Is the Eye the End of the Storm

Turn a dangerous misconception into a reasoning lesson with this claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) worksheet for grades 6-8. During a hurricane, the wind and rain can suddenly stop and the sky can clear. Many people believe the storm is over and step outside, which can be deadly. This worksheet has students use evidence to figure out what is really happening.

Students work through the full CER framework: they write a claim, select which pieces of evidence support it, and explain their reasoning with a guided sentence starter. The evidence bank includes two deliberate distractors, including the tempting idea that the calm means the storm has run out of energy, so students must weigh evidence instead of guessing. Pair it with the reading passage to improve the understanding.

What's included: a scaffolded student worksheet with a phenomenon prompt, a claim space, a checkbox evidence bank, a reasoning box with a sentence starter, and a complete answer key with sample responses.

Skills covered: scientific argumentation, evidence evaluation, hurricane structure, and weather safety. Aligned to NGSS MS-ESS3-2. Just print and teach, or use it in a station or sub-plan for a severe weather or natural hazards unit.