TORNADOES

TORNADOES LESSON

Directions:

Print the Tornadoes reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions.  Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt

Tornadoes are the most dangerous storms that nature creates. It is important that you take these natural disasters very seriously. There are many different levels of severity that a tornado can have. Some tornadoes just have strong winds but other levels can be deadly. Usually, a tornado will start from a strong thunderstorm. You can recognize a tornado because of the rotational, funnel shape clouds that appear.

Tornadoes have the ability to reach a maximum speed of 300 miles per hour. This is pretty fast! In fact, if a car were traveling down a highway it would have to go at least five times as fast as it normally would to catch a tornado. Until a tornado hits the ground there is a lot of wind and flying debris but once the tornado lands it will be able to destroy anything in its path. Depending on the tornado, the amount of damage that is created can hit as much as one mile of area every second it moves.

If you are wondering if you are going to see a tornado in your lifetime the answer is, you might. It's possible that you will see a tornado because every state in the United States could have a tornado. Unlike hurricanes and earthquakes all states are at risk of having a tornado. However, depending on where you live, the likelihood of a tornado may be greater than in another state.

Some states are in a place called Tornado Alley. This is an area of the United States that is (continued...)