Cyclone lesson plan The cyclone lesson plan provides teachers and students with an opportunity to investigate cyclones through individual or classroom activities. ITEMS Teachers lesson plan Student assignments About cyclones Real life stories Cyclones: Be prepared Related links Contents Lesson plan 2 About cyclones 4 Cyclones: Be prepared 7 Student assignment: Investigating cyclones 10 Student assignment: Cyclone in a bottle 12 Student assignment: My cyclone project 15 Real life stories 17 Related links 20 1 Cyclone lesson plan The cyclone lesson plan provides teachers and students with an opportunity to investigate cyclones through individual or classroom activities. Objectives LEARNING AREAS Participating in this lesson will help students to: The learning areas for this lesson • understand how a cyclone is formed plan include: • learn how they can protect themselves • Geography during a cyclone • understand the effects of a cyclone. • History • Humanities and Social Science Required resources • Maths • • Computers with internet access Science • Health and physical • Education for Young People website education www.schools.aidr.org.au • The Arts • • English • • Technologies. 2 Lesson steps Investigating cyclones activity Ask students to read the About cyclones page and pay particular attention to: How cyclones are formed. Severity and categories of 1 2 cyclones. How cyclones are named. The damage caused by Cyclones Tracy, Bobby and 3 4 Larry. As they read the information, they should answer the q activity sheet. Students can use other sources to gather information if they wish. My cyclone project The students can complete the following two tasks either individually or in pairs. 1. Cyclone in a bottle Guide the students through the steps outlined in the activity sheet. Students complete the activity and fill in the experiment sheet. 2. Cyclones: what do you know? Students visit the FAQs page of the Bureau of Meteorology website (www.bom.gov.au) and take turns in answering the series of questions related to cyclones. 3. Find the cyclone Students investigate a cyclone, tornado or hurricane of their choice. They are to report on where it happened, where it formed and what damage it incurred. Their research findings can be presented to the class in a creative format of their choice. 3 About cyclones Tropical Cyclones are formed over the ocean in the area around the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Cyclones Cyclones are giant, spinning, whirlwind storms. They are called hurricanes in North America and typhoons in Asia. In order for a cyclone to be identified as a cyclone, it s wind speed must be over 119 km per hour and it must have been formed over the ocean in a tropical region. These great storms are usually dangerous and can cause damage to everything in their path. A cyclone will often bring with it heavy rains that can cause flooding. In order for a cyclone to form, the ocean waters need to be warm, at least 26°C. Above the warm ocean, water evaporates and forms clouds. If there is low air pressure where the clouds are formed, it pulls them in and they begin to rotate. It is the earth rotating and spinning on its axis that causes the This is the stage when it can lose its momentum or develop into a mature cyclone. Even if it has developed into a mature cyclone, it can still grow in size and increase its wind speed. In order for it to be categorised as a cyclone, its average sustained wind speed needs to exceed 63 km per hour. To be classified as severe, the average sustained wind speed needs to exceed 118 km per hour. Once a cyclone arrives over land, its strength weakens and it begins to fade out. This is due to the lack of moisture and heat compared to the ocean over which it was formed. 4 How often do they occur? Cyclone season in Australia is between November and April, however cyclones can still occur in May. The season for hurricanes and typhoons in the Northern Hemisphere is between June and November. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia has on average, 13 cyclones a year. Half of these occur in the western regions. Categories and severity Cyclones are categorised according to their strength. There are five categories: Category 1 is the weakest and Category 5 is the strongest. Cyclone Strength Category Wind Gusts Ocean Swells Damage Up to 1.2 - 1.6m - Slight Damage Trees and farmland damaged 1 125km/hr - Gales 126 - 1.7 - 2.5m - Significant Damage Minor house damage. Severe 2 169km/hr damage to signs and trees. Heavy Destructive damage to crops 170 - 2.6 - 3.7m - Structural Damage House roofs and most likely power 224km/hr - failures 3 Very Destructive 225 - 3.8 - 5.4m - Significant roofing Airborne debris, widespread power 279km/hr - and structural damage failure 4 Very Destructive Winds above More than 5.5m - Almost