Be the meteorologist

Students use internet data to plot the path of a hurricane over several days. At designated points, students will decide which areas of the coast to put under a hurricane warning and will justify their decisions. This lesson uses real weather data and allows students to "be the meteorologist."

A lesson plan for grade 7 Science

Learn more

• NOAA Records Paths of Storms dating back to 1950
• CI-FLOW: Tracking the Raindrop from the Sky to the Summit to the Sea This video shows the devastation caused by Hurricane Floyd and explains how the Coastal and Inland Flood Observation and Warning Project (CI-FLOW) has been created to monitor atmospheric, ocean, and river conditions in an effort to predict flooding in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse River basins and the North Carolina coastal areas. Find out more information at the CI-FLOW Project website.

Related pages

• Hurricanes: A guide to teaching about hurricanes, including virtual field trips, lesson plans, and interactive websites.
• Coastal weather issues: Planning for a hurricane: The unit is designed for seventh grade students who have been studying Earth and its atmosphere. In this sequence, students are faced with the realistic issue of personal and social decision-making when planning for hurricane strikes, which includes classification, tracking, and monitoring hurricanes, as well as planning for evacuations. The inquiry-based approach involves a WebQuest in which the learner will assume the role of an emergency management team member who must create a preparation plan for the community.
• National Weather Service - Raleigh: The Raleigh office of the National Weather Service offers tours to middle and high school student groups. The website provides local weather and hurricane data.

Related topics

• Learn more about estimations, graphing, hurricane tracking, hurricanes, meteorology, science, storms, and weather.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• plot the track of a hurricane on a map.
• make predictions about the hurricane’s path using data segments.
• explain which areas are more likely to be in the hurricane’s projected path.
• explain how their predictions change over time as the amount of data they manipulate increases.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

• Copies of a hurricane-tracking map with latitude/longitude lines marked (one per pair of students)
• Overhead transparency of student map
• Colored pencils
• Copies of hurricane path data in one-day segments (See website resources for sources of tracking data)
• Paper
• Pencil

Technology resources

• Computer with Internet connection
• Websites with hurricane track information on them (See On the web section in sidebar)
• Overhead projector
• A cable or other method to project an Internet site onto a larger screen

Pre-activities

In order to introduce the lesson, the teacher should lead the students in a discussion of hurricane tracking. A short video clip from Discovery Education about hurricane tracking can be used to springboard discussion. The teacher should then review with students how to plot latitude and longitude coordinate points using the overhead transparency of the map.

Activities

1. Distribute copies of Hurricane Tracking Maps to each pair of students.
2. Pass out data in small increments. No more than three points should be plotted each time.
3. Explain to the students that they will plot the first three data points on their maps. Then, they will shade in an area on the coast where they think it is most likely that the storm will hit. After each prediction, students should keep a written record of their reasons for making the decision on the "Be the Meteorologist Data Chart" worksheet.
4. After plotting the first day and making a prediction, students should get the second set of data. Again, students will plot the points, and using a second color, shade in the area of the coast most likely to be hit. Also, they should write their justification in the data chart.
5. Repeat the above steps with a new color for as many days of data as you wish.
6. At the end, give the real landfall of the storm and have students reflect on how they determined the storm’s path. A discussion can be led in which students discuss the difficulties in storm track predictions, as well as the changes in ability to predict a path over time. Students will answer the Reflection and Analysis questions on the worksheet.

Assessment

The students’ maps and data charts should be collected to examine students’ predictions and justifications. Also, student responses to the reflection and ending discussion can be used to asses attainment of the lesson objectives.

Supplemental information

Science Explorer: Weather and Climate published by Prentice Hall, 2000—a similar activity is in this book and it can also be used for reference.

Comments

Since I live in a hurricane prone area, this lesson is high interest and highly relevant to the students. This lesson can easily be lengthened or shortened by using different amounts of hurricane tracking data.