Observe and record wind speed at the same time each day for two weeks.

With older pupils you could refer to the Beaufort Wind Scale. Compare these observations with a video of a hurricane. Use this material for non-fiction or creative writing, or for art and design projects.

Discuss five facts pupils would like to know about hurricanes. To find the answers visit www.ns.ec.gc.caweatherhurricanekids.html

KS3

Watch the animated guide to hurricanes on the BBC website and ask pupils to write about it.

http:news.bbc.co.uk1hiscitech4588149.stm

KS4-5

Visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website and read the Preparedness Guides, particularly the one from the American Red Cross.

Ask students to design an information leaflet (two sides of A4) explaining what a hurricane is and what people can do to prepare for one.

http:hurricanes.noaa.gov

Ask students to read the article and draw a flow diagram explaining why global warming could make hurricanes more frequent and more intense.

“As past experiences have shown, being unprepared is often the biggest killer”. Does this explain why Hurricane Katrina was so devastating?