Why Do Hurricanes Weaken Over Land

Build real scientific reasoning with this claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) worksheet for middle school students in grades 6-8. Students investigate a puzzle every learner has wondered about: hurricanes grow stronger over warm ocean water, so why do they weaken so quickly once they move over land?

This worksheet walks students through the full CER framework. They write a claim, choose which pieces of evidence actually support it, and explain their reasoning with a guided sentence starter. The evidence list includes two deliberate distractors, including the tempting but incorrect idea that friction with rough ground is the main reason hurricanes fall apart, so students must reason carefully rather than guess.

What's included: a scaffolded activity 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 energy, and the role of warm ocean water. Aligned to NGSS MS-ESS3-2. Just print and teach, or use in a station or sub-plan for a severe weather or natural hazards unit.