Classroom Resource

The Power of Hurricanes

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Science

Grade(s)

3

Overview

The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. The students will answer the questions associated with the article as an assessment. This learning activity can explain how a region's climate can result in severe weather, serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept, or be used as an assessment at the conclusion of a lesson. In addition, the conclusion of this text describes design solutions to prevent hurricane-related hazards.

Science (2015) Grade(s): 3

SC15.3.14

Collect information from a variety of sources to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.3.14

Vocabulary

  • Evaluate
  • Climates
  • Regions
  • Reliable media
  • Sources

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Climate describes a range of an area's typical weather conditions and the extent to which those condition change over the years.
  • Books and other reliable media provide information that can be used to describe climates in different regions of the world.
  • Variations in climates within different regions of the world.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify reliable resources for gathering information.
  • Identify the different regions of the world and their climates.
  • Evaluate information in the resources.
  • Use information to describe the climates in different regions and their patterns.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Patterns in climate can be used to make predictions about typical weather conditions in a region.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns
Science (2015) Grade(s): 3

SC15.3.15

Evaluate a design solution (e.g., flood barriers, wind resistant roofs, lightning rods) that reduces the impact of a weather-related hazard.*

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.3.15

Vocabulary

  • Merit
  • Claim
  • Problem/solution
  • Design solution
  • Impact
  • Reduce
  • Weather-related hazard

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Engineers design solutions to reduce the impact of weather related hazards.
  • Problems caused by weather related problems.
  • Humans can not eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts.
  • Some design solutions are more effective than others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify impacts of a weather related hazard.
  • Identify the effects of solutions to a problem that reduces the impact of a weather related hazard.
  • Make a claim about a designed solution that reduces the impact of a weather related hazard.
  • Communicate evidence to support the claim about a designed solution that reduces the impact of a weather related hazard.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are cause and effect relationships between weather-related hazards and design solutions created to reduce their impact.
  • There are benefits and risks to given solutions created when responding to the societal demand to reduce the impact of a hazard.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.18

Demonstrate content knowledge built during independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.18

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Content knowledge
  • Independent reading
  • Informational text
  • Literary text
  • Content-specific discussions

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Content knowledge is information learned about a specific subject.
  • Content knowledge can be learned by independently reading text.
  • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.
  • Active listening skills.
  • Writing skills.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Build content knowledge from independently reading informational or literary text.
  • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in content-specific discussions with peers.
  • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Content-specific discussions with peers can demonstrate the content knowledge they learned through independent reading.
  • They can produce writings that demonstrate knowledge of content-specific information.
Link to Resource
https://www.readworks.org/article/The-Power-of-Hurricanes/ed3da881-8086-40e1-9e…

CR Resource Type

Learning Activity

Resource Provider

ReadWorks.org
Accessibility

Accessibility

Audio resources: includes a transcript or subtitles
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

https://about.readworks.org/terms-of-use.html

Comments or Notes

ReadWorks is a website that provides K-12 teachers with free literacy resources (About ReadWorks). ReadWorks has literary and informational texts on a variety of subjects and reading skills. You may narrow your search using grade level or Lexile level, making this website a wonderful tool for differentiation. Students will complete their work digitally, and you will provide their score and feedback digitally. This makes it easy to go paperless for this activity.

Prior to implementing this activity, you will need to sign up for an Educator Account on ReadWorks. After setting up an account, create a class from the Class Admin tab, this will provide you with a Class Code to give to students. Next, use the Find Content tab to search for the informational article that will be used during this activity, "The Power of Hurricanes." After navigating to the article, click on the blue Assign button to assign it to your class.

Each student will need access to a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. The first time students enter the website they will need to enter the Class Code that is listed on your Class Admin page. Alternatively, you can print the article and corresponding questions for students, if digital devices are not available. 

Approved Date

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