May 16-22, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
On May 20, 2013, a tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, leaving 24 people confirmed dead, including 10 children. The U.S. National Weather Service estimated that the tornado was about 1.3-miles (2.1-kilometers) wide. The storm touched down at 2:56 p.m. and was on the ground for about 40 minutes. Based on the damage left behind, scientists calculated that the tornado had estimated peak winds of between 200 and 210 miles (320 kilometers and 340 kilometers) per hour. Tornadoes with wind speeds that high are classified as EF-5, the strongest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado in Moore carried away cars and leveled entire neighborhoods. Two elementary schools, directly in the tornado’s path, were destroyed. Moore was previously the site of one of the most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history. On May 3, 1999, a tornado ripped through the area, killing 42 people. That tornado was an EF-5, with one of the highest recorded wind speeds in history, at 302 miles (486 kilometers) per hour.
Objective:
Tornadoes are the most violent of all storms. A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air known as a vortex that has reached the ground. It is often associated with a funnel cloud, a funnel-shaped cloud that may appear near the ground in a thunderstorm. Tornado winds swirl at speeds that may exceed 300 miles (480 kilometers) per hour on rare occasions. The tornado’s tremendous strength may knock over buildings and trees. Other damage occurs when gusts of wind pick up objects and hurl them through the air. The United States has more tornadoes than any other country. Most of these storms occur in a belt known as Tornado Alley. It stretches across the Midwestern, Plains, and Southern states, especially Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. However, tornadoes also strike other parts of the world. The Behind the Headlines news stories and related World Book articles explore tornadoes and other disasters.
Words to know:
- Disaster
- Meteorology
- National Weather Service
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City
- Safety (During a tornado)
- Tornado
- Weather
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what tornado safety tips they know. (Students might say seek shelter, preferably underground, when a tornado approaches; stay away from windows; cover yourself with a rug, blanket, pillows, or other padding for protection against flying glass and rubble.)
2. Ask your students to debate, “All schools in tornado-prevalent areas should be required to have underground safe rooms.” (An official from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management estimated that it would have cost $600,000 to $1 million to retrofit each of the destroyed schools with shelters.)
3. Ask your students to use the World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of weather-related tragedies that have happened in your area. (Students may wish to use World Book’s Disaster article for help.)