The Shocking Truth about Lightning
Mr. DeCarolis
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
INTRODUCTION
The weather was fabulous
today. Sunny and warm, it felt more like a summer day than it did the last week before
finals. The weather was so nice today in
fact, you don’t mind walking home from school and avoiding the crowded Bx28
bus. Maybe the weather was a bit too
nice, as you ignore the dark thunderclouds suddenly gathering in the western
sky. Too late you hear the thunder, and
you desperately search the landscape for somewhere to take cover as the rain
starts to pound down. You see a bus stop
up ahead, and decide to take cover there until the bus comes. As you sprint into the shelter, you can’t
decide which is louder; the thunder or the sound of the rain pummeling the roof
of the bus stop. It won’t matter
soon. You suddenly feel strange, and the
hairs on your arms and neck feel like they are standing up. “Maybe it would be safer in the corner store
across the street” you think to yourself.
But it’s too late. There is a
blinding light and a deafening crack.
You’ve heard of people getting struck by lightning, but never thought it
could really happen. You feel yourself
being thrown backwards through the air, but strangely you feel no pain as
everything goes dark…
TASK
You will never forget the day you were hit by
lightning, and will always remember how lucky you were to survive. Now, as a young intern working for Bronx 12
TV, you want to make sure NYC’s students know about the dangers lightning 
pose. It is the most underestimated weather killer
there is. You would know. Your task is to create a PowerPoint
presentation for broadcast that will educate young people about lighting. It will include:
· Statistics
and pictures that show the dangers of lightning strikes
· How
to recognize when a Thunderstorm is approaching
· What
to do to protect yourself if you are caught in a storm
· Suggestions
to increase public awareness
You will use the Public Policy Analyst to help
you.
PROCESS
Use
the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst to complete your task. Click for an introduction to the Public Policy Analyst. Also, click on each link for help in
completing that step. Remember to fill
out and hand in the worksheets for each step!
Step One: Define the Problem
Step
Two: Find Evidence
Step
Three: Identify
Causes
Step
Four: Examine
Existing Policy
Step
Five: Develop
Solutions
Step
Six: Pick the
Best Solution
You
will use the Internet “resources” below to complete the TIPS PPA worksheets.
You may use other sources such as texts, surveys, interviews or case studies.
Make an appointment with the Truman Librarian for help. She has a copy of this
assignment.
You
will then use these worksheets as information to complete your task.
You may work in groups if you so choose.
RESOURCES
FIRST!!!
Take this quiz!
Lightning Safety Institute
– self explanatory
Severe Storms
– online meteorology guide
Location,
Location, Location – National Geographic Article
Lightning
Map –Shows where lightning strikes
NYC
Office of Emergency Management – local info
More
Safety Info – Another source of information
Search for
Lightning Images – remember to click on images
NYC Department
of Education – can you find the Department’s policy on warning students of
severe weather?
OK!!!
Take the quiz again!
EVALUATION
Your work will be evaluated using the following
rubric. A perfect score is 20 points (4 for each section).
Rubric
|
Points |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Task Completeness |
6
Steps |
5
Steps |
4
Steps |
3
or fewer steps |
|
Development &
Organization |
excellent
organization & thorough explanations |
very
good organization & explanations |
good
organization & explanations |
poor
organization & explanations |
|
Oral Presentation |
All
members participate; spoken clearly and loudly |
All
members participate; mostly spoken clearly and loudly |
Some
members participate; not always clear or loud enough |
One
group member dominates; OR spoken too softly to be understood |
|
Grammar |
No
grammatical or spelling errors |
1
– 5 grammatical or spelling errors |
6
– 12 grammatical or spelling errors |
More
than 12 grammatical or spelling errors |
|
Research |
at
least 4 online sources |
3 online sources |
2
online sources |
1
online source |
Science
Standard 4
Students
will: understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories
pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the
historical development of ideas in science.
Science
Standard 2: Information Systems
Students will
access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
English Standard 1
Students will: read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
English
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and
Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and
evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas,
information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established
criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that
follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a
variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas,
information and issues.
CONCLUSION
A powerful thunderstorm
truly exemplifies Mother Nature’s “Deadly Beauty”. Lightning is weather most underappreciated
killer. Following some simple rules can
greatly reduce the number of deaths related to lightning. Your presentation can give life saving
information to