Look Out! Natural Disasters ! STEM Unit Jeremy Kirchgraber - Brittany Main - Robert McCabe

Unit 4: Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters STEM Unit Students will be instructed to complete this graphic organizer on the human response to natural disasters. From there, students will identify and define 5 natural disasters to be covered in this unit: 1.Wildfires 2.Volcanoes 3.Earthquakes 4.Tsunamis 5.Hurricanes Additive: Graphic Organizer Introduction:

Wildfires “It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here!” Scavenger Hunt: This scavenger hunt utilizes the Smokey Bear website to engage learners and assess their understanding of the topic of Wildfires. This assessment also gauges students’ ability to use Web 2.0 resources to locate information while addressing multiple intelligences (visual-spatial) Scavenger Hunt: This scavenger hunt utilizes the Smokey Bear website to engage learners and assess their understanding of the topic of Wildfires. This assessment also gauges students’ ability to use Web 2.0 resources to locate information while addressing multiple intelligences (visual- spatial) Lesson 2: Go to to learn about wildfires and to complete this scavenger hunt! 1)What type of fire is good? Why? 1)What type of fire is bad? Why? 1)In 1995, how many wildfires were caused by lightning? 1)Find the wildfire casebook and tell me 3 different ways the fires were started. 1)Name 3 tools that can be used to fight fire and provide a short description of each. Then choose 1 tool and draw a sketch of it below. Make sure you label your drawing! 1)Sketch the Fire Triangle below. Make sure to label the different sections. 1)Look at the prevention section of the web site; write down a list of 10 ways of preventing a forest fire. Circle the ones you think might make a good poster. 1)Here is a place to make notes about any other neat facts from the web site. Remember you are looking for facts to use on your poster! 1)Now that you have found ten ways to prevent forest fires and learned about good and bad wildfires, brainstorm ideas for a poster you will create. Remember, you need to include the following items on your poster: 1) At least one drawing that includes Smokey Bear, 2) A slogan like “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” 3) At least 5 facts about fires. Use the space below to come up with a plan for your poster.

“I Lava Volcanoes!” Objectives of the lesson: 1.To recreate and therefore visualize the process by which volcanoes erupt 2.To infer ways in which a volcanic eruption would impact life. Summary of lesson: Students will be introduced to the Plate Tectonic Cycle. They will discuss its connection to earthquakes and volcanoes. Then, they will be recreating a volcanic eruption using household materials. After a short video from National Geographic, students will be given a post experiment reflection assignment that will require them to analyze both the results of their experiment and the short video. National Geographic: Volcanoes 101: Lesson 3: Additive: Manipulative Skill

Lesson 4: “Shake it up, baby now!” by The Earthquakes Motivation: Video (1:18): videos/earthquake videos/earthquake-101 Class will be asked to recall details from video and discuss with the class. Teacher will jot notes on Smartboard. Students will record information in journals. (10 minutes)

In Alaska in 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake jarred the earth so strongly it caused fishing boats to sink in Louisiana. What causes the ground tremble like that? The answer is simple. The Earth's surface is on the move. The surface of the earth, called the "crust," is not one solid piece. It's more like a 20 piece puzzle. Each puzzle piece is called a "plate." The plates constantly move. Fortunately for us, they don't move fast. Geologists estimate the fastest plate might shift 6 inches a year (15 centimeters). That's about as fast as your hair grows. Earthquakes happen when a plate scrapes, bumps, or drags along another plate. When does this happen? Constantly. About a half-million quakes rock the Earth every day. That's millions a year. People don't feel most of them because the quake is too small, too far below the surface, or deep in the sea. Some, however, are so powerful they can be felt thousands of miles away. A powerful earthquake can cause landslides, tsunamis, flooding, and other catastrophic events. Most damage and deaths happen in populated areas. That's because the shaking can cause windows to break, structures to collapse, fire, and other dangers. Geologists cannot predict earthquakes. They hope they will in the future through continued research and improved technology. Earthquakes can happen anytime or anywhere. But you can prepare for the unpredictable with a family safety plan, emergency kit, and supplies. Lesson 4: “Shake it up, baby now!” by The Earthquakes: Part 1 Class will read: Earthquakes (Watts Library Series) by Trudi Strain TrueitTrudi Strain Trueit FACTS Geologists rate earthquakes in magnitude, which is the amount of energy released during the quake. The largest recorded earthquake happened in Chile on May 22, It was a magnitude 9.5. The deadliest known earthquake happened in China in It killed about 830,000 people. Alaska has the record for the largest U.S. earthquake. On March 28, 1964, a magnitude 9.2 quake occurred and killed 131 people. Most earthquakes happen 50 miles (80 kilometers) or less below the Earth's surface. They can happen as deep as 400 miles (644 kilometers) below the surface. Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes a year. Very few are felt. Alaska averages 24,000 earthquakes a year, the most seismic activity in North America. Florida and North Dakota have the fewest earthquakes in the U.S. In 1985, the jolt from an 8.1 magnitude earthquake in Michoacán, Mexico caused water to slosh out of a pool in Tucson, Arizona—1240 miles (2000 kilometers) away! Most earthquakes and volcanos—80%—happen close to where two plates meet. Depending on the plate, they move between 0.3 to 5.9 inches a year (1 to 15 centimeters) a year. Because of moving plates, geologists predict that Los Angeles will meet Alaska... in 70 million years! (It'll be neighbors with San Francisco in 15 million years.)

