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Severe Weather & Disasters

Lesson Plans on Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disasters

Severe Weather | Natural Disasters | Nuclear Hazards

with videos and additional resource recommendations following each section

Severe Weather & Disaster Videos | Lesson Plans | Additional Resources

2011 Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis in Japan Videos and Recommended Resources

Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disasters Introduction:

This section features severe weather (thunderstorms, lightning, etc.), natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, etc. ) and man-made disasters (nuclear issues, coping with terrorism, etc. ) topics as they become topical. A meteor could cause a natural disaster, but “meteors” will not be listed in this section until the threat is imminent or our collection grows large. Suggested links to additional severe weather and disaster videos and resource topics are listed below.” A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be ostensibly defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, or explosions.” – Wikipedia

Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disaster Lesson Plans

• These Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disaster lessons apply to most of the specific topics below, and include lessons on preparing for and coping with disasters:
  • Students will learn about natural disasters, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, glaciers, tsunamis, sand dunes, drought, avalanche, etc. with this online geology course (Science/CI 4-5)
  • This well-developed unit on the impact of natural disasters on a community links to additional pages for learning activities and an assessment rubric (Science, SS, Art, LA 5-6)
  • This lesson plan on surviving a natural disaster centers on a collection of true survival stories (LA 6-7)
  • “Stranded” is a lesson on survival after a disaster (SS 4-5)
  • This lesson plan creates a neighborhood map to help first responders in the event of a natural disaster (SS 2-3)
  • This natural disaster lesson plan also demonstrates a volcanic eruption (Science K-3)
  • This “Creating Your Own Fantasy Story” lesson plan suggests that disasters such as tornadoes, fires, nuclear bombs, and earthquakes are great fantasy story topics (LA 6-12)
  • Here is an idea for students to write poems about good and bad weather events (Science/SS 2)
  • Use this math lesson to plot your route away from hurricanes and blizzards and around flooded roads (Math/SS 5-6)
  • Here young students practice dialing 911 and learn what to do in case of an emergency (Other K-2)
  • This “Brave Little Monster” idea helps young students cope with fear (Other P-3)
  • See videos on severe weather and natural disasters and additional resource links below after the lesson plans on specific severe weather and disaster topics that immediately follow
  • Also, find specific coping with disasters videos and additional coping resources in the sections below

• Spring is the beginning of Tornado and Severe Storm Season:
  • This lesson is about weather patterns and planning for severe weather such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes (Science 4)
  • Here students use hands-on projects, e-pals and multimedia including spreadsheets, Inspiration, and Hyperstudio to prepare a tornado assembly (Science/CI 4-5)
  • This is a different version of the preceding plan (Science/CI 4-5)
  • Here is a lesson on tornadoes and their locations (Science/SS 3)
  • Students create a photo story presentation of the water cycle, weather, and thunderstorms here (Science/CI 3)
  • Students participate in a thunderstorm simulation here and then graph rainfall per state (MD 3)
  • This is a lesson on lightning safety (Science 3)
  • See related videos and additional recommended resources below

• Sadly, summer is also Hurricane Season:
  • This introductory lesson helps students understand hurricanes (Science 4-6)
  • Here is a good hurricane tracking lesson (Science/LA 4-5)
  • This multidisciplinary lesson educates and prepares students (especially ESL learners) for hurricanes, especially in Florida (MD 4-5)
  • This is an idea for a Mardi Gras shoebox parade to raise funds for hurricane victims (SS/Art P)
  • See related videos and additional recommended resources below

• Here are lessons about Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Glaciers, and Floods:
  • In this on-line geology course, students post their volcano/earthquake/glacier reports for on-line peer evaluation (Science, CI 4-5)
  • This “Mystic Isles” cartography lesson ask students to decide if “their island” was formed by shifting of tectonic plates, glaciers, earthquake, upheavals, or volcanoes (MD 3-5)
  • This lesson is on volcanic eruptions and involves creating a volcano in class (Science K-3)
  • Explore volcanoes, volcanic activity, and their effects on the environment with these activities (Science/CI/SS/LA/Art 3-5)
  • This lesson discusses the effects of earthquakes on supply curves (SS 11-12)
  • This lesson demonstrates erosion as a result of an earthquake (Science 8)
  • This unit on erosion addresses the effects of glaciers and floods, landslides, acid rain, and extreme temperature changes (MD 4-6)
  • Students create an edible map here, showing how glaciers impacted Indiana or your state (SS 4)
  • This is a unit on the Johnstown floods (LA/SS 6)
  • See related videos and additional recommended resources below

