Weather Extremes Movie
Introduction
Weather is all around us. It influences everything from what to wear to our daily activities. Without weather we wouldn’t have crops or green grass. For the most part weather is very helpful an important factor in our daily lives. Sometimes weather can be very harmful and destructive. Think about all of the damage associated with Hurricane Katrina. We are going to take a look at hurricanes as well as other weather extremes.
Task
Your job is to take on the role of a hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or thunderstorm. You will create a movie outlining your life history. Your history will include how you were created, where you traveled, interesting statistics, pictures and your demise.
Your movie must be no less than 1.5 minutes and no more than 2 minutes and needs to include what is listed below; you can branch out and include other information as well.
Process
Stage 1: Knowledge Acquisition - Get your facts down on paper
Stage 2: Creating Movies - Use any device and any video editing app you desire. (I suggest iMovie)
All movies will begin with your birth and end with your death.
Information Sources
You are welcome to use any books from the library, encyclopedias, and your textbook. Use only the websites listed below, DO NOT create your own searches. These websites should be your primary sources.
Tornado
Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/tornadoes/index.htm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tornado/wtwist0.htm
Vortex http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/noaastory/book.html
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/tornadoes.html
National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/tornado.htm
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Powerful Storms http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/storms.html
Birth and Death of Tornado http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/slideshow/slideshow.html
Thunderstorm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/lightning1.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/thunderstorms.htm
National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/lightning.html
Weather Eye http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/bigspark.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/thunder.htm
Australian Severe Weather http://www.australiasevereweather.com/index.html
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
In the Clouds http://www.inclouds.com/index.html
Powerful Storms http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/storms.html
Blizzard
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/winter_storms.htm
Scholastic (includes Blizzard timeline) http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/winter_storms/index.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wwinter0.htm
Rocky Mountain Research Station http://www-wwrc.uwyo.edu/wrds/rmfres/index.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/wntstrm.htm
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Ice and Snow http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/iceandsnow.html
Hurricane
Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/hurricanes/index.htm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/hurricane-resources.htm
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/hurricanes.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm
Tropical Twister http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/hurricane/damage.html
Horrific Hurricanes http://whyfiles.org/073hurricane/index.html
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Miami Hurricane http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/
Evaluation
Exceeding Expectations
Goes above and beyond with creativity, execution of movie, and/or includes more information than required.
Meets "meeting expectations"
Meeting Expectations
Within the time constraint, includes all required information
Creative, unique presentation of information
Was well rehearsed and did not read off of a paper
Acceptable Expectations (Progressing)
Went above time constraint (too long)
Includes almost all required information
Presentation was adequate but needed a bit more work/rehearsal.
Novice Expectations (Needs Improvement)
Did not meet minimum time constraint (too short)
Many required information missing
Read from a paper, unrehearsed.
Conclusion
In discovering your life and times, have you learned the conditions favorable for your existence? Do you know the damage you can and have caused? Do you know how you are measured? Have you learned what precautions humans must take to prevent loss of life and/or property? If you can answer yes to these questions, CONGRATULATIONS, you are now a bona fide “storm tracker”.
Weather is all around us. It influences everything from what to wear to our daily activities. Without weather we wouldn’t have crops or green grass. For the most part weather is very helpful an important factor in our daily lives. Sometimes weather can be very harmful and destructive. Think about all of the damage associated with Hurricane Katrina. We are going to take a look at hurricanes as well as other weather extremes.
Task
Your job is to take on the role of a hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or thunderstorm. You will create a movie outlining your life history. Your history will include how you were created, where you traveled, interesting statistics, pictures and your demise.
Your movie must be no less than 1.5 minutes and no more than 2 minutes and needs to include what is listed below; you can branch out and include other information as well.
- Your birth
- Important events/changes that have taken place during your life
- Location (areas of the country)
- Your measurements: Wind speed (miles per hour), diameter, rain fall, storm surge, etc.
- Pictures at each stage of life, or sketches. Pictures of you in action!
- Damage created (pictures)
- Human safety precautions
- Your death
Process
Stage 1: Knowledge Acquisition - Get your facts down on paper
- Define your weather extreme.
- What conditions are needed for your weather to occur?
- How do they form?
- Where do they form?
- How are they measured?
- Why do they lose power?
- What precautions/safety measures should humans take?
Stage 2: Creating Movies - Use any device and any video editing app you desire. (I suggest iMovie)
All movies will begin with your birth and end with your death.
- Your birth
- Important events/changes that have taken place during your life
- Location (areas of the country)
- Your measurements: Wind speed (miles per hour), diameter, rain fall, storm surge, etc.
- Pictures at each stage of life, or sketches. Pictures of you in action!
- Damage created (pictures)
- Human safety precautions
- Ends with your death
Information Sources
You are welcome to use any books from the library, encyclopedias, and your textbook. Use only the websites listed below, DO NOT create your own searches. These websites should be your primary sources.
Tornado
Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/tornadoes/index.htm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tornado/wtwist0.htm
Vortex http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/noaastory/book.html
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/tornadoes.html
National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/tornado.htm
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Powerful Storms http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/storms.html
Birth and Death of Tornado http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/slideshow/slideshow.html
Thunderstorm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/lightning1.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/thunderstorms.htm
National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/lightning.html
Weather Eye http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/bigspark.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/thunder.htm
Australian Severe Weather http://www.australiasevereweather.com/index.html
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
In the Clouds http://www.inclouds.com/index.html
Powerful Storms http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/storms.html
Blizzard
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/winter_storms.htm
Scholastic (includes Blizzard timeline) http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/winter_storms/index.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wwinter0.htm
Rocky Mountain Research Station http://www-wwrc.uwyo.edu/wrds/rmfres/index.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/wntstrm.htm
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Ice and Snow http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/iceandsnow.html
Hurricane
Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/hurricanes/index.htm
Weather Whiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/hurricane-resources.htm
Sky Diary http://skydiary.com/kids/hurricanes.html
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm
Tropical Twister http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/hurricane/damage.html
Horrific Hurricanes http://whyfiles.org/073hurricane/index.html
Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/
Miami Hurricane http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/
Evaluation
Exceeding Expectations
Goes above and beyond with creativity, execution of movie, and/or includes more information than required.
Meets "meeting expectations"
Meeting Expectations
Within the time constraint, includes all required information
Creative, unique presentation of information
Was well rehearsed and did not read off of a paper
Acceptable Expectations (Progressing)
Went above time constraint (too long)
Includes almost all required information
Presentation was adequate but needed a bit more work/rehearsal.
Novice Expectations (Needs Improvement)
Did not meet minimum time constraint (too short)
Many required information missing
Read from a paper, unrehearsed.
Conclusion
In discovering your life and times, have you learned the conditions favorable for your existence? Do you know the damage you can and have caused? Do you know how you are measured? Have you learned what precautions humans must take to prevent loss of life and/or property? If you can answer yes to these questions, CONGRATULATIONS, you are now a bona fide “storm tracker”.