Stormy Memories

Social Studies

Students will gather reminiscences about storms and piece together those memories in writing.

What You Need

• A tape recorder or notebook to record interviews

What To Do

1. Have students prepare questions to ask their parents, neighbors, or other people in their community about a major storm they experienced in the recent or distant past. Ask students to find out as many details as possible about the storm: when it occurred, how people prepared for it, what damage it did, and how long it took to recover. If possible, they should talk to more than one person who experienced the storm so they can compare and contrast recollections.
2. Tell students to tape record or write notes as they interview their storm eyewitnesses.
3. Have students piece together the information they gathered to write an account of the storm. Ask them to present their "storm history" to the class.