Storm Alert!

*I have used this lesson plan in science when studying the weather or in reading after reading a story about storms.

Students work in pairs and choose a storm to research (tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, hail, etc.). Students gather information from a variety of sources and complete a graphic organizer with data including how the storms form, facts about the worst storm ever recorded, how to be safe during the storm, destruction it may cause, and weather-related facts (wind speeds, precipitation, etc.).

Once they have all of the information gathered, I tell students they are now going to act as if they are weather reporters on the local news. One person will be reporting from the studio and the other will be reporting in the midst of the storm (we talk about reporters we have seen on t.v. doing just this). Together, the pair will write a script to include the facts they found with the studio reporter asking questions and the on-site reporter answering.
*The on-site reporters really get into it and this is great for practicing reading with expression, because it's hard to stay calm in the midst of a storm!

After practicing their scripts, we record them to create a podcast in Garage Band. You could even add sound effects in the background using this program. The students love listening to their classmate's podcasts and sharing them with others!