• These are lessons on nuclear energy and Nuclear Hazards:
  • This is a reading comprehension quiz for a nuclear water contamination article (Science/LA/SS 7-12)
  • These are handy questions to use after listening to an internet radio program on nuclear waste cleanup (Science/SS 9-12)
  • This Sadako’s Cranes lesson involves an internet search for information about the development and use of nuclear energy, in general, and the atom bomb, specifically (LA/SS 6-8)
  • This environmental injustice unit asks, “How would you feel if someone was going to build a nuclear power plant next to your home?” (LA, Science, SS 6-8)
  • This “Delivering a Persuasive Speech” lesson suggests “nuclear power plants” as a good controversial topic (LA 7-12)
  • Students model radioactive decay in this lesson (Science 7-9)
  • One of these four comedic science skits is about how hydrogen puts the “nucleus in nuclear,” “the soul in solar and the fuse in fusion” (Science/LA 7-12)
  • This lesson plan on the sun touches on the topic of nuclear fission (Science 6-12)
  • Nuclear energy is discussed in this “What is Energy? lesson (Science 6-8)
  • This lesson asks students to debate “Do We Need a new Constitutional Convention?” to protect us from terrorism, particularly miniaturized nuclear explosive devices (SS 9-12)
  • “Should America bomb Cuba and risk a Nuclear War?” is one question asked of students role-playing Kennedy’s advisors during the Cuban Missile Crisis in this foreign policy lesson (SS/LA 9-12)
  • See videos on nuclear issues and additional nuclear resources in the 2011 Crisis in Japan sections and in a separate nuclear resources section we hope to develop below
• Severe Weather and Disaster videos and links to additional resources on severe weather, natural disasters and nuclear issues can be found below.
• More lessons on weather phenomena and different man-made threats to our planet’s ecology including global warming and oil spills can be found on our Science – Weather/Geology/Ecology, Social Studies – Environment, and Earth Day pages. The “man-made disaster” topic of Coping with Terrorism appears on its own page and includes ideas that can help children cope with other forms of disasters.
• Help us increase the selection! If you have any severe weather or disaster themed lesson plans to share on these or additional topics such as tsunamis, floods, droughts, wildfires, etc., or fundraising ideas for the survivors of these tragedies, please add them to our site!

Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disaster Videos:

• These are videos directly related to the 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis in Japan:
  • View over 40 earthquake and tsunami videos posted by individuals on Google’s 2011 Japan Crisis site
  • Reuters compiled these videos of the 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis
  • This is a dramatic video of a tsunami leveling a Japanese city, breaching its seawall and being devastated by a second tsunami
  • Here a geology professor demonstrates how and why Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami formed and what would happen if a tsunami hit Florida
  • Japan’s earthquake and tsunami is explained by a seismologist for the BBC here
  • Here are tsunami facts, photographs of workers inside the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and before-and-after pictures of Japan’s effected earthquake areas from National Geographic News
  • This video explains how a nuclear meltdown works with actual footage from inside the Fukushima plant
  • A chemistry professor explains Japan’s nuclear emergency crisis in particular and nuclear power in general in this video
  • This is a short blackboard-type video explanation of the distinction between a partial meltdown (melting) and a full meltdown (a meltdown) as it pertained to the early stages of the Japan crisis
  • Find natural disaster lesson plans in the preceding section, more videos related to earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear issues immediately below, and specific resources recommendations on Japan’s 2011 crisis in the following resource section.

• Here are videos on Coping with Disasters:
  • In these PBS video clips, Mr. Rogers talks to children and their caregivers about dealing with scary news
  • Also, find more information on coping with disasters in the additional resources section below
• These are dramatic Disaster Music Videos:
  • This is a disaster footage montage of an avalanche, duststorm, earthquake, wildfire, flood, hurricane, landslide, meteor, tornado, tsunami, and volcano set to equally dramatic Pink Floyd music
  • This is a photo montage video of striking natural disaster phenomena compiled for a school project
  • This is an tightly edited video collection of tornadoes and tsunamis with a dramatic sound track
• We highly recommend these National Geographic Educational Disaster Videos:
  • Hurricanes 101 (plus 14 more)
  • Volcanoes 101 (plus 16 more)
  • Earthquakes 101 (plus 7 more)
  • Tsunamis 101 (plus 3 more)
  • Tornadoes 101 (plus 13 more)
  • plus videos on avalanches, landslides, and wildfires
• Science Kids offers these Educational Disaster Videos:
  • Earthquakes: When the Earth Shakes
  • Amazing Volcanoes (from National Geographic)
  • Catchy Volcano Song (from Ignite Learning)
  • Witness more footage of powerful tornadoes, monsoon rain, intense lightning, cyclones and dust storms video clips here
• These Shamble pages showcase Disaster Videos and PowerPointsfor teaching and learning about:
  • Earthquakes (video blogspot)
  • More Earthquake videos
  • Tsunami Videos and PowerPoints
  • Volcano Videos and PowerPoints
• Kidzui hosts teacher and parent reviewed Disaster and Severe Weathervideos on these channels:
  • Natural Disasters Videos
  • Earthquake Videos
  • Tsunami Videos
  • Volcano Videos
  • Tornado Videos
  • plus additional channels for floods, fires, typhoons and monsoons
  • and extreme weather, lightning, thunderstorms, and wind
• Here are additional Earthquake, Hurricane, Tornado, Tsunami and Severe Weather Videos:
  • This is PBS.org earthquake, volcano and tsunami media rich site
  • “Boom! Shake the Room” is an 9-12 educational slide video for high school geography students on “Why do Earthquakes Happen?”
  • This educational BBC “How a Hurricane is Born” video shows how a girl in the African desert can cause a hurricane in the USA
  • This is a Tsunami basics teaching video
  • This is a long tsunami video taken in Southern India as it happens
  • Here WhyFiles explains “Tsunami-The Killer Wave”
  • This is a tsunami animation with tips on safety and preparedness and an interactive quiz
  • This is a tsunami curriculum for K-6 and 7-12
  • This is the international tsunami information center
  • There are plenty of severe weather videos to be found at The Weather Channel
• See additional resources on all of the topics above in the additional resources section immediately following and in the preceding lesson plan section.

