👩‍🏫 Teacher’s Guide

Objective
Students will recognize types of severe weather and apply simple safety plans for each.

Vocabulary
thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, blizzard, watch, warning, shelter

Teaching Notes

• Start with a quick demo or model to visualize the concept.
• Pre-teach key vocabulary with gestures or sketches.
• Prompt students to predict, observe, and explain in full sentences.
• Check for understanding using either/or and short-answer prompts.

🧒 Student Worksheet

Concept and Helping Material

Definition. Different storms need different responses: know the hazards, watch for warnings, and use a simple family safety plan.
Helping ideas and samples:

• Try a quick sort, draw-and-label, or compare-and-contrast.
• Name one place you see this idea at home or at school.
• Safety: follow teacher directions and handle materials carefully.

Vocabulary and Definition

• — storm with lightning, thunder, and heavy rain
• — spinning column of air from a storm cloud to the ground
• — large tropical storm with strong winds and rain
• — snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility
• — conditions are possible
• — severe weather is happening or about to happen
• — a safe place to stay during danger

Words to Learn

, , , , , ,

Sentences to Fill In

1. A tornado __ means one is happening now or soon.
2. During a tornado you should go to a __ room on the lowest floor.
3. A __ forms over warm ocean water.
4. A snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility is a __.
5. Lightning is common in a __.

Hands-On Experiment or Activities

What You Need: simple classroom items.
What You Do: Plan it: draw a floor map of your home and mark two safe shelter spots for tornado and for thunderstorm/lightning.
Think and Talk: What changed? What stayed the same?

Reflection

• Why does a small interior room help during a tornado?
• What supplies would you put in a family storm kit?