Storylines start with an anchoring phenomenon that raises questions or introduces a problem. Each step in a storyline unit is then driven by students’ questions that arise from the phenomenon.

In this case, the anchoring phenomena are related to Hurricane Ida.

• Hurricane Ida made landfall in the US on August 29, 2021, at 11:55 AM local time, near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. It continued traveling northeast affecting Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut between 8/30/21 and 9/2/2021.
• During its formation, Hurricane Ida underwent two rapid intensification periods between 10 AM Saturday 8/28 and 7AM on Sunday 8/29.
• The National Weather Service (NWS) accurately predicted the rapid intensification of Ida to a Category 4 hurricane and its path.  

The first day of the unit provides opportunities for students to consider what they do and don't know about natural hazards, severe weather events, hurricanes, and predicting hurricanes. In doing so, they will begin to make sense of Disciplinary Core Ideas related to forecasting natural hazards, energy transfer, and electromagnetic radiation. The unit also includes career profiles of Northrop Grumman engineers who explore similar phenomena and design solutions to problems in their work. 

Past Lesson Plans

Instructional materials previously developed by Northrop Grumman.