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Overview:
Students have probably studied natural hazards (e.g., earthquakes or hurricanes) in elementary school. This lesson continues their education on this topic by asking them to examine specific locations of high risk for various natural hazards, to assess why these hazards exist where they do, and to investigate what towns and cities are doing to prepare for a natural disaster. In the process, students will practice their research and map-analysis skills.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, physical science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"
Standard 12: "The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement"
Standard 15: "How physical systems affect human systems"
Time:
Three to four hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- label several towns on a blank map;
- view a map showing which natural hazards exist in each of these towns, and record their findings;
- research and take notes on earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods; and
- conduct case studies on specific towns that are susceptible to natural hazards.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Write the names of the following natural disasters on the board, and ask students in which parts of the United States they think each one is most likely to occur: earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Inform them that they will be seeing a map that will answer this question.
Development:
Give each student a blank outline map of the United States, and ask them to label the following towns:
- Wichita, Kansas
- Ventura, California
- Orting, Washington
- Savannah, Georgia
- Bismarck, North Dakota
They should refer to an atlas to find out exactly where these towns are located.
Have each student create a two-column chart with five rows, leaving plenty of room in each row for notes. Ask them to write the name of each of the towns in a separate row in the first column.
Have students go to the USGS''s animated natural-hazards map to find out what the risks are in each of the towns they have mapped. They should note their findings in the second column of the chart.
Next, have students go to the following Web sites to learn more about the natural hazards, and have them take more notes in their charts.
Closing:
Divide the class into groups of two or three, and assign each group one of the natural hazards they have studied (i.e., earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or floods). Ask groups to pretend they are teams of consultants who have been hired by the United States government to prepare reports on some of the nation's natural disaster "hot spots."
Have each group conduct a case study of a town or city within one of the highest risk areas for its assigned natural hazard. They should search the Internet to find information on the town; ask them to begin by searching for the town's official Web site. They can use the towns that they have mapped or choose other towns within the high-risk zones.
The case studies should be presented as two- to three-page papers that address the following questions:
- Why is this town at risk?
- What have been this town's past experiences with this natural hazard?
- What are the town's government and residents doing to prepare people for a future disaster?
- What additional things might this town do to get its residents as ready as possible for a natural disaster?
Have groups share their reports with the class, and discuss the level of preparedness students think these towns have. Are they ready? Should they be doing more? What factors might make it difficult to be completely ready for a natural disaster?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students choose one of the natural disasters they have studied and find out where else in the world this event is likely to occur. Have them compare a city in the United States with a non-U.S. city to determine each city's level of risk and preparedness. Which city appears to be best prepared for a natural disaster, and why?
Extending the Lesson:
Have students shade their outline maps of the United States to show the areas of highest risk for the five natural disasters they've studied. Then have them write sentences explaining why each of these areas is at particularly high risk.
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