Lesson Plan

Subject/Grade Level: Science/8th

Lesson Title: Hurricane Plotting and Tracking
Lesson Duration: 1 period of 55 minutes

Performance Objective:
The student will be able to identify the conditions that must exist for a hurricane to form
The student will be able to predict and plot the path of a hurricane and where it may make landfall

Preparation
Framework Strand:
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Content Standard Competencies/Objectives:
4. Describe the Earths System in terms of its position to objects in the universe, structure and composition,
climate, and renewable and nonrenewable resources.
h. Justify why an imaginary hurricane might or might not hit a particular area, using important technological
resources including (but not limited to) the following: (DOK 2) John C. Stennis Space Center Applied Research and
Technology Project Office in Hancock County National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) The
National Weather Service
MS CCR/CCSS:
W.8.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
ISTE:
3. Research and information fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific task.

Instructional Aids:
Video
IPad
Hurricane Book
Pencil
Paper
Colored pencils
Materials Needed:
Hurricane Tracking Chart
Map of 2005 Hurricane Season
[Earth Science]: [Hurricane Plotting and Tracking] Plan
Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute 2015: MSU

Instruction how to use google earth to plot and track hurricane

Equipment Needed:
Smartboard
Computer
IPad
Headsets
Mircrophones
Desired Student Prerequisites:
Students should know background knowledge of hurricanes
Students should be able to identify coordinates.

Introduction/Anticipatory Set
Students will work with a partner to create a list of things that they know and want to know about plotting and
tracking a hurricane. (5 min.)
Students will record their answers in google docs on a teacher created K-W-L- chart on the smart board. (5 Min)

Lesson Outline/Procedures:

Instructor Notes:

The teacher will read aloud, Hurricanes: Earth Mightiest Storms, by Patricia Lauber.
Students will watch a video clip from discovery streaming, Weather Smart: Tracking
the Movement of Hurricanes. (2:06 min.)
Students will model hurricane movements using their bodies after listening to the
book and watching the hurricane video.

The student will plot and track hurricanes using google earth.
The student will plot and track hurricanes using a plotting and tracking handout.
They will use colored pencils to plot the points on the handout and determine what
category the hurricane is by using the Saffir- Simpson Scale.
The students will plot the location of a storm by finding the latitude of the storm
(the first coordinate in the pair) and locate the horizontal line on the map that
matches this latitude.
The student will them find the longitude, ( the second coordinate in the pair, usually
followed by a W or E), an locate the vertical line on the map that matches this
longitude.
Next the student will find the place on the map where the two lines intersect. This
is the location of the storm eye.

[Earth Science]: [Hurricane Plotting and Tracking] Plan

Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute 2015: MSU

Application
Guided Practice:
The teacher will demonstrate how to track and plot hurricanes by using google earth. Students will follow along by
using I-pads. Students will be given an instruction handout on how to track a hurricane using google earth.
Independent Practice:
Students will track and plot hurricanes using google earth.
Students will track and plot various hurricanes on a tracking chart handout by using a map from the 2005
hurricane season from NOAA.
Summary
Lesson Closure:
The teacher will re-cap the lesson and answer any questions that the students may have concerning the lesson.
Students will use an exit ticket summarizing the daily lesson and activity by entering their response in kidblog.
Evaluation
Informal Assessment/Review:
K-W-L chart will be used to assess students prior knowledge about hurricanes. After reading the book aloud,
students will give a list of what they learned about hurricanes.
Formal Assessment:
Completed hurricane tracking chart (map) printed from google earth.
Completed hurricane tracking chart from NOAA.
Lesson Extension
Extension/Enrichment:
Once students plot their storms, they will conduct research to learn more about the
Factors that caused these storms to intensify and become famous storms.
Students will select an image of a hurricane and add an audio narration using audio boom.
Accommodations/Differentiation:
Visual learners will view lesson activities demonstrated on smart board
[Earth Science]: [Hurricane Plotting and Tracking] Plan
Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute 2015: MSU

Auditory learners will hear the book, Hurricanes: Earths Mightiest Storms, by Patricia Lauber read aloud. They will
create and also listen to audio boom narrations of classmates.
Kinesthetic learners will demonstrate using their bodies how hurricanes move.
References:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
http://www.thehurricanetracker.org/
www.adudioboom.com
www.kidblog.org
http://palmbeach.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/93EDA153-64DA-4CB7-8321-EBC66D24AE6E
www.googledocs.com
www.googleearth.com

[Earth Science]: [Hurricane Plotting and Tracking] Plan

Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute 2015: MSU

[Earth Science]: [Hurricane Plotting and Tracking] Plan

Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute 2015: MSU