Designing for Weather Hazards · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Building Smart Solutions for Weather Hazards

Science · Weather & Climate · ages 8-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. After three days of heavy rain, the river beside a town starts to rise. What does the town's levee do?

    • It carries rainwater away through pipes under the streets
    • It blocks the rising water so the town stays dry
    • It soaks up extra water the way trees do

  2. Which of these is a weather-related hazard?

    • Flooding
    • A rainbow
    • A clear sky

  3. A good design claim only looks at one solution and never compares it to others.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. How can flooding hurt people in a town?

    • It can damage homes and make roads unsafe
    • It makes the sun shine longer
    • It helps plants grow faster with no downsides

  5. A town has heavy wind damage to roofs. Which design solution would help most?

    • A levee along the river
    • Planting shade trees for heat
    • Storm shutters and strong roof straps

  6. Look at the chart comparing three solutions. Based on the evidence, which one should the town claim is most effective at blocking flood water?

    Levee8Drainage5Trees3
    • Trees, because they look nice
    • Levee, because it blocks the most water
    • Drainage, because it is mentioned first

  7. A desert town suffers from extreme heat, not flooding. Which pair of design solutions would protect people there?

    • Shade structures and reflective roofs
    • Snow plows and heaters
    • Levees and storm drains

  8. Jake claims trees are the best flood solution for his town, but his only reason is that trees look nice. Is his claim well-supported?

    • Yes, looks matter most in engineering
    • Yes, any evidence works for a claim
    • No, his evidence does not show trees actually stop water
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Building Smart Solutions for Weather Hazards W1-mt_JmMtZCifJB-s1

  1. It blocks the rising water so the town stays dry · A levee is a wall along the river, so its job in this flood is to block the rising water and keep the town dry.
  2. Flooding · Flooding is a weather hazard because it can damage homes and roads.
  3. False · Engineers usually describe more than one solution so they can compare which works best.
  4. It can damage homes and make roads unsafe · Flooding harms people mainly by damaging their homes and making roads too dangerous to use.
  5. Storm shutters and strong roof straps · The solution has to match the hazard. Roof straps and shutters protect against wind, not flooding or heat.
  6. Levee, because it blocks the most water · A claim should point to the evidence. The chart shows the levee blocks the most water.
  7. Shade structures and reflective roofs · Shade and reflective roofs lower heat. Levees and drains help with flooding, and snow plows and heaters fit cold weather instead.
  8. No, his evidence does not show trees actually stop water · A strong claim needs evidence about how well a solution actually works, not just how it looks.
Worksheet · LightMySky