Read the Map
Earth Science, Economics, Geography, U.S. History
A map of the Caribbean islands is provided as well as informational graphics that include maps. Teachers should introduce students to the locations of U.S. territories in the Caribbean Sea — Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They and other islands were targets of hurricanes in 2017; the citizens and visitors on them can attest to the brutal impact these severe storms made.
Also locate Texas and Florida. On what bodies of water are they located? Understanding geography and atmospheric conditions in this region, as well as human decisions, will help students as they read about the hurricanes of 2017. Other maps include the 2017 Atlantic basin wind history, sea surface temperatures and hurricane tracking chart found in Weather Wise.
Another map-based activity uses data in “U.S. 2017 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters.”
Find THE WEATHER Page
Earth Science, Mathematics, Meteorology
Where is weather information found in the print, online and e-Replica formats of The Post? After brainstorming with students the answer to this question, teachers should take students to the Metro section. Where in this section is THE WEATHER page? Give students “What's THE WEATHER?" These are evergreen activities that can be used any day.
Another WEATHER page activity can be found in "Observe the Details" in Observe Nature in Living Color.
Read the Photograph
Art, Journalism, Media Literacy, Visual Arts
Photographs from a KidsPost photo gallery (“Hurricane Irma takes its toll on Caribbean Islands and United States”) are included in Severe Weather Events. Before sharing the photographs, teachers might ask students to tell what they know about hurricanes. Tell students they will be viewing photographs of Hurricane Irma that formed in the Atlantic Ocean on August 30, 2017. As a category 5 hurricane it hit Barbuda and then the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 6. Find these islands on the map.
Teachers might list details in each photograph that together tell the story of the storm. After viewing all five photographs, students should brainstorm the needs of those who lived through the hurricane.
These photographs can be supplemented with a photo essay by Post staff photographer Salwan Georges: “On the ground in the devastated island of Barbuda” and Luz Lazo’s “What Florida roads look like after Hurricane Irma.”
Meet the Capital Weather Gang
Art, Career Education, Earth Science, Geography, Meteorology, Visual Arts
A meteorologist “is an individual with specialized education who uses scientific principles to explain, understand, observe or forecast the earth’s atmospheric phenomena and/or how the atmosphere affects the earth and life on the planet.” They are distinguished from “weathercasters.” The Capital Weather Gang is The Post’s team of meteorologists and weather experts.
In “Meet the Capital Weather Gang” editors Jason Samenow and Angela Fritz answer our questions about covering the weather, working as a team and pursuing a career in meteorology. This Q&A could be supplemented with “The best meteorological images of Blizzard of 2016.”
Additional resources include the multiple platforms to get information from the Capital Weather Gang. In our resource guide Weather Wise, two articles by Angela Fritz add to our knowledge of weather.
For another example of the knowledge of Capital Weather Gang members, read “Relive the solar eclipse in this timelapse over Washington, D.C.” by Kevin Ambrose. In addition to his time-lapse video of the solar eclipse, Ambrose shares ten steps he followed to create the video.