Monday, August 25, 2008

Welcome Back!


Today was our first day back after our extended time off due to "Fay". During Science Workshop, as a way to turn that time off into a "learning opportunity", Mr. Pinchot (a degreed Meteorologist!) led a thoughtful conversation with our classes about the different classifications of storms and how "wind speed" constitutes the category of storm we experience. This conversation led to the students reflecting on their own personal experiences over recent days. Many of our students shared the precautions their families took during this inclement weather time period (some students even practiced the "Duck and Cover" response in their homes when we experienced local tornado warnings in our area a few days ago, which is a special drill we had just practiced in school in preparation for this sort of situation). Our discussions also led us to develop a list of the many "do's" and "don'ts" of how to react during a storm to maximize personal safety. Needless to say, it was time very well spent.
If you are a parent of a child in our class reading this entry, ask your child to identify for you the three classifications of "storms" that we discussed in class:

*Identify the type of storm with winds greater than 74 miles per hour.

*Identify the type of storm with winds between 40 and 74 miles per hour.

*Identify the type of storm with dying winds that have fallen below 40 miles per hour.

Finally, ask your child which 2 categories "Fay" fell into, and see if he or she can tell you the significance of this storm beginning with the letter "F"!!!

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