Teaching sequence

In this lesson students explain the part that science plays in the prediction and tracking of cyclones and how people can prepare for them.

Introduction

Ask students to consider the following questions:

• What can people do to prepare for a cyclone?
• What part does science play in preparing for cyclones?

Provide students with the worksheet Preparing for cyclones (Word, 102 KB) and give them time to think about their responses to each of the questions before engaging in a discussion with a partner about what types of things they think may be recorded in each of the sections on the worksheet.

Core

1. Provide students with the time to research the information needed to successfully answer the questions. This can be done by using the resources available in the school library and by visiting websites listed in Useful links.
2. Organise students into groups of four and ask them to share the information they recorded for the question ‘What can people do to prepare for a cyclone?’ Ask the groups to engage in a discussion to identify the five most important things they think people should do to prepare for a cyclone. Record these five things on a separate piece of paper.
3. Meet together as a class to share and collate the responses. Is the class able to agree on the five most important things?
4. As a class, identify the different ways that science plays a part in preparing for cyclones. Create a class list of responses.
5. Discuss these responses and consider what the implications would be for people and the environment if science was not involved in tracking, predicting and studying cyclones.

Conclusion

Students use the information gathered from the research and class and group discussions to create a poster showing:

a. what people can do to prepare for a cyclone OR

b. the part that science plays in tracking and preparing for cyclones.

Share completed posters with the class or a wider audience.