Severe Weather Brochure Project
You will create an informational brochure on a type of severe weather. The diagram on the back of this sheet
shows a layout for information. You will have 2 class periods at school to work on your project and do research
in the computer lab.
Severe weather topics to choose from include the following: Tornadoes, Thunderstorms (Lightning and
Thunder), Hurricanes, Blizzards, Monsoons, Floods, Drought, Nor’easters, Lake-Effect Snowstorms, Ice
Storms/Freezing Precipitation/ Hail, Heat Waves, etc. If you think of another topic not listed please ask me first
before choosing it.
The cover: Write your chosen type of severe weather as an acrostic poem (you may need to quickly research
acrostic poem). Each letter of the topic starts a word or phrase about weather. Include a picture of the severe
weather. If the picture is not your own, make sure you cite where it is from.
Inside left cover: Give the origins of the severe weather. Answer the following—DO NOT write the questions.
1.How does your type of severe weather form? 2.What conditions are needed for this storm to form? 3.Where
in the U.S. and when are these types of storms most common?
Inside middle panel: Facts: What are the details of the storm. Answer the following—DO NOT write the
questions. 1. Is there a scale used to measure the intensity of this storm? 2. How is your weather named or
classified? 3. What technology/tools do meteorologists use to monitor this type of storm?
Inside right panel: Provide a list of at least 5 key vocabulary words, with definitions, used to describe the type
of storm.
Back left panel: Disaster Plan. Answer the following—DO NOT write the questions. 1. How does one
prepare for the storm? 2. What should someone do if they are caught in this storm? 3. What effects should
someone expect from this type of storm? 4. What type of clean-up or recovery should they expect?
Back middle: Works cited. You must use at least two reputable sources. You must cite your sources correctly.
If you use any images, remember that you must cite those sources as well. You can use the following link to
help you out http://citationmachine.net/
CATEGORY
Cover: Acrostic
Inside Left Cover:
Origins of the
weather
4
Acrostic uses all
letters of the word
and all sentences
are scientifically
correct
3
Acrostic is missing 1
letter of the word
and/or 1 sentence is
not scientifically
correct or no picture
All 3 questions are 2 of the questions
answered
are answered
correctly
correctly
2
28/28
100
27/28
97
26/28
93
25/28
90
24/28
86
23/28
83
22/28
79
21/28
76
20/28
72
No vocabulary words
were defined or all
definitions were
incorrect
19/28
69
18/28
65
17/28
62
1-0 questions were
answered correctly
16/28
58
15/28
55
14/28
51
13/28
48
12/28
44
11/28
41
10/28
37
9/28
34
8/28
30
7/28
27
6/28
23
5/28
20
4/28
16
3/28
13
2/28
9
Acrostic is missing 2
letters of the word
and/or 2 sentences
are not scientifically
correct or no picture
Acrostic is missing 3
or more letters of
the word and/or 3 or
more sentences are
not scientifically
correct. No picture
1 question is
answered correctly
No questions were
answered are all
were incorrect
Inside Middle Panel:
Facts about the
weather
All 3 questions are 2 of the questions
answered
are answered
correctly
correctly
1 question is
answered correctly
Inside Right Panel:
Vocabulary
5 or more
vocabulary words
are defined
correctly
1-2 vocabulary
words are defined
correctly
3-4 vocabulary
words are defined
correctly
1
No questions were
answered are all
were incorrect
All 4 questions are 3 questions are
answered
answered correctly.
correctly
2 questions are
answered correctly
Back Middle:
Works cited
All 3 or more
sources are cited
correctly
Only 2 sources are
cited correctly
only 1 source is cited No sources were
correctly
cited correctly
Spelling and
grammar
There are no
spelling/
grammatical
mistakes in the
brochure.
There are 1-2
spelling/grammatical
mistakes in the
brochure.
Back Left Panel:
Disaster Plan
There are 3-4
spelling/grammatical
mistakes in the
brochure.
There are 5 or more
spelling/grammatical
mistakes in the
brochure.
How to get it all done……
Step 1:
Research
Begin gathering the information for your brochure from the Internet.
Step 2:
Brainstorm Ideas for Organizing Your Brochure
No idea is a bad idea! Once you have ideas, decide on the best one. Be creative.
Step 3:
Rough Sketch
Draw a rough sketch of your brochure in pencil to be sure to plan for all of the pieces of
information.
Step 4:
Final Copy
Create your final copy of the brochure using Microsoft Publisher. Several example
templates are available for use. Choose one that closely matches the example I’ve
given.
Step 5:
Finishing Touches
Add color, illustrations, and diagrams to your brochure to make it appealing to others.
Weather Related Sites
Here are some websites that you might find useful in your search for information.
http://www.fema.gov/kids/dizarea.htm (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
http://illiniweather.com/pages/kids_weather_links.htm (Kids Weather Links)
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/reachout/kidspage.shtml (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration)
http://www.ucar.edu/40th/webweather/index.html (Web Weather)
http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Weather/Severe_Weather/ (CyberSleuth)
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/ (Weather Whiz)
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/ (Scholastic)
http://scijinks.nasa.gov/weather-menu (NASA)
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather-ed/weather-encyclopedia/ (The Weather Channel)
http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/ (Miami Science Museum – Hurricanes Only)
Severe Weather Brochure
Give the origins of
the severe weather.
How does your type
of severe weather
form? What
conditions are
needed for this
storm to form?
Where in the U.S.
and when are these
types of storms
most common?
Disaster Plan. How does
one prepare for the
storm? What should
someone do if they are
caught in this storm?
What effects should
someone expect from
this type of storm? What
type of clean-up or
recovery should they
expect?
Facts: What are the
details of the storm. Is
there a scale used to
measure the intensity of
this storm? How is your
weather named or
classified? What
technology/tools do
meteorologists use to
monitor this type of
storm?
Works cited. You must use at
least three reputable sources.
You must cite your sources
correctly. If you use any
images, remember that you
must cite those sources as
well. You can use the
following link to help you out
http://citationmachine.net/
Provide a list of at
least 5 key
vocabulary words,
with definitions,
used to describe
the type of storm
Write your chosen type of
severe weather as an
acrostic poem. Each letter
of the word spells a word
or phrase about weather.
Include a picture of the
severe weather. If the
picture is not your own,
make sure you cite where
it is from.