Introduction:
You are a report for local mid-western town paper. There is an old wives tale that says "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb". This means severe weather and tornadoes are likely to happen at this time of year. However, in this little community the townspeople feel "this could never happen to them".
The Task:
You have been assigned the task of researching and writing an article for the local newspaper on tornadoes and tornado safety. Being prepared for severe weather is one way to keep safe. You will want to make the article interesting so the townspeople will read it read and realize they need to be informed as well as prepared for severe weather.
Resources:
books on tornadoes from the library
www.tornadoproject.com
Activities:
Step 1: Students will work in groups of two. As they enter the lab they will be handed one of the three sheets of paper.
Each sheet explores a different aspect of tornadoes and tornado safety. As each group works to complete the sheet, they will only have a portion of the information needed to finish the project.
Step 2: In the classroom the teacher will use a software program called "Inspiration" to organize the information the students have gathered in the computer lab.
Step 3: The students will then use the books on tornadoes from the library to continue webbing the information about tornadoes using "Inspiration".
Step 4: The student will then decide how he/she will present the information to their community.
Learning Advice:
This "Twister" WebQuest is a collaborative project between the Technology
Resource Teacher and the classroom teacher. The students will be gathering
information about tornadoes from the website. The classroom teacher will model
organizing the information using the software program "Inspirations". The
students will then choose how to present the information to the little community in which
they live.
Conclusion:
Students will gather information, process information and present information about
tornadoes.
Evaluation: