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The following instructional plan is part of a GaDOE collection of Unit Frameworks, Performance Tasks, examples of Student
Work, and Teacher Commentary. Many more GaDOE approved instructional plans are available by using the Search Standards
feature located on GeorgiaStandards.Org.
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
Subject Area: Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes
Standards (Content and Characteristics):
S6E4. Students will understand how the distribution of land and oceans affects climate and
weather.
b. Relate unequal heating of land and water surfaces to form large global wind systems
and weather events such as tornados and thunderstorms.
S6CS5. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring
scientific and technological matters.
a. Observe and explain how parts are related to other parts in systems such as weather
systems, solar systems, and ocean systems including how the output from one part of a system
(in the form of material, energy, or information) can become the input to other parts. (For
example: El Nino’s effect on weather)
b. Identify several different models (such as physical replicas, pictures, and analogies)
that could be used to represent the same thing, and evaluate their usefulness, taking into account
such things as the model’s purpose and complexity.
S6CS10. Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
c. Building vocabulary knowledge
Demonstrate an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects.
Use content vocabulary in writing and speaking.
Explore understanding of new words found in subject area texts.
Enduring Understanding:
Unequal heating of the Earth causes air to move from areas of high pressure (cold air, high
density) to areas of low pressure (warm air, low density) to create wind.
Tornadoes are funnels of high speed winds associated with thunderstorms.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 1 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
Essential Questions:
How does wind form?
Why are tornadoes uncommon in mountainous regions?
How do tornadoes form?
Are natural disasters random or evenly dispersed?
ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES
Outcome /
Performance
Expectations:
Students will be able to predict the direction of wind based on the presence of
high and low pressure systems.
Students will be able to explain the process of tornado formation.
General
Teacher
Instructions:
Background Information for Teachers:
WIND:
Wind is the movement of air above the surface of the Earth from areas
of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Warm air is less dense than cold air,
and therefore under less pressure. This variation in temperature is caused by
the unequal heating of the Earth by the sun. The sun’s warming effects vary
with latitude and time of day. The sun’s rays strike the equator directly, thus
creating areas of low pressure. On the other hand, the sun’s rays strike the
poles at an angle so that the energy is spread over a larger area, thus creating
areas of high pressure. Therefore, in general, winds blow from the poles toward
the equator on Earth.
There are local winds. During the day, the sun warms the land creating
an area of low pressure above it. The seas do not warm as quickly as land, and
therefore, wind during the day blows from the land toward the sea. In the
evening, the opposite occurs. The land cools quicker than the sea, and thus, the
air above the sea is warmer and less dense. This causes wind to blow from the
sea toward the land.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 2 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
DENSITY OF AIR:
The air is made up of molecules of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases
which are constantly colliding with one another. As these molecules gain
thermal energy, their speed increases causing them to spread out and become
less dense. If this air mass is surrounded by nothing but air, the molecules will
push the slower moving molecules of air out of their way.
Air’s density can also be affected by pressure. Increasing pressure
increases density. Air pressure can be affected by altitude and weather systems.
TORNADO FORMATION: A tornado is a violently rotating column of
air in contact with and extending between a cloud (often a thunderstorm
cloud) and the surface of the Earth. Winds in most tornadoes blow at 100
mph or less, but there have been tornadoes with wind speeds exceeding 250
mph. Tornadoes track along the ground for several miles and can vary
greatly in width. Several conditions are required for the development of
tornadoes and the thunderstorm clouds with which most tornadoes are
associated. There must be abundant low level moisture and a cold front or
other low level zone of converging winds is needed to lift the moist air.
Once the air begins to rise and becomes saturated, it will continue rising to
great heights and produce a thunderstorm cloud if the temperature decreases
rapidly with height. Tornadoes usually form in areas where winds at all
levels of the atmosphere are not only strong, but also turn with height in a
clockwise direction. Tornadoes can appear as a traditional funnel shape, or
in a slender rope-like form. They may contain "multiple vortices" -- small,
individual tornadoes rotating around a common center. Even others may be
nearly invisible, with only swirling dust or debris at ground level as the only
indication of the tornado's presence.
Teacher Demonstrations:
1.) This demonstration will show the difference in density in warm and cool
air. Partially blow up a balloon, but do not tie it off. Place the balloon
over the opening of a 2-liter soda bottle. Submerge the bottle in a cold
water bath for a minute or two and have students record their
observations. Have them predict what will happen when the bottle is
submerged in a hot water bath. Submerge the bottle and have students
record their observations. The hot water should be approximately 65ºC.
