- All items are listed per table group
- 8 plastic cups
- 25 bendable straws
- 1 container of play dough
- 10 index cards
- 1 pair of scissors
- Hole punch
- Oscillating fan
- One paper person from group (cut out or draw with paper or a sticky note)
- Handouts: structure planning, gallery walk recording sheet, and revision/reflection sheet

Engage

Teacher will guide students through the “Tell Me Everything You Know” strategy to list everything they know about tornadoes.

Ask students to create a list of “everything they know about tornadoes.” Give students about 5 minutes to complete their lists. Encourage students to use words, draw pictures, or give examples to help explain all that they know.

After students write down their ideas, have them share their lists with their small group. Encourage students to add to their lists any ideas that they didn’t think of.

Bring the students together as a class and create a class list of all the things students know about tornados. Students can continue to add to their personal lists.

Explore

Students will work in groups of 4-5 students. Make sure students know what materials are available to them before they start the planning phase. Students may not receive additional materials. They may use scissors and a hole punch.

- Instruct students to plan a structure that will withstand tornado force winds using plastic cups, straws, playdough, and index cards.
- Give students about 10 minutes to use the structured planning sheet to collaborate and plan their structure.
- Give each group 8 plastic cups, 25 bendable straws, 1 container of playdough.
- 30-60 minutes: Groups will build their planned structure using the materials provided.
- Students may request to test their structures with the fan.
- Students should measure and record the height of the structure after completion.

Note: Monitor students’ progress but do not provide solutions to problems.
Instead ask questions such as “How is the roof supported? How can we make it stronger? Is there a material that will make it stronger?"

For further information, please visit K20 Center website.