Introduction

Weather can be very exciting and scary! On this website you will be answering some questions about the most common types of severe (serious)weather in the USA -- Hurricanes and Tornadoes. The web links will give you information on how hurricanes and tornadoes form, and some tips that will keep you safe in the event that you get caught in a major storm.

The Quest

How does a hurricane form? How does a tornado form? Where do the storms usually happen? How do you stay safe during tornados and hurricanes?

The Process and Resources

In this WebQuest you will be answering some questions about hurricanes and tornadoes. You will visit the different websites to find information and answers to the questions above. When your group finds information, write it down on your worksheet. After you are finished answering all of the questions, go to the Weather Wiz Kids site and take the quiz. Good Luck, and have fun!

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Individuals or pairs from your larger WebQuest team will explore one of the roles below.

2. Read through the files linked to the question.

3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point.

4. Be prepared to focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers the Big Quest(ion) or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your role.

General Weather Information

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to General Weather Information:
1. How does a hurricane form?
2. How does a tornado form?
3. Where do the storms usually happen?

• Weather and Kids - There are links to Hurricanes and Tornadoes here. Click the different links to learn about what makes these amazing storms form.
• The Sky Diary - This is a great site to learn about scary storms. You can link to Hurricane information, as well as Tornadoes.

Saftey Tips for Severe Storms

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Saftey Tips for Severe Storms.

1. How do you stay safe during tornados and hurricanes?

• Weather Wiz Kids - This site gives you information about weather, and storms. It tells you how to stay safe during a storm. There is even a quiz to take when you finish.

Tornados

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Tornados:

1. How do tornadoes form?
2. Where Do they usually happen?

• Tornado Chasers! - This is a great place to learn about how a Tornado forms! There are great graphics of storms, and even a diagram of the different parts of a Twister!

Hurricanes

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Hurricanes:

1. How do hurricanes form?
2. Where do they usually happen?

• Hurricanes for Kids - There are lots of storm views here. Saftey tips, and information on how hurricanes form are here too.

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

You have all learned about a different part of Weather. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team with expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the Webpages you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

You and your teammates have learned a lot by dividing up into different roles. Now's the time to put your learning into a letter you'll send out for real world feedback. Together you will write a letter that contains opinions, information, and perspectives that you've gained. Here's the process:

1. Begin your letter with a statement of who you are and why you are writing your message to this particular person or organization.

2. Give background information that shows you understand the topic.

STATE THE TASK / QUEST(ION) AND YOUR GROUP'S ANSWER.

3. Each person in your group should write a paragraph that gives two good reasons supporting the group's opinion. Make sure to be specific in both the information (like where you got it from on the Web) and the reasoning (why the information proves your group's point).

4. Have each person on the team proofread the message. Use correct letter format and make sure you have correctly addressed the email message. Use the link below to make contact. Send your message and make sure your teacher gets a copy.

Your Contact is: the designated contact

Conclusion

So is an elephant smooth, rough, soft, or hard? Well, when you're blindfolded and only *looking* at one part, it's easy to come up with an answer that may not be completely right. It's the same for understanding a topic as broad or complex as Weather: when you only know part of the picture, you only know part of the picture. Now you all know a lot more. Nice work. You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of Weather could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.