Hurricane – Cycle A
Team Geekets
Problem Based Learning Model
I.
Read and analyze the scenario and situation - Hurricane
Category 5 Hurricanes have caused human and property damage in the United States. Several hurricanes
made landfall in 2007 in both Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas at the same time. Tracking these storms have
been documented as early as the 1900 when a major storms nearly destroyed all of Galveston
II.
List your personal understanding, ideas or hunches
Juana Martinez
Hurricanes have a powerful impact in the
United States and cause major destruction of
people and property. Here in the valley we
have been spared major storms. The last one
that made landfall was Hurricane Dolly which
brought major flooding to our area.
Michelle Salazar
We live in an area where hurricanes are
likely to hit. The area we live in is close
to the Gulf of Mexico. Major hurricanes
hit here every 3-4 years. I have several
questions about hurricanes I would like
to find out about.
I haven’t experienced too many
hurricanes but I do know it is scary to
know that your home can be destroyed in
a matter of hours. When I was a kid, I
remember having to leave my home to
take refuge in a school that was being
used as a shelter. There were a lot of
other families there and each just as
scared as we were. I remember my mom
trying to keep us calm, while my dad just
paced up and down a hallway. I can’t
forget the sound of the rain against the
roof and the hard winds that never
seemed to stop. I also remember weather
reports on TV or the radio. As a grown
up, experiencing hurricanes is a whole
new kind of scary. Now I’m the one trying
to keep my kids calm, but preparing for
the worst.
Claudia Perez
Maria Izquierdo
The subject about hurricanes has always
been an interesting. Much knowledge about
hurricanes has been learning throughout my
high school and college years. I remember
that my science teacher would always tell to
pick a subject to present, and I would always
pick on hurricanes. I always became
interested due to the fact that we live in an
area, that every year we are prone to become
affected by them. How serious is this? Well,
to me this is very serious because hurricane
season starts June 1 and ends November 30,
every single year. This means that from this
time to this time, we can be hit by a
hurricane at any time whether it’s a tropical
storm, up to category 5 hurricanes. So the
valley is very sensitive to hurricanes. During
the 1900’s when the Galveston hurricane hit,
the meteorologist did not have the
technology or resources that they now have
to help predict where, how long, when the
hurricane will hit a place. I think this play a
major role in the Galveston hurricane.
Leticia Calderon
III.
Hurricanes cause destruction to people’s property.
In the last hurricane (Dolly) we experienced a great
deal of flooding to area. The floods caused
damage to local farm lands which affect our
produce prices. Hurricanes also impact the work
force and higher prices for everything from gas to
food. Due to the extensive flooding, a major
problem with mosquitos also occurs.
List what is known
Juana Martinez
What I know?
 There is a hurricane season every year
that runs from June through
November.
I know this because the meteorologist track
the Pacific and Atlantic very careful during this
time for any storms that may developed.
 Hurricanes have different categories
according to the wind strength.
I know this because I have lived through
several tropical storms that have been
categorized as low as tropical depression to
hurricanes like Alicia that made landfall
through Houston
Michelle Salazar
What I know?
I know that hurricane start as a tropical wave and
can turn into hurricanes within days.
I know this because I watch the weather channel
when a tropical storm is on its way.
What I know?
Hurricanes are unpredictable and can increase in
strength within hours.
I have seen how a hurricane headed our way
changes path within hours of predicted landfall.
Claudia Perez
Hurricanes :
 cause millions of dollars in damage due
to high winds and heavy rain
 cause mass flooding of homes and
roads
 can be unpredictable
 can have winds of 100 mph or more
 travel in spiral formation and the
center of the storm is the most
dangerous
 hit coastal areas
 form in the ocean
 cause fear and apprehension in coastal
areas take down power lines and
affect water drainage systems
How do I know it
Maria Izquierdo
I haven’t experienced too many hurricanes but
I do know it is scary to know that your home
can be destroyed in a matter of hours. When I
was a kid, I remember having to leave my
home to take refuge in a school that was being
used as a shelter. There were a lot of other
families there and each just as scared as we
were. I remember my mom trying to keep us
calm, while my dad just paced up and down a
hallway. I can’t forget the sound of the rain
against the roof and the hard winds that never
seemed to stop. I also remember weather
reports on TV or the radio. As a grown up,
experiencing hurricanes is a whole new kind of
scary. Now I’m the one trying to keep my kids
calm, but preparing for the worst.
