Lesson Plan Title : Tracking the Weather

Age Range: Grade 6 through grade 8 (Middle School)

Overview and Purpose: In this activity, students use the Internet to track storm systems moving across the United States. They chart these systems on a map over the course of days or sometimes just hours. It is a great way to see how storms move.

Objective: The student will be able to track storm systems using satellite imagery and forecasting maps as the storms move across the United States.

Resources:

Internet access for each group of students

Teacher created worksheet and map of the United States

Activities:

Have students track storm systems as they move across the United States. Have them use the Internet to help them make predictions about where they think the storms will go and how intense they think they will be. They can chart the progress on a map over several days and revise their predictions as necessary.

This project could also be done during one class period if there are severe storms occurring. Students could track the course of the storm over the hour.

Wrap Up:

This activity is good to do in the spring because there are often several storm systems moving across the plains. Students could work together or individually. More advanced students could be challenged to track the storm system from its inception until it dissipates.