#7 - Concept Map - Natural Disasters

      Natural Disasters in America

A. Causes

1. Weather
2. Movement of the Earth

B. Characteristics

1. Rapid-Onset Hazards

a. Pop up with little warning time (few minutes to a few days) or no warning at all.
(1) Earthquakes
(2) Tornadoes
(3) Hurricanes
(4) Tsunami
(5) Flash Flooding

2. Slow-Onset Hazards

a. Occur with warning or the effects are long term to become disastrous
(1) Drought
(2) Blizzard
(3) Flooding

C. Effects

1. Health Risks
When natural disasters strike many things can happen to affect the health of people. Electricity can go out, Plumbing can go out, people get stranded for days.
(I would give examples of natural disasters that placed people at risk for contracting diseases, like Hurricane Katrina) 

2. Food Scarcity
When Natural Disasters strike, often times your electricity goes out, or you don't have enough gas to get somewhere, or you run out of water.
(I would tell the children about all of these things and give specific examples, I would also mention Hurricane Katrina probably as a personal example of running low on food/water) 

3. Displaced Populations
Natural Disasters can sometimes rip people out of their homes, causing them to be homeless or having to find temporary shelter.
(For this tab I would show the kids pictures of destruction caused by natural disasters of all types, and allow them to see that the population of people in that area have been displaced. There are several children's books about/on natural disasters too, that we could tie into our reading/English lessons.)

D. Types

1. Earth

a. Earthquake

a series of vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating.
(I would show a video clip of how an earthquake moves the earth, how a richter scale works, and I would teach about this one last under "Earth" and then lead into my Tsunami discussion because earthquakes can cause them)
- The Richter Scale is used after Earthquakes have happened to determine their strength.

b. Volcano Eruptions

When a volcano erupts, hot magma (molten rock), gases and volcanic ash are emitted. The explosiveness of the eruption depends on the consistency of the magma and the amount of pressure built up prior to eruption.
(I would explain to the kids how volcanoes work, how many are in America and how often they erupt. I wouldn't want to alarm the children, but I would show them pictures of eruptions, Hawaii, and the effects Eruptions have on their surrounding areas. Include a video. Could even have them make their own volcanoes in class) 

c. Avalanche

a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.
(I would explain to the children how avalanches happen and how dangerous they are by showing a video clip of an avalanche and a someone who's been in an avalanche) 

d. Landslide

the downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.
(I would show the children different types of landslides and how they are formed. I would also give them supporting evidence on why they are so dangerous)

2. Hydro

a. Flooding
a great flowing or overflowing of water, especially over land not usually submerged.
(perhaps we could make a model that shows how areas can flood when a river gets too full)

b. Tsunami
an unusually large sea wave produced by a seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption.
(show a video experiment of how tsunami's work)

3. Meteorological

a. Tornado
a violent and destructive storm in which powerful winds move around a central point.

F0: 40-72 mph
F1: 73-112 mph
F2: 113-157 mph
F3: 158-205 mph
F4: 207-260 mph
F5: 261-318 mph
(In this tab I would show a short clip on how Tornadoes are formed and how destructive they can be. We would divide into groups and make our own tornadoes with coke bottles and water. turning them upside down and spinning it to make our own tornadoes. There is also a book called, "Toto the tornado kitten" that I could read to the class.)
(1) Fujita Scale - shows the strength of the tornadoes based on how much damage was done and how fast the wind was.

b. Blizzard
A storm with dry, driving snow, strong winds, and intense cold.
(In this tab I would show more pictures about blizzards and possibly a short clip illustrating how thick snow storms can be) 

c. Hurricane
a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning
(I would ask if anyone could think of a Hurricane they might of heard of. IE - Hurricane Katrina, Camille, Isaac. I would also show a clip of how hurricanes are formed and their destructive powers)
(1) Hurricane Category Chart - Shows the strength and power of the storm based on how fast the wind is going. Predicts amount of damage that will be done.

d. Drought
(1) Drought Severity Classification Charts tell how bad a drought is.

E. Locations

I. North
A. Blizzards
B. Flooding
C. Landslides
D. Volcanic Eruptions
E. Avalanches

II. West
A. Flooding
B. Landslides
C. Avalanches
D. Volcanic Eruptions
E. Earthquakes
F. Tsunami
G. Drought

III. East
A. Tornadoes
B. Hurricanes
C. Flooding

V. South
A. Tornadoes
B. Flooding
C. Hurricanes
D. Drought


3rd grade
Earth and Space Science
Mississippi Framework #4, B&C
(Lindsay Fuller)