Tornadoes & A Freebie

We've been studying weather since the beginning of the month.  Do you ever feel like there is just so much to cover??
My students were memorized by the different weather images I put up on my science wall.  I loved how they referred to them during class discussions!

This week we are discussing extreme weather storms, like hurricanes and tornadoes. I've been using Weather - Creating a Non-Fiction Text Features Booklet (by Teachers are Terrific) during Readers Workshop to help students learn about the different characteristics of the storm.

This was a real discussion in our classroom: 
Me:  Where should you go in your house if there's a warning about a tornado? John: I would go in my basement. Me:  Which part of your basement would you go in? The bathroom?  Does the bathroom in the basement have windows? John: Well, there's windows there.  Maybe I should go to a bathroom upstairs? Me: No, you really should stay in the basement.  Is there a room in the basement with no windows? John:  I could always go to the room where my dad keeps the wine. Me: (trying not to giggle) That sounds like a good idea! John: Wait!  If the strong winds from the tornado come, it will break the wine bottles and I'll have wine all over me!  It is not a good place! Steven: John!  Which is better - have wine spill all over you or be sucked up by a tornado and die?
The boys continued to have a discussion about which was the better choice (being 100% serious) while I laid my head on my desk because tears were streaming down my face.  Then my class proceeded to tell me that my mascara was running all down my face.  I love how they always look out for me (and for each other).
Here's a quick freebie to add to your weather unit!

There's a pre-planning sheet to help your students organize their information.

Here's a snapshot of the final copy paper.