Derecho in Iowa 2020
A derecho is a widespread long-lived windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
Location
Iowa
Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions
- How might the derecho weather pattern differ from other common storms seen in the Midwest? (thunderstorms, tornados)
- What might be possible solutions to help fix the damage?
- How was the Midwest affected more by this storm than other areas and why?
- What were some design solutions that reduced the impact of the derecho? Why did these work better than others?
Classroom Suggestions
- Discuss similarities and differences in weather patterns in different seasons.
- Discuss experiences about how the students’ families were impacted.
- Students can interview someone older about how they were affected by the derecho.
- Teachers can use grade-level articles about solutions to derecho and students can discuss their effectiveness.
- Students can design their own solutions if another derecho were to happen.
Related Resources
- What is a Derecho?: Discusses the causes of derechos and how to predict them.
- A Year Ago, the Midwest Was Hit With the Costliest Thunderstorm Event in U.S. History: Talks about the national weather service report on the derecho in the Midwest, shares a specific family’s story, and includes live footage as well as estimated cost of damage.
- Disaster Relief: Red Cross disaster relief. This website features information on the group’s purpose and shares statistics on common disasters.
- Derechos are relatively uncommon, and uncommonly intense: This KCRG news article overviews what it takes for a derecho to occur and identifies things that are at acute risk.
Iowa Core Alignment
3-5-ETS1-2:Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Credit Info
Submitted by Anika Perry and Kai Johnson