Tornadoes

PURPOSE: Lesson plan to teach children the cause, affects, and safety
precautions of tornadoes.

AUDIENCE: 5th Grade students (10-11 yr. old students)

ATTENTION GRABBER:
Have you ever wondered
-How Dorothy and her dog Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz, where caught up in a
tornado?
(Show Picture A below)

-How fast a tornado spins?

-Where tornadoes typically happen?
-How many people have been killed in a single tornado?

EXPLANATION OF TORNADOES:
-Tornadoes are often called twisters or cyclones.
-Fierce wind storm that rotates downward from a cloud and forms a rotating column.
-Tornados can travel 100 miles and generally stay on the ground for 15 minutes.
-Tornadoes can reach 300 mph wind speed (average is 100 mph wind speed) and
are measured by the Enhanced-Fugita Scale (aka EF-Scale). The EF-Scale doesnt
measure how strong the current tornado is but is measured afterward by surveying
and calculating the damage. The scale ranges from F0 (minimal damage) to F5
(massive damage).
(Show Picture B below)

TORNADO FUN FACTS:

Deadliest Tornado in World: Bangladesh

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In 1989 and killed 1300 people

Deadliest Tornado in US: Tri-State Tornado

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In 1925 and killed 695 people

Includes Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana
Damage path 219 miles long

(Show Picture C Below)

Tornadoes in US:
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Every state has experienced tornadoes

US average is 1200 per year
Most occur in Tornado Alley (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Florida)

(Show Pictures D & E Below)

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
- Stay away from windows
-Seek refuge in basements or other underground areas
-Stay low to the ground

ACTIVITY:
Make a Tornado in a bottle
What you'll need:

Water

A clear plastic bottle with a cap (that won't leak)

Glitter

Dish washing liquid

Instructions:

1. Fill the plastic bottle with water until it reaches around three quarters full.
2. Add a few drops of dish washing liquid.
3. Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter (this will make your tornado easier to see).
4. 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
working properly.
(Directions from Science Experiments for Kids:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/makeatornado.html)

(Show Picture F Below)

REFERENCES:
http://www.weather.gov/phi/TornadoDefinition
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/weather/tornado.html

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PICTURE D

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