Chapter 17: Hurricanes and the Incredible Mystery of Disappearing Land

This unit is designed to help 5^th grade students develop a deep understanding of hurricanes and their impacts. Utilizing the lesson plans in this unit, students are guided through activities that will eventually allow them to develop answers to the unit’s two guiding questions: What could a hurricane do to [place] and the local surrounding area? and How can we prepare [place] and the local surrounding area for a severe hurricane and survive? Students begin the unit by being exposed to an anchoring phenomenon: land loss around the Louisiana coastline after Hurricane Katrina. Using phenomena to anchor lessons situates science instruction in the context of community and brings to the forefront the overlapping nature of science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as the integration of English language arts and geography.