Storms: Students start by sharing what they already know about natural catastrophic events and list questions they have about them. As they move through part one, they begin investigations dealing with heat and the natural processes that underlie storms. Students will investigate, graph, analyze, and manipulate variables to understand airflow. Students will then use what they have learned and apply it to a more global investigation as they apply their observations to weather maps and draw conclusions about the conditions under which clouds and storms form and move. The first part ends with students investigating ocean currents and their effect on global weather patterns.
Earthquakes: Students focus on wave motion, earthquake data, and the factors that cause earthquakes. Students design and build model structures that can reduce the risks associated with earthquakes. Plate motion and the structure of earth are introduced in the context of plate tectonics, and students use engaging hands-on activities as well as computer simulations to examine the earth’s internal structure and investigate the interactions between plates and the movement along faults as a cause of earthquakes.
Volcanoes: Students simulate the movement of magma and lava and its effects on land formation. They investigate viscosity and crystallization and examine igneous rocks and volcanic ash. The section concludes with students designing their own experiments to simulate the eruption of pyroclastic ash. The concepts in the module come full circle as students collect data on ash fall and draw conclusions about the effects of weather on ash fall and examine the constructive and destructive effects of ash fall on humans, the environment, and global weather.
Anchor Activity: This is a research project that focuses on the risks associated with catastrophic events from social and personal perspectives. Students work in groups to gather information about a particular event, organize their findings, and present to the class at the end of the module. Groups examine the impact on society and individuals, and the lessons that people have learned from the event that can help reduce the risks associated with similar events in the future. Students are encouraged to use a variety of print, audiovisual, and on-line resources in their research.
Each part of the unit begins with an assessment of students’ current
understanding of the topic and ends with performance-based and written
assessments.
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Catastrophic Events.