total Houses flattened, cars overturned 280km/hr - destruction and extremely 5 Very dangerous Destructive 5 The eye is in the centre of the cyclone and can vary in size from ten km to 100 km, depending on the severity of the storm. Because there is the least amount of air pressure in the eye, it produces clear weather with light wind, no clouds, no rain and some sunshine. Do not be fooled by the eye: the storm is not over yet. This is only the middle of the storm. Depending on the wind gusts, the eye may pass in a few minutes or it may take several hours. You are advised to stay indoors during the passing of the eye of the storm, because the cyclone will continue. Always listen for the official word that the cyclone has passed and when it is safe to leave your shelter. When going outside, be aware of fallen power lines, debris and damage left behind after the cyclone. Did you know? • The average life of a cyclone is one week. • After the eye passes and the other side of the cyclone hits, the wind blows with equal strength but in the opposite direction. • Tropical cyclones from the Southern Hemisphere spin clockwise, while hurricanes and typhoons in the Northern Hemisphere spin anti-clockwise. • • Cyclones are assigned names, which are chosen from a list. Names of cyclones The name of each cyclone is taken from a list of approximately 104 names that are used only for cyclones in the Australian Region. If a cyclone begins and is named in another region, it will keep that returning to the beginning when the end of the list is reached. Names alternate between male and female and if a cyclone has a significant effect in the Australian Region (such as Cyclone Tracy) the name will be removed from the list as a mark of respect. For a full list of the names, visit the Bureau of Meteorology website www.bom.gov.au 6 Cyclones: Be prepared Like other natural disasters, a cyclone is dangerous and unpredictable. There are a few things you need to know to ensure the safety of you and your family. Are you in a cyclone prone area? You can find out if you are in a cyclone prone area by asking your State or Territory Emergency Services, your family and other community members. The map below shows the areas in Australia that have had cyclone activity over the past 150 years. The most cyclone prone areas include the coastal regions of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The Bureau of Meteorology has a map that shows that hurricanes and cyclones form over most of the world's tropical waters between about 50 and 220 latitude (in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans) and that the most intense hurricanes and cyclones occur in the north-west Pacific. You will find this map at www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/tracks/ 7 Preparing for a cyclone As the cyclone season approaches, there are a few steps you and your family need to take to ensure your safety and to prevent damage to your property and community. • Check the building regulations. In some areas, if you are building a house, there are strict regulations that need to be followed. These can be found at your local council. • Ensure your home is in good condition, with a safe and secure structure, and no loose tiles on the roof. • Clear property of loose items or secure them. This reduces flying debris. • Locate a safe place nearby. Find where your nearest safe higher ground is in case of flood warnings. • Assemble your emergency survival kit, tinned food, water, medicines, important documents, torches, candles and matches, portable radio and batteries. • Discuss your emergency plan with your family. Decide on the safest places in the house in the event of a cyclone, and ensure that your emergency kit is easily accessible to all family members. Make sure a list of emergency contacts is clearly visible and a copy is in the emergency kit. Emergency survival kit • Assembling an emergency survival kit is important for your survival during a cyclone. • Check your emergency pantry list https://www.qld.gov.au/emergency/dealing- disasters/emergency-pantry-list • Prepare an emergency kit https://www.ses.vic.gov.au/documents/112015/135368/Emergency+Toolkit- pdf/4f569017-36e6-4cb1-982a-67003016699b Warnings The tracking and monitoring of cyclones has improved with technology and communication. If a cyclone is found to be forming, meteorologists will assign it a name and category and notify the appropriate authorities. The authorities and media will then alert the communities at risk and let them know what steps they can take to ensure their safety, including: • continue to listen to the local radio/watching TV for updates and more warnings • board or tape your windows • fill water containers 8 • ensure car is fuelled and is undercover • check your emergency kit and gather extra clothing and shoes.