Storm Safe Teacher Guide PBL Cross-Curricular Resource Grade 3 • Science & Reading
Storm Safe Teacher Guide
Integrating NGSS Earth Science with CCSS Informational Text Reading and Writing.
Duration 5-7 Days (PBL)
Standards Alignment NGSS 3-ESS3-1 • CCSS RI.3.1
Core Theme Reading to Stay Safe
Science & Reading Synergy
In this integrated PBL unit, students realize that excellent scientists must be excellent readers . Before they can design safety guides, they must close-read complex weather passages, identify informational text features (headers, sidebars, charts), and extract key textual evidence to justify their disaster-planning decisions.
Text Evidence (RI.3.1): Citing specific weather measurements and storm conditions directly from texts.Text Features (RI.3.5): Using sidebars, maps, and bold keywords to navigate hazard data efficiently.Scientific Synthesis: Translating dry raw data into actionable, visual instructions.
Common Misconceptions
Skipping the Text: Kids often guess hazards from movie tropes rather than citing scientific texts. Force citation of written data logs.Text Features: Students frequently skip diagrams and maps. Guide them to trace legend keys and captions actively.
Close Reading Prompts
"What specific sentence in our reading passage proves that wind speed triggers a blizzard alarm?"
"How does looking at the weather sidebar help us find danger thresholds faster than reading the whole page?"
5-Day Integrated Pacing Guide
Day Phase & Science Goal Reading & Writing Integration Benchmarks 1 Launch & Setup Launch the weather challenge. Read introductory weather passages aloud. Identify bold vocabulary (meteorology, climate). 2 Analyze & Monitor Extract and interpret climate graphs as key informational text features. Connect visual data to daily written log descriptions. 3 Close Reading Close-reading challenge. Read standard storm safety dossiers. Complete Text Evidence questions inside student portfolios.4 Engineering Safety Write "Before, During, & After" safety steps. Focus on using imperative verbs and sequencing transitions (first, next, finally). 5 Publish & Present Final assembly of the guide. Review peer guides with special focus on clarity of reading layout and use of helpful headers.
Storm Safe Challenge • Teacher Guide Page 1 of 2
PBL Cross-Curricular Resource Grade 3 • Science & Reading
PBL Assessment Framework
Kid-friendly integrated rubric evaluating both scientific accuracy and text-evidence reading comprehension.
Integrated Rubric (Science & ELA RI.3.1 Alignment)
Category 3 - Expert (Met) 2 - Apprentice (Developing) 1 - Novice (Starting) Citing Text Evidence Perfectly extracts temperature and pressure triggers directly from informational passages; quotes text correctly. Draws general conclusions from passages but relies on memory rather than citing exact figures or paragraphs. Provides storm info without referencing the reading text; misses key comprehension markers. Science Hazard Mechanics Clearly details severe wind patterns and atmosphere shifts using correct science vocabulary terms. Identifies the hazards accurately but struggles to use advanced academic weather terms correctly. Shows confusion about standard atmospheric conditions causing the hazard. Text Features & Design Uses highly functional sidebars, labels, and bold keywords to divide the guide layout intuitively. Contains standard text blocks, but misses opportunities to employ subheadings or diagram labels. Disorganized text blocks make reading safety steps challenging for neighbors. Action Writing & Clarity Writes highly persuasive community warnings using strong, command verbs and precise safety alerts. Safety tips are useful but passive or verbose; lacks urgent command verbs. Warnings are vague, hard to follow, or lack essential sequence structures.
Meteorology Bookshelf
• "Severe Weather" by Seymour Simon (Incredible photos, excellent informational headers)
• "Magic School Bus: Inside a Hurricane" by Joanna Cole (Narrative and non-fiction text layer overlap)
• "National Geographic Kids: Weather" by Kristin Baird Rattini
Reading Support Tips
• Pre-teach Vocabulary: Front-load words like barometer , condensation , and evacuate .
• Choral Reading: Choral-read the informational passages on page 2 of the student portfolio.
• Annotation: Have students highlight safety verbs in blue, and raw data numbers in yellow.