Lesson 4: “Shake it up, baby now!” by The Earthquakes: Part 1 Procedure: (45 minutes) 1.Students will gather around the prepared earthquake model. 2.Students will be asked to recall previous knowledge about The Plate Tectonic Cycle from lesson 3: “I Lava Volcanoes”. (The outer part of the Earth is composed of plates. Plates move and cause earthquakes and volcanoes.) 3.Students will be given the diagram with labelled parts to analyze the demonstration. 4.Three students will be chosen to demonstrate the first event. They will each be charged with push and pulling the “plates” so they cause the soil to move, toppling the model buildings, people, and animals. 5.Class will discuss what occurred and why. 6.Three more students will set up activity and simulate an earthquake while the rest of the class explores the earthquake sites saved on Filamentality website. ( 7.Groups will take turns, each having 3 minutes to conduct the demonstration. (30 minutes for full class) 8.We will then discuss the results of the experiment, as well as the questions on the reflection handout.

Lesson 4: STEM Activity: Earthquake Simulation Students will use a model to simulate an earthquake. This will allow students to better understand how the events below the earth’s crust affect living things and the world around us.

Lesson 4: “Shake it up, baby now!” by The Earthquakes: Part 2 Part 2: (45 minutes) 1.Students will be handed: a.Data sheet to be translated into a bar graph representing earthquake frequency in four US states. 1.Students will be asked to analyze data and make inferences based on the graphs. 1. Results of analysis will be discussed with group and the class.

Lesson 4: “Shake it up, baby now!” by The Earthquakes: Part 2 4.Teacher will display the earthquake map of the US. Students will be asked prompts to discuss representations on map a.What does this map represent? ( Concentrations of earthquake activity in the US.) b.Where are the highest concentrations of earthquake activity? (In the areas that are red.) c.Can you hypothesize where the fault lines are in the US based on this map? 5.For homework: Students will complete a worksheet assessing understanding and knowledge. (Formal Assessment #2)

“What’s your Hurri-cane?” Lesson 6: Objectives of the lesson: 1. To analyze the formation of hurricanes. 2. To evaluate the effect of hurricanes on coastal communities in the United States of America. 3. To combine statistics of hurricane classification from 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season in a pie graph. Summary of Lesson: Lesson starts with an engaging video from National Geographic. This video provides students with basic background knowledge on hurricanes, as well as some visual aids to help guide their initial understanding. The class will then read an informational text on hurricanes with guidance from the instructor to provide more information on the topic. After reading, students will have an opportunity to use class laptops to investigate the formation of hurricanes. This work will be done on the Create-A-Cane interactive website. Students will have the opportunity to find the ideal conditions for hurricane formation before going on to record this information. Next students will have the chance to select a reading of their choosing on hurricane relief work. This independent reading task will prep them for writing about hurricane relief ideas that they would like to see put in place. Students will also consider and write about how hurricane damage affects human life. Students will complete a pie graph for homework using Microsoft Excel (if possible). The pie graph will show the classification of all Atlantic Hurricane Storms from the 2014 Hurricane Season Objectives of the lesson: 1. To analyze the formation of hurricanes. 2. To evaluate the effect of hurricanes on coastal communities in the United States of America. 3. To combine statistics of hurricane classification from 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season in a pie graph. Summary of Lesson: Lesson starts with an engaging video from National Geographic. This video provides students with basic background knowledge on hurricanes, as well as some visual aids to help guide their initial understanding. The class will then read an informational text on hurricanes with guidance from the instructor to provide more information on the topic. After reading, students will have an opportunity to use class laptops to investigate the formation of hurricanes. This work will be done on the Create-A-Cane interactive website. Students will have the opportunity to find the ideal conditions for hurricane formation before going on to record this information. Next students will have the chance to select a reading of their choosing on hurricane relief work. This independent reading task will prep them for writing about hurricane relief ideas that they would like to see put in place. Students will also consider and write about how hurricane damage affects human life. Students will complete a pie graph for homework using Microsoft Excel (if possible). The pie graph will show the classification of all Atlantic Hurricane Storms from the 2014 Hurricane Season

Hurricane Lesson Additives Create-A-Cane website ( mes/canelab.htm) mes/canelab.htm ● This interactive website allows students to investigate the formation of hurricanes. ● By changing settings that affect hypothetical weather conditions, students gain or lose points towards the formation of a hurricane. ● After tweaking weather settings and answering hurricane trivia questions correctly, students are asked to place a hurricane in the ocean and watch as it gains strength and spins through the ocean. Web 2.0 Additive

Hurricane Lesson Additives Cont’d. Hurricane Categorization Pie Graph and Spreadsheet

Look Out! Natural Disasters ! STEM Unit Jeremy Kirchgraber - Brittany Main - Robert McCabe