Names:
Christine O’Leary and Megan Ducharme
E.ES.01.24- Describe precautions that should be taken for human safety during severe weather conditions (tornados, high winds, blizzards, hurricanes).
Grade Level : First Grade
After this lesson student should be able to:

Define severe weather vocabulary words (tornados, high winds, blizzards, hurricanes)

Perform a tornado drill

Discuss and describe correct actions to take during severe weather
Materials:
 “Tornado in a Bottle” (Plastic Soda Bottles, Tape, Water)

Severe Weather PowerPoint

What Do I Do?
Paper

Pieces of paper with name of one severe weather condition on each one.

Bucket to hold pieces of paper
Engage: The teacher will pass out several of the “Tornado in a Bottle.” The students will each get a turn to observe what is happening inside the bottles. The teacher will ask students:

What do you see happening in the bottle?

Why do you think this is happening?
This will be a whole class discussion. Teacher will explain how the water’s movement in the bottles is very similar to the movement of a tornado, and a tornado is so much larger and very dangerous, like other weather they will discuss, when it occurs .
Explore: Teacher will explain that there are steps that need to be taken in order to stay safe during a tornado. Teacher will explain and/or physically demonstrate each individual step and then follow each with asking the students why they think it is necessary to do.

Go into a basement or the lowest level of a building (Why?)

Move away from windows (Why?)

Sit under a desk and/or put your arms around your neck (Why?)
Student ideas will be written down on the board, and they will come back to those ideas in the Explain.
Once these steps are explained, ask the students if they have ideas where they could go in their school where it would be safe during a tornado. Tell the students where their assigned tornado drill location is in the building, take them there and ask them to correctly perform the tornado drill steps that they just learned. They will then be

asked to consider where they could go in their home to be safe during a tornado, and they will draw a picture of it on the What Do I Do?
Paper.
Explain: Teacher will verbally explain what a person should do, and what they should not do to stay safe during severe weather conditions that occur in Michigan, with very brief explanations as to why a person does each thing. Teacher will use a PowerPoint presentation, with pictures of each severe weather condition, for visual aids during explanations.

Thunder and Lightning: Stay inside a well-built building. In a building is not nearby, stay in the car. If outside, stay away from tall objects. Do not go in any water (pool, lakes), or use electrical appliances.

Tornado/High Winds: Go down into the basement or the most central located room with no windows in a building. Do not use electrical appliances. If in school, go to designated area and cover head. (*Students discuss ideas they had shared during Explore that are on the board)
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Blizzard: If inside, stay inside. If outside, go inside. If inside a vehicle, stay inside the vehicle. If you don’t have enough clothing layers on, run the car for 10 minutes every hour for heat.
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All Storms: Stay away from power lines. Use flashlights, not candles when/if the power goes out.
Teacher would briefly touch on hurricanes, because it is a severe weather condition that does not occur in Michigan. However, a student could have to face a hurricane while on vacation.

Hurricane: Try to move as far away from the water before hurricane reaches your location. Stay indoors, away from windows. Be as high above ground as possible because of flooding.
Elaborate: Students will get into small groups of 3 or 4. Each group will draw the name of a severe weather condition out of a bucket. Each group will create a short (1-3 minute) skit on their weather condition as if it was occurring outside at that moment. They should include in the skit what they are seeing and/or experiencing and what they are going to do to stay safe. Teacher should write criteria on the board for students. Each group will then perform their skit in front of the other students.
Evaluate:

Participation in Engage and Explore discussions.

What Do I Do?
Paper

Severe Weather Skit
Sources: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/phenom/tornadoinabottle.html
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-28753_38684_28760---,00.html

1.) Did students cover (name) in skit what extreme weather condition is occurring around them?
____ /2 Points
2.) Did students cover in skit what they are physically feelings and/or seeing around them (wind, rain, etc) before they take shelter?
____ /2 Points
3.) Did students cover and perform in skit every step they need to take in order to stay safe during their extreme weather condition?
____ /2 Points