Collaborative Guided Reading Notes
Target Phonics/Vocabulary Hurdles:
Comprehension Adjustments:
Storm Safe Challenge • Teacher Guide Page 2 of 2
Storm Safe Student Portfolio Storm Safe Challenge
Climate Cadet Portfolio
Meteorologist Name
Date Logged
Scientific Reading & Analysis
Welcome, extreme weather team! Excellent safety engineers must be stellar readers. Before building safety guides, we will track live daily weather trends, read standard scientific hazard dossiers, and gather textual proof to justify our life-saving recommendations!
Benchmark 1: Daily Weather Tracker
Complete this once each afternoon!
Observe and measure local atmospheric patterns. Draw a sky sketch and fill out the temperatures and wind speed.
Day 1
Temp (°F):
Precipitation:
Wind Speed:
Day 2
Temp (°F):
Precipitation:
Wind Speed:
Day 3
Temp (°F):
Precipitation:
Wind Speed:
Day 4
Temp (°F):
Precipitation:
Wind Speed:
Day 5
Temp (°F):
Precipitation:
Wind Speed:
Post-Tracking Synthesis
Look at your weekly log. How does this week's weather (day-to-day atmospheric conditions) match what we expect for this season's typical climate (long-term average weather)?
Climate Cadet Portfolio • Weather Logging Page 1 of 3
Storm Safe Challenge
Scientific Close Reading
Benchmark 2
Informational Article Reading Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Understanding Storm Signals
[Paragraph 1] Weather hazards form when special atmospheric conditions collide. For example, tornadoes develop when warm, humid air from the south meets cold, dry air from the north. This clash causes the wind to spin violently into a funnel. Meteorologists use barometers to measure dropping air pressure. A rapid drop in pressure indicates that a severe storm is arriving.
[Paragraph 2] To keep communities safe, weather centers issue warnings. A watch means a storm might form soon. A warning means a storm has been spotted and you must take shelter immediately! For tornado safety, engineers recommend going to a basement or a windowless interior room. Staying away from glass is the absolute best way to avoid injuries from flying debris.
Text Evidence Investigator
1. According to Paragraph 1, what two kinds of air collision create a tornado?
Quote the text: "__________________________________________________________________"
Storm Safe Presentation Slides METEOROLOGY LAB
Grade 3 PBL Series
Storm Safe
Challenge
Become a Meteorologist & Safety Engineer. Read scientific texts, analyze weather data, and build survival guides for our community.
Ready to Launch?
THE PBL MISSION
Phase 1
Our Problem & Quest
Severe weather can strike our community quickly. If families don't know the atmospheric warning signs, they cannot prepare in time.
As Safety Engineers , your team will research local hazards and craft a visual, easy-to-read guide to keep everyone safe.
YOUR DELIVERABLE
The Disaster Guide Blueprint
Weekly Weather Log to establish a local climate baseline.Hazard Science Diagram detailing the storm's natural causes.Before, During, & After checklist for local safety.
Storm Safe Challenge
WEATHER VS. CLIMATE
Phase 2
What's the Difference?
WEATHER
Daily Sky Conditions
Short-term changes we see in the atmosphere day by day. This is temperature, rain, snow, and wind speed.
"Weather is what you wear today (e.g., a raincoat)."
CLIMATE
Long-Term Patterns
The average weather conditions in a region over many years (seasons, typical temperatures, snowfall limits).
"Climate is what is in your whole wardrobe!"
Storm Safe Challenge
SCIENCE READERS ARE DETECTIVES
Phase 3
Hunting for Text Evidence
To design the best guides, we must read like detectives! Informational text gives us critical clues:
Text Features: Bold headers, maps, and text boxes help us spot safety rules fast.Citing Facts: Don't guess! Locate exact numbers (wind speeds or air pressure) to prove why a storm is dangerous.
YOUR DAILY CHALLENGE
Investigate the Text
Open your Student Portfolios to Page 2 .
Read the "Understanding Storm Signals" dossier, search for the bold keywords, and write the exact sentences that prove how to stay safe!
Storm Safe Challenge
BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
Phase 4 & 5
What Makes an Excellent Guide?
Accurate Data
