Lightning Strikes! A WebQuest for 5th
Grade Integrated Electricity Unit
Designed by Mr. Beebe, Ms.
Blessing, Mrs. Michaels, Ms.
Nelson |
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Introduction |
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It is a Friday night and you, a fifth grade student, are home
alone eating a pepperoni Hot Pocket while watching the movie Twister
with your basset hound Fido. All of a sudden, the wind swirls and you hear
the leaves rustling against the house. The rickety stop sign at the end of
the street crashes to the ground! Fido jumps up from the hardwood floor and
races to the door in a panic. However, you are more interested in watching
the rest of the movie and finishing your snack without burning the roof of
your mouth. You tell Fido, “stop
barking and lay back down!” Fido reluctantly obeys your command, plops down
on the floor, and slowly drifts to sleep. In the movie, a storm is brewing. You put down your half eaten
Hot Pocket as you inch toward the edge of the couch watching more intensely.
The main characters grab their video cameras out of their old pick up truck
and race toward the center of the storm. A crash of thunder booms outside your window. Fido awakens and
urgently runs to the door. Getting more annoyed, you scold Fido again, but
this time he disobeys your commands. He remains glued to the door and barks
without ceasing. You turn back to the movie to see the characters retreat
back to their car as the storm creeps closer and closer. Suddenly, there is
another boom near your house and a streak of lightning illuminates the
evening sky. Fido relentlessly yelps in fear. The lights flicker on and off
around you. The TV suddenly goes out along with the rest of your household
power. You are left alone, in the dark, in a pure sweat, with the remains of
your Hot Pocket smeared across your face. You can not call your parents because the phone lines are
down. The streets are beginning to flood due to the heavy rains. This is the
first time you have been home alone during a thunderstorm. Fido will not stop
barking. You can not see anything and feel completely helpless. What should
you do in this situation?
Using this WebQuest you will ·
Collect information from several online sources. ·
Examine and interpret information in maps and bar
graphs. ·
Support your findings of lightning by coming up with
descriptions and explanations using evidence and observations. ·
Communicate your information visually by creating a
lightning bumper sticker. |
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Your task is to discover as much as you can about lightning
and share your findings with others.
You will learn about the characteristics of lightning, lightning
statistics, lightning myths and lightning safety. You will also use a lightning detection
system to view the current occurrences of lightning in the Your task has four main parts: 1.
Explore the links that will take you to websites with
exciting and interesting information about lightning. 2.
Complete the Lightning
Strikes! worksheet to record your findings. 3.
Test your knowledge of lightning by taking the Lightning
Strikes Challenge. 4.
Create a bumper sticker to share your knowledge of
lightning with others. |
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This
WebQuest will take you on a journey through the fascinating world of
lightning. To access the informational
websites provided, click on the underlined words referred to as “hyperlinks”. Once you have explored the site, click on
the Back button on the upper left hand side of the page. This will return you this page that will
guide you through your quest. Click to print the Lightning Strikes! worksheet to begin your quest. You are now ready to begin! Read the
following questions and explore the websites to guide you toward becoming a
lightning expert! What is Lightning? After facing the storm last
week, you and Fido both realize that lightning is a natural phenomenon that
needs to be appreciated and taken seriously. In order to fully be aware of
the power of lightning it is important to understand what lightning is made
from, how lightning is produced, what conditions are necessary for lightning
to take form, and how lightning causes thunder. Once you and Fido know these
answers you can spread the word so that everyone will know what lightning is
all about.
1. What charge does the lightning bolt carry when it leaves the cloud?
2. What characteristic of
lightning create the explosion of sound known as thunder? Lightning Statistics After learning about what lightning is, you
want to find out where and when lightning occurs the most often so you will
not be as surprised by a storm again.
By reading and interpreting graphs of lightning information you can
answer these questions. 1.
Which state experiences the most thunderstorm days each
year? What is the least number or thunderstorm days recorded in this
state? What is the greatest number of
thunderstorm days reported in this state?
2. During what month do the most deaths caused by lightning
occur? 3.
Approximately, how many people died from lightning in 4.
