Tornado Activities for Middle School
A tornado is a weather phenomenon that occurs when warm and cold air collide during a thunderstorm. This creates a vortex, or funnel, of air that maintains contact with the cloud base as well as the ground. Tornadoes are among the most destructive weather events on earth. For middle school students, learning about tornadoes is not only a vital part of earth science education, but also provides essential information about how to prepare for and stay safe in the event of a tornado.
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Tornado in a Bottle
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Students can explore the structure of a tornado by creating a tornado in a bottle. Using two soda bottles connected with a washer mechanism, a vortex is created as a result of the resisting water and air pressure between the two bottles as the water drains. Students can observe what a tornado looks like and how the structure leads to so much destruction by drawing items in its path into the vortex.
Tornado Safety Poster
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Knowing how to protect yourself in the event of a tornado is important for people of all ages. Middle school students, after learning about what a tornado is and how destructive one can be, can create a poster outlining safety precautions in the event of a tornado.
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Create a Mock Disaster Plan
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Middle school students can apply what they've learned about tornadoes by working together to develop a disaster plan for their school or community in the event of a tornado. This project allows students to anticipate the effect of a tornado on their community and develop an understanding of what must be done to protect people before, during, and after a tornado.
Design a Tornado-Resistant Building
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After learning about the intensity and destructive power of tornadoes, students can design a building that's likely to stand up to a tornado. They'll need to consider wind speed and how certain materials are more likely to stand up to tornado-force winds than others. Older middle school students may even be able to build models of their designs.
Analyze Tornado Data
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Students can complete a subject cross-over project between science and math by compiling data on tornadoes across the country and analyzing the information. Information is available from the National Weather Service and NOAA. Comparisons can be made between the number of tornadoes in different states or at different times a year. Students can create graphs and charts to demonstrate what the data indicates.
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