Lesson: Blowing in the Wind

Activate prior knowledge about hurricanes through discussion and a video.

• Ask students to share what they know about hurricanes, including any in the news. Suggestion: Consider whether any students may need support in working through traumatic stories from their experiences with hurricanes, including Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma, which are featured in the story.

• Together, watch the video “What You Need to Know About Hurricanes.” Ask students to share one or two facts from the video and how it builds on and/or changes their understanding of hurricanes.

Read the article and summarize key information.

• Ask: What can people do to stay safe during hurricanes? (evacuate, board up windows, secure things that might blow away) What about wildlife? Have students consider a few different species. Would they all do the same thing? Why or why not? (No, because of differences in their size, body shape, habitat, etc.) Ask students to imagine they are small lizards on an island and that a hurricane is coming. What could they do to stay safe?

• Read the article “Blowing in the Wind.” Ask: What do anoles do during a hurricane? (They grip trees tightly.)

Construct explanations about adaptations based on data from an investigation.

• Ask: Did Colin Donihue test every anole on the island? (no) Why not? (too difficult) Explain that Donihue tested a sample of lizards—a small group, chosen at random from a large group. He tested a sample of lizards from before and from after the hurricanes. Ask: What reason did he have to think that the two samples might not be alike? (The first was a regular sample of anoles; the second consisted of anoles that had survived two hurricanes.) What do you think happened to the anoles with small toe pads? (They were likely blown away by strong winds and didn’t survive.)

• Preview the “Investigate It!” questions in the article. Preview the questions and then break students up into groups to record their answers on the “Investigate It!” skills sheet. Discuss their answers.

Construct explanations using a short assessment.

• Read the “Quick Quiz” questions together. Have students complete them in pairs before reviewing them as a class.

• Have students complete the Learning Journey (found online at the end of the scrollable article and previewed below) to observe wildlife adaptations.

Interpret a map showing the paths of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

• Share the “Hurricane Tracker” map skills sheet or Google quiz. Preview the map and the key, then answer the first two questions together before letting students complete the activity.

⇨ Learning Journey: With a trusted adult, go on a walk around your neighborhood or in a local park. What wildlife do you see, such as squirrels or sparrows? Be sure to stay a safe distance away! Make observations about how those animals are adapted to grip things like branches. Describe how those adaptations compare with how lizards grip during hurricanes.