What factor do you think could be responsible for the most lightning
occurring in this state and during these months? Lightning Explorer Wouldn’t it be cool if you could see where
there is lightning all across the Login by typing in student as the Username and student
as the Password. Then click the Refresh
button to get a lightning map from the recent two-hour time period. Each dot on the map represents one recorded
flash. Use Lightning Explorer to answer the following questions:
1. What time did you use
lightning explorer?
2. Which states showed evidence
of lightning?
3. Which state had the most
lightning activity?
4. Which state(s) had the most
recent lightning?
5. How can you tell this from
looking at the map?
6. Did Things to Know About Lightning Safety
Since lightning is a very dangerous, there
are certain safety tips you should be familiar with in case you or someone
you know is involved in a lightning situation. If you and Fido would have
known what actions to take to stay safe, you wouldn’t have been so scared
during the storm. Think about these
lightning safety questions on your own and then explore the links to check
your ideas.
1. If you are outside where are places
you should AVOID seeking shelter?
2. Why shouldn’t you be near trees during a
thunderstorm storm?
3. How would you use the 30-30 lightning rule to protect yourself from the dangers of
lightning? Lightning Related Injuries and Deaths
Although the peak season for lightning is
during the summer, lightning related injuries and deaths can occur throughout
the year. This means that you and Fido need to be prepared to make use of
your lightning knowledge at any time and be alert to threatening weather
conditions. There are certain activities that cause more lightning related
accidents than others and should be avoided during stormy weather conditions.
Unfortunately, if a lightning injury does occur it is important to recognize
the symptoms so that proper medical care can be given. If something would
have happened to you or Fido would you have known what symptoms to look for?
1. What are the top five activities that result in lightning injuries?
2. What are symptoms that occur after
being struck by lightning? Lightning Myths (Fact or Fiction?) Generation after generation, people all over the world
have passed on the same stories about lightning and its effects on people,
objects, and the environment. There is
nothing wrong with these stories because many of them happen to be true. However, there are plenty of stories that
are fictitious or filled with half-truths about the topic of lightning. These types of fictitious stories are
called myths. Your job today is to
find out which stories are real and which stories are myths. Below, you will read several statements
about lightning. After clicking on the link, find
out whether the statement is a fact or a myth. Write either “fact” or “myth” below the
statement on your paper. If the
statement is a myth, write 2-3 complete sentences on why the statement is a
myth. Here are your statements about
lightning. 1.
Lightning can strike the same place
twice. Fact or myth? 2.
If someone is struck by lightning, the
person instantly dies. Fact or myth? 3.
If lightning is going to strike, the
best way to protect yourself is by lying flat on the ground. 4. If you touch an electrocuted person, you
will also become electrocuted. Fact or myth? |
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Test your knowledge of lightning by taking the Lightning Strikes Challenge! After successfully completing the challenge, you will be a
certified Lightning Expert! Now it is time to display and share the lightning knowledge
you have gained through the WebQuest. Create
a lightning bumper sticker utilizing a fascinating fact about lightning. Click here to print out a bumper sticker template. Be sure to use the following guidelines while creating your lightning bumper
stickers. This is to be sure you fully
earned your status as a lightning expert.
If you wish to print out these guidelines, click here.
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You have discovered characteristics of lightning, lightning
statistics, lightning myths and lightning safety. You used a lightning detection system to
view the current occurrences of lightning in the Finally, if you are ever confronted with a situation like the
one presented in the introduction you may not feel completely helpless. You are now aware of the events that cause
lightning to occur and the best ways to protect yourself! |
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The following websites were used in the creation of this
WebQuest: http://www.wxdude.com/page5.html http://www.srh.noaa.gov/eyw/HTML/tstmhazards.htm http://www.lightningstorm.com/tux/jsp/gpg/lex1/mapdisplay.jsp http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/ltgsafety/slide27.html http://www.floridadisaster.org/hwaw/day1/lightning.htm https://www.patrick.af.mil/45og/45ws/LightningSafety/Ltng_Tips.htm http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lightning/4a.html https://www.patrick.af.mil/45og/45ws/LightningSafety/Ltng_Myths.htm http://images.google.com/images http://portfolio.educ.kent.edu/michaelsc/lightningworksheet.htm http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lightning/3a.html http://portfolio.educ.kent.edu/arharj/webquests/InterdisciplinaryWebquest.doc Thank you to the |
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