Lesson Plan - Hunting Hurricanes

Watch a Video: What You Need to Know About Hurricanes

Ask: Which fact about hurricanes do you find most surprising or interesting? Why?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• data
• meteorologists
• rewarding

Set a Purpose for Reading

Read the “As You Read” question. Have students note how hurricane hunters help keep people safe.

1. How does the author say Rebecca Waddington is different from other pilots?
The author writes that most pilots try to avoid dangerous weather. But for Waddington, flying near or even into powerful storms is part of her job.
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2. Describe how hurricane hunters help keep people safe.
Hurricane hunters drop dropsondes into a storm to record temperature, wind speed, and other information. They send the information to the National Hurricane Center, which figures out the storm’s path and warns people to evacuate.
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3. What does rewarding mean? Why does Waddington call her work rewarding?
The word rewarding means “causing satisfaction.” Waddington says her work is rewarding because it can help save people’s lives.
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FEATURED SKILL: Text Features

Use the Skill Builder “Use Text Features” to demonstrate how headings, photos, and other nonfiction text features can help students understand the article.

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