The students should observe that the balloon deflates when it is in the
cold water bath, and it inflates when it is placed in the hot water bath.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 3 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
Conduct a discussion on the reasons for these observations including the
concept of the density of the differing air masses within the balloon. Be
sure to highlight the concept that less dense air masses rise above dense
air masses.
2.) Elevate a shoebox-sized container of ice. On the table next to the ice,
place a hot plate turned to “high”. In between the hot plate and ice
container, place a lit candle. Be sure that the ice container is sitting
higher than the hot plate. Blow out the candle and observe that the
smoke blows toward the heated air above the hot plate. This works best
if you perform the demonstration with the classroom lights off and use a
flashlight to illuminate the smoke. Discuss with the students possible
reasons for the smoke moving toward the hotter air mass. Refer to
observations from Demonstration #1 in this discussion.
3.) Fill a quart jar about three-fourths with water. Add two teaspoons of
clear liquid soap, one teaspoon of vinegar, and a couple drops of food
coloring. Tighten the jar and create a vortex by swirling the liquid
inside. Discuss with the students that air masses moving in opposite
directions can cause this swirling motion in the atmosphere, thus
resulting in a vortex of wind, better known as a tornado.
Materials
Needed:
Safety
Precautions:
Task with
Student
Directions:
Demonstration 1: balloon, 2-liter soda bottle, ice water bath, warm water bath,
thermometer
Demonstration 2: shoebox sized container for ice, ice, hotplate, candle,
flashlight
Demonstration 3: quart jar, water, clear liquid soap, vinegar, food coloring
Student work time: computer with internet access, Air and Tornadoes
Webquest Handout (see end of task template), physical outline map of the
United States
During demonstrations, be sure that students do not touch hot items such as the
hot water bath, hotplate, and lit candle.
1.) Students may visit http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm to read
about wind and http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm to read
about tornadoes. Each website has questions students can record in
learning journals.
2.) Students use the following websites to create an instruction booklet on
tornado safety: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm03.pdf ,
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm04.pdf ,
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm05.pdf Booklets can be in the
form of a flipbook, brochure, or storybook. Ideas for foldable booklets
can be found at
http://www.irvingisd.net/sciencecenter/curriculum/foldables/Foldables.p
df
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 4 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
3.) Students will create of map of historical tornado activity in the United
States using the following physical outline map
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/usphys.pdf
Resources:
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/nino/wind.html
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/nino/global.html
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm04.pdf
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm03.pdf
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm05.pdf
http://www.irvingisd.net/sciencecenter/curriculum/foldables/Foldables.pdf
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/usphys.pdf
http://www.bwea.com/edu/wind.html
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wdensity.htm
http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/tornado/form.html
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 5 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
Winds and Tornadoes Webquest Handout
Winds:
Use the following website to learn about wind: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm
1. What is the definition of wind?
2. Does the wind blow from areas of warm air to areas of cold air or from areas of cold air
to areas of warm air? Explain your answer.
3. Label the global wind belts and use arrows to indicate in which direction the winds in
each belt blow. The trade winds have been labeled for you.
Trade Winds
Trade Winds
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 6 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
4. Which wind belt affects the weather in the United States?
5. Why do the trade winds blow toward the equator?
6. Why do the winds’ patterns curve?
7. In the northern hemisphere, winds generally blow in a _______________-wise pattern,
but in the southern hemisphere, they blow in a ________________________-wise
pattern.
8. The beach is a great place to fly a kite. Why?
9. Why does the wind at the beach blow in the opposite direction at night than it does during
the day?
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 7 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Earth Science/ Winds and Tornadoes– 6th Grade
Tornadoes:
Use the following website to learn about tornadoes:
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm
1. What is the definition of a tornado?
2. How do tornadoes form? You may use pictures and words to explain their formation.
3. What are some signs that a tornado is possible?
4. In which of the United States are tornadoes most common? List at least two states.
5. Do you live in a tornado common area?
6. When are tornadoes most likely to occur where you live?
7. What is the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch?
8. Are there any tornado warnings in your area today?
9. What should you do if a tornado is spotted in your area while you are at school?
10. What should you do if a tornado is spotted in your area while you are at home?
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Natural Disasters  6th Grade  Winds and Tornadoes
July, 2008  Page 8 of 8
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved