Weather Activities for Middle School
Weather is an important part of everyday life. It’s important to know the difference between weather and climate; weather is day-to-day whereas climate is year-by-year. Thanks to scientists we can plan whether (no pun intended!) we need to bring an umbrella, restock our hurricane kit, or if it’s going to be a beach day or not. Scientists, called Meteorologists, track weather patterns all the time to try and predict what the weather will do. When it comes to all things climate and weather, it's important to keep things relevant and fun for your students. Here are some weather activities for middle school to use in your classroom!
Hurricanes
Hurricane Interactive Lessons
Nature can whip up some pretty fierce weather! Hurricanes are one of nature’s most dangerous and powerful storms and an exciting topic to teach to middle schoolers. There is a lot of information and resources out there on teaching hurricanes. However, with distance learning, having a lesson that can be used for virtual students and face to face students is a definite win-win! In this Hurricanes Interactive Google Slides Presentation you can utilize the lesson for your online students, face-to-face students in your class or use it as an independent activity to learn all about hurricanes. It self-checks while engaging students as they dive into the eye of the storm on their journey to understanding hurricanes.Hurricane Escape Room
Escape rooms are all the hype! Students love solving the clues and trying to “break out” of each room. The Hurricane Escape Room activity is hands-on and gets students moving around the class, activates their critical thinking skills and teaches teamwork.
It might also get their competitive juices flowing as it is a timed activity.
Your students will learn about Topics covered including hurricane formation, names, typhoons, cyclones, hurricane season, and the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Each escape room contains puzzles and codes to decipher. These codes include ciphers, Morse code, cryptograms and a final 4 digit code based on the decoders/clues.
There is no prep for this Escape room, just print and go!
Tsunamis
Tsunami Interactive Lessons
Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or undersea volcanic eruptions. Save prep time, grading time, while increasing the fun time by shaking up your Earth Science lesson with this Tsunami Interactive Lesson. This weather activity is ideal for distance learning or independent learners because it self-assesses. Students will know when they have an incorrect answer and have the opportunity to re-do the question to get it right. Let your students learn from their mistakes and develop a deeper understanding about weather and earth science!
Tsunamis Escape Room
Combine the interactive slideshow with this Tsunamis Escape Room where students go on an adventure of decoding, piecing together puzzles and figuring out secret codes. But the real secret to this activity is students are learning without realizing they are working hard, reading, and using critical thinking skills! They're having fun! This fun, team-building weather activity for middle schoolers covers topics like heights and speed, common locations, Ring of Fire, and the Tsunami Warning System. Play some "spy" music, and let your students solve the puzzles while learning about weather!Tornadoes
Tornadoes Interactive Lessons
A tornado can be considered a hurricane’s evil step sister. Tornadoes are violent, rotating wind funnels that leave a path of destruction. But don’t worry, your students won’t destroy anything with this Tornadoes Interactive Slide Show as they twist their way through learning all about tornadoes. This weather activity will teach students how tornadoes are formed, what causes them and how to stay safe when the sirens go off.Tornado Escape Room
Combine the interactive slideshow with a Tornado Escape Room. This engaging and interactive activity gives students an opportunity to put on their thinking caps, become sleuths, and weather the storm as they learn all about tornadoes. Your students learn about the Fujita Scale, Tornado Alley, types of tornadoes, tornado warnings and watches. Throw in the movie Twister or some old storm chaser footage for some tornado themed fun! Your students need outside the box ideas to keep them engaged, active, and learning. With the hurricane, tsunami, and hurricane interactive activities, students are more likely to learn the material versus memorizing it. Utilizing the interactive slideshows and escape rooms not only captivate your students, but the activities check the differentiation box when it comes to the various learning styles. From visual to auditory, to tactile, and kinesthetic learners all students will gain knowledge and understanding of weather. These weather activities are sure to be your most popular and favorite lessons among your students!Want to check out more escape rooms and engaging activities? Become a ThinkTankTeacher member, and get access to everything in the shop for just $99/year. From weather activities to social studies escape rooms and more, your students will be engaged and motivated to learn! What social studies or weather activities will you try in your classroom?
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