Read Works
Read Works: A Tornado Is Coming
[Free Registration/Login Required] This realistic fiction passage tells the story of a family taking cover after learning that a tornado is nearby. This passage shares basic facts about tornadoes. This passage is a stand-alone curricular...
PBS
Nova: Tornado Country
Why do the majority of the world's twisters occur in the United States? Find out the role that geography and climate play in spawning tornadoes.
Soft Schools
Soft Schools: Quizzes: Wild and Weird Weather
Think you know all there is about tsunamis, tidal waves and tornadoes? Take this wild and weird weather quiz to test your knowledge!
PBS
Pbs Nova: Killer Tornado of 1928
This resource provides a remarkable first-hand account of the day a tornado struck a small town in Nebraska in 1928 taking lives, injurying many, and causing much devastaion.
NOAA
Noaa: Tornadoes
This online quiz will test your knowledge of tornado safety. Take it and see if you really are well prepared.
University of Wisconsin
The Why Files: Twister: The Tornado Story
The Why? Files, provided by the University of Wisconsin provides a discussion of tornadoes and the environmental conditions that generate them. Includes some great pictures of the formations of the whirlwinds. Also includes a link to a...
Science Struck
Science Struck: A Complete List of Natural Disasters
Explains what a natural disaster is and provides a list of every type along with a short description of each.
Teachers.net
Teachers.net Lesson: Weather
Here are several great lesson ideas for a weather unit. The lessons cover topics in math and science including making clouds, recreating the water cycle, and making a tornado. There is also a list of weather resources for more information.
Teachers.net
Teachers.net Lesson: Natural Disaster Bloom's Taxonomy
Here is a lengthy activity for student to work on while learning about floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. Students will enjoy researching these disasters and applying what they have learned to a project.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Different Types of Storms
Provides descriptions of a variety of storm types including wintry ones, ones with no precipitation, and very destructive ones. Discusses weather conditions that lead to these storms, precautions one can take, public alerts, etc.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Build It Better!
Students learn about tornados and how engineers design structures to better withstand them. Students then design and draw a house that will better withstand a tornado. Students also learn about the Fujita Tornado Damage Score.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Understanding Tsunamis
Come and learn more about the devastating effects of tsunamis. This site features video segments revealing the devastation tsunamis can cause and how tsunamis are formed.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: A Tornado in My State?
Students will analyze data of tornadoes throughout the United States. They will create a bar graph of the number of tornadoes for the top ten states in the country and then calculate the median and the mode of the data.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Environmental Public Health: Natural Hazards
In this lesson plan, students are introduced to a variety of natural hazards and explore how understanding these threats make us better able to avoid or reduce their potential harmful impact.
University of Wisconsin
Uw Madison: The Fujita Tornado Damage Scale
Here is a simple chart explaining the levels of tornado damage on the Fujita scale.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: Make a Tornado
This site is provided for by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Make a tornado or a twister in a jar. The step by step directions give a clear description of how to make these items.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: Tornadoes
Great photos of actual tornadoes. This page gives you general information about tornadoes.
Weather Wiz Kids
Weather Wiz Kids: Tornadoes
This is a great resource for everything tornadoes. Learn things like how they form, how they stop, and when they are most likely to occur. You can also keep an eye on tornadoes in your area.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Tornado!
Use this site to explore how engineers and architects are able to create tornado-proof designs for houses and other buildings.
National Earth Science Teachers Association
Windows to the Universe: Tornado Forecasts
Scientists study tornado history to help forecast future occurrances. This article explains methods meteorologists use to best predict when tornadoes might develop.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Science for Kids: Dangerous Weather
Kids learn more about the science of dangerous weather. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Tornado Experiment
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart has a full lesson plan (with standards and adaptations) about Tornadoes. An experiment is included with materials description, pictures, and every step. It is intended to be easy to read...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Tornados in the Us
[Free Registration/Login Required] Overview: In this lesson, students will learn the basics about how tornadoes are formed, and when and where they are most likely to occur. They will learn that the United States is the country most...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: I Site: Wild Weather
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart from New Zealand looks at extreme weather conditions from tornadoes to floods, their causes and effects.