Channing Tornado

Tornadoes Teaching Box

Tornadoes, also called twisters, are rare and powerful weather events in which columns of air rotate dangerously fast. In this teaching box are resources to help students learn why and where tornadoes happen and how these weather events impact people’s lives.

Teaching Boxes are themed collections of classroom-ready educational resources to build student understanding of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Resources highlighted within teaching boxes are from various science education programs and all have been vetted by the education team at the UCAR Center for Science Education.

  • Topic: Tornadoes
  • Level: Middle and high school
An illustration of a tornado with arrows indicating the direction of airflow. Cold air circling counterclockwise at the top and then downward through the center, hot air spiraling counterclockwise up from the surface, strong wind moving parallel to the ground, and a cloud of debris and dust rising up from the surface.

How Do Tornadoes Happen

Students learn how tornadoes form and the atmospheric conditions that are conducive to tornadoes.

A diagram showing the location of tornado alley based on 1 tornado or more per decade and its contributing weather systems.

Where Tornadoes Happen

Students will understand where tornadoes happen.

A crowd watches as a tornado form in Wyoming in June of 2009

How Tornadoes Affect People

Students will learn how tornadoes impact communities and develop a safety plan.

Tornado Resources

These resources can be incorporated as homework, enhancements, or extensions.