KSSwilkes

This is a document that explains how to teach Scientific Explanations. This document tells what they are, why to use them, about them (claim + evidence + reasoning), teaching them, and supporting the construction of them.

This is a hands-on science activity that simulates the movement of air currents.

This is an animated depiction of a sunny day on the beach when a sudden storm front blows in. It shows images of the weather changing and has text pointing out weather vocabulary.

Lesson plans and worksheet to help teach kids when to call 911.

Thoughts for possible guiding activities: Magic School Bus videos are always great! Kids love them and remember information from them. These could be used as introductory activities for background knowledge, used by the kids during research, or clips embedded into any technology driven presentation that they might design.

Kid friendly information on general items that can be put into a kit for severe weather preparedness.

Brief, kid friendly information on hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunder storms.

Thoughts for possible Guiding Activites: Sound clip could be useful to begin a KWL chart on thunderstorms, use in student presentations, or find sounds of rain and wind to compare and contrast the sounds.

Much more catchy of a tune than the tornado/hurricane song. Still a lot of information just being sung. Not a song the kids would likely memorize, but they might enjoy hearing it and discussing the information in it.

Great information and a lot of information. Not a song that the kids would be able to learn and sing along with. Singer is basically reading/singing the information to a tune.

Brief information about watching for a tornado and explanation of emergency notification via a radio to help prepare.

Thoughts for possible guiding activity: This would be a great guiding activity to help kids think about safety during severe weather from the viewpoint of their own homes. Perhaps it could be assigned as homework and have families work with the students as part of their preparation for their final presentations.

Flash flood information and warnings. Might interest the students in our group's area (Northeast) since we experienced a hurricane and severe rainfall with flooding just a few months ago.

Good explanation of lightning, what it is and how to stay safe during a storm.

Good information on hurricanes and how to stay safe.

Lightning information for possible background knowledge.

Thoughts for possible Guiding Activities: This letter home could be used to prepare for the KWL activity and get families involved.

Thoughts for possible Guiding Activities: These "guides" could be used on a smartboard or as handouts to teach the kids how to find required information/main ideas by highlighting or physically cutting out information. Learning how to re-word the information could be part of the lesson or another guiding activity to teach them a new skill.