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Overview:
In this lesson, students will consider the threats that natural disasters (specifically tornadoes, volcanoes, and earthquakes) pose for humans, then compare and contrast two disasters. [Note: If you are planning to have your class view the giant screen film Forces of Nature, it is suggested that students complete this lesson before seeing it.]
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"
Standard 15: "How physical systems affect human systems"
Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"
[Note: This lesson also conforms to National Science Education Content Standard D (Earth and Space Science: Structure of the earth system) and Standard F (Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Natural hazards) for grades 5-8.]
Time:
One to two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access (for each small group of students, if possible)
- Writing materials
- Poster board or chart paper
Objectives:
Students will
- compare data for natural disaster events (tornadoes, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions);
- analyze data about the magnitude and impacts of natural disaster events; and
- assess the value of scientific research into the causes and impacts of natural events.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students why they think some tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions harm people and damage property, while other similar events do not. List students' responses on the board or overhead; save the list for later use. The list will likely include ideas such as the intensity or magnitude of the event, the number of people living near the event, methods of warning about the event, and level of preparedness for the event.
Development:
Break the class into small groups. Assign each group to research and make notes about a set of natural disasters listed below (i.e., two tornadoes, two earthquakes, or two volcanic eruptions). More than one group can research the same set of events. These questions can guide students' research:
- When did the event occur?
- Where did it occur?
- What were the characteristics of the event?
- How many people were injured or killed?
- What kind of property was damaged? What was the cost of the property damage?
Compare these two tornadoes, found at the National Climatic Center Storm Events Database:
- In Kansas, on May 3, 1999. Search by selecting: State: Kansas; Begin Date: 05/03/1999; No End Date; All Counties; Event Type: Tornadoes; F4 Tornadoes
- In Arkansas, on January 21, 1999. Search by selecting: State: Arkansas; Begin Date: 01/21/1999; No End Date; All Counties; Event Type: Tornadoes; F4 Tornadoes
Compare these two earthquakes:
Izmit, Turkey, on August 17, 1999
Loma Prieta, California, on October 17, 1989
Compare these two volcanic eruptions:
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat, in 1997
Mount Pelée, Martinique, on May 8, 1902
As groups finish their research, provide chart paper or poster board. Each group should write the names of the two events at the top of the paper. Then each group should make a table, Venn diagram (with illustrations, if desired), or illustrate in another way the similarities and differences between the two events. (Optional: Students can also use graphic organizing software. The Graphic Organizer gives an overview of concept mapping, a tool for gathering and sharing information with maps, charts, Venn diagrams, and more.)
Closing:
Discuss and summarize students' findings. Even though groups studied three completely different kinds of natural disasters, students likely gathered data on common aspects, which may include
- different periods in history (e.g., from the time Mount Pelée erupted in 1902 to Soufriere Hills erupting in 1997, advances were made in scientific understanding, prediction capabilities, and community preparedness);
- location (e.g., the tornado in Clay County, Arkansas, caused moderate damage to that rural area, while the tornado in Sedgwick County, Kansas, which includes the city of Wichita, caused several fatalities and 140 million dollars' worth of property damage);
- level of preparation (e.g., the high standard of living in the Loma Prieta area meant communities had adequate resources to plan for disasters; that was not the case for Izmit); and
- time of day or year (e.g., a tornado or earthquake at night will affect people differently than one in the daytime; the impact of a disaster during tourist season will differ from an event in the off-season).
Refer back to the class list of responses to the opening question: "Why do some tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions harm people and property, while other similar events do not?" Ask students which, if any, of their original responses do not seem to apply to their research findings. Would they reconsider any of their original answers? Can they add anything to their original list?
Optional: Students can learn about the pioneering predictive efforts of the three scientists in the giant screeen film Forces of Nature or at National Geographic: Forces of Nature. After students see the film or review the Web site, refer them to the list of responses they developed in the closing. Is there anything they would add to this revised list?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to list things that scientists now understand about the natural event their group researched that were not understood in the past 50 to 100 years. Or have students write ideas for things that they reason could or should be done to reduce loss of life from the natural event. (Answers may reflect scientists' efforts to enhance their ability to predict events through studying the characteristics, location, timing, and severity of events.)
Evaluate students' work based on the amount of detail and accuracy in oral and written presentations and on the use of research. Students should show that they have compared data for natural disasters, analyzing the magnitude and impacts of these events; and identified and compared past and current knowledge about a natural hazard, citing how the impacts of that hazard might be minimized with scientific research.
Extending the Lesson:
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