Introduction

June 3, 1980, is a day that many people from Grand Island, Nebraska would like to forget.  Memories still linger in their minds years after the destruction left behind by a series of tornadoes that night. However, they are just one of many places that has been affected by a tornado.  Every year hundreds of tornadoes touch down causing millions of dollars in damage.  People are needed to research these storms, and inform their communities about how to deal with these awful forces of nature.

The Task

The mayor has decided that the city of Wills Point needs to be more prepared. Your group will play the roles of a team of experts that will research how tornadoes form, when tornadoes form, why tornadoes form, and where tornadoes have formed and caused destruction.  After gathering all of your information, you will create a documentary that will be video taped for the city to use to make our community more aware and more prepared to deal with tornadoes. 

Before your group begins the process section, everyone needs to explore FEMA Kids to research background information on tornadoes.  Feel free to use information in this site to prepare your final presentation.  Anytime you find a term that you are not familiar with please go to the Student Dictionary for assistance.

Your group of  6 people will consist of a team of three types of  experts.  Your team of experts will create a news broadcast that will be video recorded.  Your final presentation must be memorized from a script created by your team of experts.  Follow the steps below to complete your project.

STEP 1:  Read the descriptions for each expert by clicking on the links below and choose two people for each type of expert. 

Meteorologists - creates a picture or drawing that relates to the information found

Tornado Safety Engineers - creates a table to represent the Fujita Scale

Tornado Historians - make up and interview with a survivor of a tornado

STEP 2: You and your partners working as those types of experts will respond to the questions by researching the information given by the links that correspond with the questions. 

STEP 3:  When your pairs have completed their research, you will meet with the rest of the group to create the broadcast of the information to the community.  Be sure to write down the script that will be read on camera.

HELPFUL HINTS:  Remember when using the links you may have to scroll down to find information.  Also be sure to read the entire article of information.  Feel free to use and share other links that you may find in other parts of your  research.  It may be a good idea to print each expert page for use during your research. 
 
 
 
 

Your grade will be based on your group presentation.  Everyone in the group will receive the same grade.
 
 

13 -16 =  90 - 100 = A
  9 -12 =  80 -  89  = B
  5 -  8 =  70 - 79   = C
   1-  4 =  60 - 69   = D
         0 =       0       = F 

After successfully completing this webquest we hope that you have a better understanding of the situations of the characters in the novel Night of the Twisters.  The three mail goals of this webquest are to:

• Give you a better understanding of tornadoes.
• Help you understand the use of the internet to research information.
• Develop a sense of group cooperation and working with a team.