Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.
Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.
Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students will explore hurricanes, consider the damage caused by Hurricane Charley, and research various hurricanes that have hit the United States to create a class guide on these major storms.
Michelle Sale, The New York Times Learning Network
Andrea Perelman, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City
Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour
1. Explore hurricanes through an informational quiz.
2. Consider the damage caused by Hurricane Charley by reading and discussing the article “Federal Relief Is Distributed in Florida Areas Hit by Storm.”
3. Research various major hurricanes in United States history for a guide book on hurricanes.
4. Create pages for a class guide entitled “Hurricane History” and compare various aspects of the storms they researched.
Resources / Materials:
-copies of the article “Federal Relief Is Distributed in Florida Areas Hit by Storm,” found online at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20040817tuesday.html (one per student)
-resources about hurricanes (science textbooks, atlases and/or maps of the United States, encyclopedias, computers with Internet access)
-sheets of drawing or graphing paper (optional)
-markers (enough for students to share)
-large sheets of construction paper (one per group; to be used for pages for the “Hurricane History” guide)
-string or fastener (to put guide together)
Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: On looseleaf paper, students respond to the following prompt (written on the board or copied into a handout prior to class for easier student access): “Hurricane Quiz (True or False format):
1. ‘Hurricane’ is another name for a typical storm involving thunder and lightning.
2. Hurricanes can occur in any part of the world.
3. During a hurricane, windows should be covered in tape to prevent them from breaking.
4. Hurricanes that affect the east coast of the United States usually occur in the summer and early fall.
5. Hurricanes and tornadoes are basically the same phenomena.”
After a few minutes, allow students time to share their responses. Then provide the correct answers, with information taken from the National Hurricane Center’s FAQ’s Web page at http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html:
1. False. According to the National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/kids.shtml), a hurricane is “a severe tropical storm that forms in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture, and light winds above them. If the right conditions last long enough, a hurricane can produce violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rains, and floods.”
2. False. According to the National Hurricane Center, hurricanes only occur in “the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E).”
3. False. Tape doesn’t protect windows from flying debris or strong winds. The National Hurricane Center suggests, “once a Hurricane Warning has been issued you would be better off spending your time putting up shutters over doors and windows.”
4. True. The Atlantic hurricane season is typically from June 1 to November 30.
5. False. Tornadoes have much tighter spirals and are over-land phenomena, while hurricanes are oceanic phenomena.
2. As a class, read and discuss the article “Federal Relief Is Distributed in Florida Areas Hit by Storm” found online at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20040817tuesday.html focusing on the following questions:
a. What was Hurricane Charley, and what area did it hit the hardest?
b. According to Butch Kinerney, how many people were originally left without power after the storm hit?
c. Why has it been problematic to get supplies into the area?
d. At the time the article was written, how many people were living in shelters?
e. What supplies were people searching for on Sunday?
f. What concern did reporters have about F.E.M.A.? Why?
g. According to President Bush, what is the government’s job in this situation?
h. What makes Hurricane Charley remarkable?
I. What has President Bush agreed to do regarding federal aid for Florida’s disaster areas?
j. What types of supplies were brought in by F.E.M.A.?
k. What were frustrated residents complaining about to Governor Bush?
l. How high were the piles of broken trees in Wauchula?
m. What are some officials worried about regarding post-storm casualties?
n. Who is Bob Ramey, and why did he receive a warm welcome from locals?
o. What were people buying from Sarlo Power Mowers?
p. What types of spaces have become shelters for those left homeless?
q. What types of disasters has Marilyn K. Thompson been through already?
3. Divide students into small groups of three or four students. Explain that each group will be researching a hurricane that had a great impact on the United States, and then compiling their information into a class “Hurricane History” guide. Each group will be creating a page for the guide, which will eventually be archived as part of the school’s reference library. Allow each group to choose a major hurricane from this list: Galveston (1900), Great Atlantic (1944), Connie and Diane (1955), Donna (1960), Camille (1969), Hugo (1989), Andrew (1992), Mitch (1998), Floyd (1999) and Isabel (2003). Encourage students to begin their research at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml, finding the answers to the following questions (written on the board for easier student access):
-When did the storm take place?
-Where did it originate?
-What path did it take through the United States?
-How fast were its fastest winds?
-What location received the most rain? How much rain fell there?
-What types of hurricane-related hazards (storm surges, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding) were caused?
-What was the death toll? What were the major causes of these deaths?
-What types of infrastructure or buildings received the most damage?
-What was the total cost of the damage?
-What types of disaster relief or cleanup efforts were organized?
-Was this storm discovered in advance? If so, what types of technology was used to track the hurricane? If not, why not?
-How does your assigned storm compare with Hurricane Charley?
Once groups have completed their research, they should divide the work for creating the group’s page for the guide book, “Hurricane History.” Tasks may include, but are not limited to:
-a map of the hurricane’s path, complete with a key highlighting major points of destruction
-a written description of why this hurricane is memorable
-pictures or drawings illustrating the event
-graphs illustrating one or more of the following: damage, costs, lives taken compared to general population, and other relevant statistics
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: In groups, students work to complete their assigned tasks and pages for the “Hurricane History” guide. In a future class, students should present their pages to the class and then compile the guide. (The teacher may ask students to create a cover for the guide as extra credit.) The teacher should plan time in class for students to analyze the statistical data for each hurricane and create charts comparing various aspects of the storms. Finally, the guide should become part of the school’s library for future reference.
Further Questions for Discussion:
-Why didn’t the people living in areas hit by Hurricane Charley evacuate?
-What could people do to their homes to safeguard them against hurricane damage?
-What are the requirements for an area to be called a “national disaster”?
-How is the amount of federal aid for a disaster determined?
-Consider the items listed in the article that people considered necessities, such as gasoline, milk, ice, water, etc. What are the things you think you couldn’t live without? Why?
-How would not having electricity impact your life? What changes might you have to make?
Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on responses to quiz questions, participation in class and group discussions, and thorough completion of research and pages for hurricane guide book.
federal, relief, recovery, coastal, devastated, grumbling, swath, crammed, debris, tore, hampered, necessities, dispatching, shrift, heartland, dismantling, fatalities, scarred, enthusiastic, locale, brisk, gracious, sentry, impressed, temporary, cataracts
1. Develop a “How It Works” poster explaining the inner workings of a hurricane.
2. Write a research paper examining the field of meteorology. What do meteorologists study? How is the information gathered distributed to members of our society?
3. Create a glossary of hurricane terms, including descriptions of the categories used to describe them.
4. Research how hurricanes are named. Create an oral report and include an explanation of what role your name has played in the history of hurricane naming. Has it been used, or is it on deck for future use? Retired?
5. What types of natural disasters occur in the area in which you live? Create a family disaster plan detailing escape routes, emergency supplies, contact plans, and so on.
Civics – Research the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and develop an oral report illustrating your findings. To whom does this organization report? Where does its funding come from? What changes to this organization have been made since September 11, 2001?
Language Arts – Write a series of journal entries from the point of view of a person who survived the hurricane you researched during class. Be sure to include information about the storm itself, its aftermath and the cleanup.
Mathematics – Choose two storms featured in the “Hurricane History” guide and compare their numbers as percentages. (For example, “Storm X lost 20 people, which is five percent more than those who died in Storm Y.”) Be sure to show the formulas used to create your answers.
Social Studies – Create an oral report on the Hurricane Hunters, a division of the Air Force Reserve that actually flies into the eyes of major storms. Their Web site (http://www.hurricanehunters.com/) provides a detailed history and pictures inside various storms.
Teaching with The Times – Gather at least ten Times articles about Hurricane Charley and examine the range of specific topics covered. Write an essay demonstrating the various (and sometimes surprising) story angles, such as the areas of politics, insurance, water shortages, survival stories, and so on.
Technology – Research how wind affects ocean waves. Prepare a Power Point presentation illustrating your findings about the relationship between wind speeds and water depths.
Other Information on the Web:
The American Red Cross’s official Web site (http://www.redcross.org/) offers information about disaster relief for Hurricane Charley and other causes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Web site (http://www.fema.gov/) provides information about emergency assistance.
The National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) provides tracking and forecasting information about hurricanes and tropical storms.
Academic Content Standards:
Science Standard 1 – Understands basic features of the Earth. Benchmarks: Knows factors that can impact the Earth’s climate; Knows the processes involved in the water cycle
Geography Standard 7 – Knows the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth’s surface. Benchmark: Knows the consequences of a specific physical process operating on Earth’s surface
Geography Standard 15 – Understands how physical systems affect human systems. Benchmarks: Knows the ways in which human systems develop in response to conditions in the physical environment; Knows how the physical environment affects life in different regions; Knows the ways people take aspects of the environment into account when deciding on locations for human activities; Knows the effects of natural hazards on human systems in different regions of the United States and the world; Knows the ways in which humans prepare for natural hazards
Science Standard 1 – Understands basic features of the Earth. Benchmarks: Knows that weather and climate involve the transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere; Knows how winds and ocean currents are produced on the Earth’s surface
Geography Standard 7 – Knows the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth’s surface. Benchmarks: Understands the distribution of different types of climate that are produced by such processes as air-mass circulation, temperature, and moisture; Understands the effects of different physical cycles on the physical environment of Earth; Understands how physical systems are dynamic and interactive; Understands how physical processes affect different regions of the United States and the world
Geography Standard 15 – Understands how physical systems affect human systems. Benchmarks: Understands how people who live in naturally hazardous regions adapt to their environments; Knows factors that affect people’s attitudes, perceptions, and responses toward natural hazards
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.