Reading Weather Maps

With hurricane Sandy upon us, I've been checking the weather incessantly and I realize that a current event such as this can be an excellent opportunity for teaching and learning. For elementary students with intermediate level English language proficiency, we could start class by brainstorming around the question, What is weather? The teacher would elicit vocabulary such as temperature, precipitation, pressure, humidity, wind, etc. The teacher would explain that meteorologists use different types of maps  to show the weather. Students would then be told to form groups. Each group would randomly be assigned one type of map (satellite, radar, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, or front) to research. They would be provided links to appropriate websites and relevant questions to focus on. They would then present a map, whichever type they were assigned, of hurricane Sandy and give a weather report to the class based on what they learned. Through this assignment, students use technology, they engage and interact with their groups, and they further practice their listening and speaking skills through giving their weather reports.