Make your own tornado!
Grade Level/Subject: Topic: 5th grade, Science
State Standard (s):
Competency Goal 3: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate.
Objectives: 3.03: Describe and analyze the formation of various types of clouds and discuss the relation to weather systems.
Instructional Objective:
Performance- The students will be able to describe to a partner what is happening inside the bottle.
Conditions- The students will work independently when they create their own tornadoes in a bottle.
Criteria- Students are expected to write at least 2- five sentence paragraphs about what they have learned about tornadoes.
Objective Rationale:
The students will learn about how tornadoes are formed, look at video clips and photographs of real tornadoes, learn basic safety tips about tornadoes, create a simulated tornado in a bottle, and draw pictures and write sentences about tornadoes.
Instructional Decisions:
How much prerequisite knowledge do my students need?
The students will need to understand temperature, wind direction and speed, and cloud cover. The students will need to understand what kinds of clouds produce certain weather systems, such as tornadoes.
How much time do I need to teach the objective?
The students will need 1 hour to complete the objective.
How will the students work during the lesson (whole class, small group, individual)?
The students will be in a whole-class setting while learning about tornadoes. They will then be working individually, but socially, to create their own tornado in a bottle.
Content and Strategies:
Focus/Review:
The students will draw a picture from the scene in “The Wizard of Oz” of Dorothy getting swept away by the tornado.
Objective (as stated for students):
Today, we will be drawing and writing about tornadoes. Then we will make our own tornado in a bottle.
Teacher Input:
The teacher will begin the lesson with a video clip from National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com --> Videos: Tornadoes 101
Guided Practice:
The teacher will lead the students in making their tornado bottles. She will have one pre-made for the students to have an example to go by. This is also useful for the students to make sure their bottles will look similar. Here are the steps for making a tornado bottle:
Independent Practice:
The students will break off independently to create their own tornadoes. They will follow the steps as led by the teacher. After their tornadoes are made, the teacher will check off for completion and instruct the students to write at least two paragraphs, at least 5 sentences each, about what they have learned about tornadoes.
Closure:
The teacher will talk to the students about tornado safety and students will create a kinesthetic organizer as a class to demonstrate what they have learned. She will also call on a few students to read their paragraphs out loud to the class.
Assessment:
The teacher will assess the students’ paragraphs they wrote about tornadoes. The teacher will also assess their homemade tornadoes by asking them questions such as, do they think the tornado in a bottle looks like the pictures and videos they have seen?
Things to Consider:
Materials :
Writing/drawing materials, and materials for tornado in a bottle activity: water, a clear plastic bottle with a cap, glitter, and dishwashing liquid. Paper, scissors, and markers will be needed for the kinesthetic organizer.
Plans for Individual Differences:
For kinesthetic learners, students will be able to rotate to different sections around the room to put together their tornadoes.
For visual and special learners, students will draw a picture of a tornado during the focus and review time of the lesson.
State Standard (s):
Competency Goal 3: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate.
Objectives: 3.03: Describe and analyze the formation of various types of clouds and discuss the relation to weather systems.
Instructional Objective:
Performance- The students will be able to describe to a partner what is happening inside the bottle.
Conditions- The students will work independently when they create their own tornadoes in a bottle.
Criteria- Students are expected to write at least 2- five sentence paragraphs about what they have learned about tornadoes.
Objective Rationale:
The students will learn about how tornadoes are formed, look at video clips and photographs of real tornadoes, learn basic safety tips about tornadoes, create a simulated tornado in a bottle, and draw pictures and write sentences about tornadoes.
Instructional Decisions:
How much prerequisite knowledge do my students need?
The students will need to understand temperature, wind direction and speed, and cloud cover. The students will need to understand what kinds of clouds produce certain weather systems, such as tornadoes.
How much time do I need to teach the objective?
The students will need 1 hour to complete the objective.
How will the students work during the lesson (whole class, small group, individual)?
The students will be in a whole-class setting while learning about tornadoes. They will then be working individually, but socially, to create their own tornado in a bottle.
Content and Strategies:
Focus/Review:
The students will draw a picture from the scene in “The Wizard of Oz” of Dorothy getting swept away by the tornado.
Objective (as stated for students):
Today, we will be drawing and writing about tornadoes. Then we will make our own tornado in a bottle.
Teacher Input:
The teacher will begin the lesson with a video clip from National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com --> Videos: Tornadoes 101
Guided Practice:
The teacher will lead the students in making their tornado bottles. She will have one pre-made for the students to have an example to go by. This is also useful for the students to make sure their bottles will look similar. Here are the steps for making a tornado bottle:
- Fill the plastic bottle with water until it reaches around three quarters full.
- Add a few drops of dish washing liquid.
- Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter (this will make your tornado easier to see).
- Put the cap on tightly.
- Turn the bottle upside down and hold it by the neck. Quickly spin the bottle in a circular motion for a few seconds, stop and look inside to see if you can see a mini tornado forming in the water. You might need to try it a few times before you get it to working properly.
Independent Practice:
The students will break off independently to create their own tornadoes. They will follow the steps as led by the teacher. After their tornadoes are made, the teacher will check off for completion and instruct the students to write at least two paragraphs, at least 5 sentences each, about what they have learned about tornadoes.
Closure:
The teacher will talk to the students about tornado safety and students will create a kinesthetic organizer as a class to demonstrate what they have learned. She will also call on a few students to read their paragraphs out loud to the class.
Assessment:
The teacher will assess the students’ paragraphs they wrote about tornadoes. The teacher will also assess their homemade tornadoes by asking them questions such as, do they think the tornado in a bottle looks like the pictures and videos they have seen?
Things to Consider:
Materials :
Writing/drawing materials, and materials for tornado in a bottle activity: water, a clear plastic bottle with a cap, glitter, and dishwashing liquid. Paper, scissors, and markers will be needed for the kinesthetic organizer.
Plans for Individual Differences:
For kinesthetic learners, students will be able to rotate to different sections around the room to put together their tornadoes.
For visual and special learners, students will draw a picture of a tornado during the focus and review time of the lesson.