 It is the most Catastrophic hurricane
to hit the state of Texas.
 It killed thousands of people.
 It hit as a category 4 hurricanes.
 It hit the city of Galveston TX.
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Leticia Calderon
IV.
Destroy most of the city
Flooded the city
People were left without light for days
for those who did not evacuated the
city.
cost the city of Galveston too much
money in repairs
cause health problems, because of
water contamination, due to bodies
floating in the water
They only occur during a set season.
Other climate changes the severity and number of
hurricanes.
They are unpredictable. We don’t know the
effects of the impact or its exact place it will land
until it hits land.
List What is unknown – Hurricane Scenario
Juana Martinez
Michelle Salazar
What is unknown?
 How can we predict the next major
storm that will affect our area?
 Can the valley survive a major storm?
 Will there be more storms as a result
of global warming?
 Can we (mankind) weaken the storms
before landfall or be pushed
somewhere else where is not heavily
populated?
 Does the valley have a good evacuation
plan?
 How can we prepare for a major
storm?
1. How are hurricanes created?
2. How do meteorologists track a
hurricane?
3. What gives hurricanes the power
to destroy so many homes and
towns?
4. How can we prepare for a major
hurricane?
5. How can people prevent a
hurricane? Or can we?
6. Are hurricanes and tornados
related to each other?
7. Where do hurricanes start? Or
end?
Claudia Perez
Maria
1. What conditions are needed for a
hurricane to form?
2. What are scientists doing to better
track hurricanes?
3. How does global warming affect a
hurricane?
4. Do hurricanes kill ocean life?
5. Will we have more or less hurricanes
due to global warming?
6. What are the long term effects of
hurricanes?
7. How can people become better
prepared for a category 5 hurricane?
I don’t know how many people died?
Why didn’t people evacuate, when
they were told, if they were told to
evacuate?
Did any children die in the hurricane?
After the hurricane, did it cause any
tornadoes? If it did it cause more
destruction that the hurricane.
What were the conditions of the
residents of the city of Galveston after
one month, 6month, and one year?
What was the population of the City of
Galveston, Texas at the time the
hurricane hit the city?
Leticia Calderon
V.
List what needs to be done – Investigating Hurricane
Investigation Questions – What needs to be done?
Juana Martinez
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Michelle Salazar
How can we predict the next major
storm that will affect our area?
How can we prepare for a major
storm?
How are hurricane categorized?
How often do weather meteorologist tract the
predicted paths?
Claudia Perez
8. How does global warming affect
a hurricane?
9. Will we have more or less
hurricanes due to global
warming?
Maria Izquierdo
What type of communication do local
cities have?
Who is in charge of the communication
efforts in the valley?
Leticia Calderon
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VI.
What can be done to minimize damage
during a hurricane?
What are the greatest number of
hurricanes that impacted our area?
Develop a problem statement – Hurricane Scenario
Every hurricane season that runs from June to late November, we
watch the weather closely and track tropical storms that might
affect the valley. Hurricanes can come into our southern coast and
cause major destruction just like the Hurricane that made landfall
in the 1900’s in Galveston. Research shows that these storms are
becoming more intense and more frequent. In 2007, two category
hurricanes made landfall in the Pacific and Atlantic Coast at the
same time. We need to learn about these powerful storms and how
to keep them from causing so much destruction of lives and
properties.
VII.
Gather Information
What did we find to support our problem statement?
Juana Martinez
Michelle Salazar
Claudia Perez
#8
The number of severe hurricanes has doubled
worldwide even though the total number of hurricanes
has dropped over the last 35 years, a new study finds.
The increase in major storms like Katrina coincides
with a global increase of sea surface temperatures,
which scientists say is an effect of global warming.
The possible relationship between global warming and
hurricane strength has been a topic of controversy for
years.
The new study supports another one released in July, in
which climatologist Kerry Emanuel of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed for the
first time that major storms in both the Atlantic and the
Pacific since the 1970s have increased in duration and
intensity by about 50 percent.
http://www.livescience.com/9349-increase-majorhurricanes-linked-warmer-seas.html
#9
Global warming might not fuel more intense hurricanes
in the Atlantic after all. Despite increasing ocean
temperatures that feed the monstrous storms, climate
change may also be ramping up the winds that choke
off a hurricane’s development.
http://www.livescience.com/1434-study-globalwarming-hinder-hurricanes.html
Maria
Leticia Calderon