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Useful Resources for Turning Hurricane Sandy into a Timely Lesson
posted by: Ruthie | October 31, 2012, 04:27 PM   

This week Hurricane Sandy slammed the Eastern Seaboard, forcing local officials to close schools from a couple of days to possibly even longer. With the effects of the storm fresh on students' minds, incorporating hurricane science into curriculum can be especially effective.

Here are some useful resources for integrating hurricane science into the classroom.

Hurricane: Storm Science - The Miami Museum of Science says "We make science fun!" and keeps the promise. In Inside a Hurricane, Survivors, Weather Instruments, and Killer Storms, students can not only study the scientific dynamics of these natural water engines but also appreciate the experiences of people who endure huge storms. The Healing Quilt offers students the chance to empathize and share in the losses that natural disasters cause.

Hurricanes - Did you know that the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador are called "the Green Lane"? This site, sponsored by the Canadian government, includes information about how hurricanes work, hurricane names, hurricane safety, and much more. Hurricane Word Search and Did You Know? provide fascinating fun to help teachers follow up with students after they explore this useful site.

Hurricane Hunters - Members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron fly Lockheed Martin WC-130 aircraft from Keesler Air Force Base out of Biloxi, Mississippi, into actual hurricanes. On this website, the hurricane hunters have collected a wealth of experiences that culminate in a virtual flight into the eye of a storm. Live tracking of tropical depressions and hurricanes help make this site a real crowd pleaser.

Hurricane Photo Library - NOAA offers this archive of excellent digital images from past storms, including a dozen pictures from land, air, and space that dramatize the strength and power of hurricanes. There is also a link to the main photo collection, which covers many more meteorological topics.

Hurricane Movie Catalog - NASA offers this collection of video clips of hurricanes, using MPEG and QuickTime video formats. JPEG and GIF images from the videos are offered as single-frame clips. These are of extremely high quality. Plenty of technical support helps teachers determine the best format to use in their classrooms.

Third Convection and Moisture Experiment - NASA conducted this experiment to gain a greater understanding of hurricanes and how they work. The resulting data is housed here for use with students at the secondary level and beyond who wish to learn more about the science behind the storm. Instruments, flight plans, logistics and field notes and other CAMEX links all contribute to a storehouse of data that eager young scientists will find indispensable in their study of hurricanes.

Do you have other go-to resources to share?
Comment below.






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