Title: Hazard Alert#147

National Standard: 15 How physical systems affect human systems.

State Standard: 14

Teaching Level: E

Lesson Introduction: It is necessary to do this lesson over a long period of time. The lesson will work well with a current events unit.

Objectives/Purpose: Students will collect and organize data regarding the occurrence of natural hazards as they occur across the country.

Materials: a bulletin board area dedicated to the collection and mapping of data, chart paper, map of U.S.

Procedure:
1)Tell students that they will be collecting data regarding natural hazards across the U.S.

2)Define natural hazards. Brainstorm a list of natural hazards (e.g., floods, tornadoes, earthquakes).

3)As a classroom job, select a student who will be responsible for finding and collecting data on natural hazards that occur. Make this a weekly job and choose a different student for each week. You may wish to do this activity long enough for each student to have a chance at being the hazard recorder. These students may find this information by watching the news, reading the newspaper, checking the Internet, etc.

4)Ask the hazard recorder to record the type of hazard, the location of the hazard, and the date/dates on which the hazard occurred. The student records this information on the classroom chart.

5)During the end of the week, ask the hazard recorder to report the information to the class and map the areas affected by the hazard.

6)At the completion of the lesson, when all students have been hazard recorders, ask the students to draw conclusions from the data they have collected. What can they speculate about the physical environments of these places? How might they describe these places? Why might people live there? Would they (the students) choose to live there?

Evaluation/Assessment: Student participation and teacher observation.

Enrichment/Extension: Use the data to make predictions. Use the data to predict what action people could take to protect themselves from these natural hazards.

Reflection: How successful was this lesson? Did all students benefit? Were there any surprises? What might you do differently another time? Please note any changes that will make this lesson more effective and useful in the future and pass them along to the NHGA. We appreciate your comments.
Thank you.
The authors.

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Original file name: 147rtf - converted on Tuesday, 20 October 1998, 20:56