Tropical Storms Complete Science Lesson - New TEKS 8.10C

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach weather unit on tropical storms is included in this resource! Students will explore how interactions between ocean currents and air masses produce tropical cyclones—including hurricanes and typhoons. They’ll also investigate how these storms are formed, measured, and tracked. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is both comprehensive and low-prep.

Through differentiated, student-led learning, your middle schoolers stay engaged while you focus on student success.

Essential Questions

• What role do ocean currents and air masses play in the formation of tropical storms?

• How are tropical storms formed, measured, and tracked?

Aligned with 2021 TEKS Standard 8.10C

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials for students who need additional support

• Multimodal activities to keep students interested

• Maximum flexibility—printable and digital formats included

• Editable PowerPoints for classroom customization

• Spanish translations of vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages

This resource follows the 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), giving you a research-based structure for meaningful instruction.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher guide with discussion prompts, class activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations help students understand how tropical storms form and vary in intensity:

Input Stations

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) with comprehension checks

• Research It! – Website-based tasks with guiding questions

• Watch It! – Short video with student response prompts

Output Stations

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer prompts

• Illustrate It! – Student-created sketches or diagrams

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive versions)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on how ocean currents and air masses interact to produce tropical storms

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for class discussion, test prep, or homework

Flexible for Any Classroom

This lesson is perfect for both in-person and virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and presentations are fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.