Additional Severe Weather and Disaster Resources:

• These are additional 2011 Crisis in Japaninformation sites:
  • Here are Google’s resources related to the 2011 Japan Crisis including their list of disaster relief agencies
  • This is a how-to tip sheet on “Talking to Children about the Disaster in Japan”
  • Here are more talking tips for ages 5-10 and life lessons for tweens and teenagers 9-19
  • Here is a compilation of “the best sites for learning about the 2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami”
  • Here are 100+ teaching resources about the Japan crisis including interactive graphics and lesson plans on tsunamis and earthquakes, radiation and nuclear energy
  • This Aussie site offers information and activities about nuclear meltdowns and earthquakes with special reference to the Japan 2011 crisis
  • Here are more helpful educational resources for teaching about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan
  • This is a “Time for Kids” article on Japan’s Nuclear Fears
  • Here is a Weekly Reader article on the Japan 2011 earthquake with a glossary
  • This is a FEMA article on the “Japan Earthquake & Tsunami and What They Mean for the U.S.”
  • This is an interactive demonstration on how shifting plates caused the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and a slide show of the devastation from the NY Times
  • Here are the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions “FAQ’s about the March 11, 2011 Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami”
  • This is an amazing interactive demonstration of the explosion of one of the Japanese reactors
  • Here are teaching resources for the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis recommended by NSTA
  • This is an excellent social studies lesson plan on Japan’s 2011 disaster
  • Find more earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear resources below and in the video and lesson plans sections above

• Here is more information on helping children Prepare for and Cope with Disasters:
  • FEMA’s empowering “Ready Kids” site prepares children for emergencies with easy steps, games, comic strips, printables and scavenger hunts
  • This is a disaster response point sheet on how to talk to children about earthquakes and other natural disasters
  • This HealthyChildren page covers how to help children prepare for and cope with disasters
• Here are additional “best sites for learning about” Natural Disasters and Earthquakeswith English language learners in mind:
  • Best websites for learning about natural disasters
  • Best websites for learning about the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti
  • Best websites for learning about the 2010 Chilean Earthquake
• Here are EdHelper’s natural disaster themed printable units
• These are more Earthquake Resources:
  • MCEER offers a comprehensive listing of excellent K-12 earthquake education resources
  • FEMA’s “Earthquake Guide for Kids” includes information and activities about historic earthquakes, earthquake disaster math, intensity scales, home hazards and “Facts and Fiction”
  • These are EdHelper’s printable earthquake worksheets and activities
  • The U.S. Geological Survey compiled and reviewed this outstanding database of K-College educational resourcesrelated to earthquakes and plate tectonics with lesson plans, interactive web sites, and learning activities including their own:
    • Animations of Earthquake Terms and Concepts
    • Earthquake Activities for Kids (science fair ideas, Ask a Geologist, puzzles and games, cool facts, etc.)
    • Earthquake ABC’s – a child’s view of earthquake facts and feelings
    • Latest Earthquakes in the USA and in the World – in the last 7 days
• Here are Tornado, Tsunami, Flood, Hurricanes and other Severe Weatherresources:
  • Here are “Playtime for Kids” activities about severe weather from the National Weather Service including coloring books, videos, projects, and additional activity guides on tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, hurricanes, and severe weather safety
  • “A Kid’s Guide to Tornadoes and Preventing Disaster Damage” includes what a kid can do, stories from children, tornado math, coloring books, and making a tornado safe room
  • Children play the “Water, Wind and Earth Game” in this “Tsunami Guide for Kids”
  • This site offers educational materials for “Teaching about Tsunamis”
  • Here the National Severe Storms Laboratory answers questions about weather phenomena and severe weather safety including weather coloring books and a comprehensive teacher resource list
  • About.com offers this weather news site with articles on the latest severe weather topics
  • This is the National Weather Service’s “Weather Education” resource site with classroom materials, student sites, graphics and a glossary
  • Kids learn the history of hurricanes, how to track them, how they are named and which were the biggest with games, cartoons, math, and fun quizzes at this hurricane site
  • Students can track hurricanes with maps at the National Hurricane Center

• We hope to add more nuclear resource recommendations here and additional man-made disaster themes:
  • HowStuffWorks explains nuclear power here
  • See 2011 Crisis in Japan Resources above (for excellent nuclear resources)
  • See Coping with Terrorism” (a man-made disaster theme)