norwich city schools subject: natural disasters … city schools subject: natural disasters date:...

Norwich City Schools Subject: Natural Disasters Date: 12/22/06

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Worth being familiar with: • Current natural disasters • What affects the vulnerability of a population

Important to know and do: • To explain the physical scientific basis of natural disasters • To evaluate human and economic impacts of natural hazards • To assess emergency response and policy for natural hazards • To synthesize information from various sources • To communicate effectively with peers regarding science and social policy

Big Ideas (Enduring Understandings):

Natural disasters occur as a result of the interaction between natural processes and human settlement.

Humans and the environment impact each other. Natural disasters can present personal and societal

challenges.


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Performance Indicator Topic/Subtopics Connections to Big Ideas/ Essential

Questions

Declarative Knowledge (Concepts)

Procedural Knowledge (Skills)

Vocabulary/Key Terms

Explain the difference between a hazard and disaster. Describe how primary, secondary and tertiary effects differ. Assess how prediction and division of responsibility can help mitigate loss of life and property.

• Introduction: Natural Disasters & Assessing Hazards and Risk

How do humans interact with the Earth system?

o What makes a hazard or disaster?

o What types of hazards are there?

o What effects do they have on the earth system?

o Who is most vulnerable and susceptible to disasters?

o What is meant by primary, secondary and tertiary effects?

o How can prediction and warning help?

o What responsibilities do you have in a natural disaster?

• Internet research • Finding current

events

Hazard Disaster Earth System Vulnerable Susceptible Primary Effects Secondary Effects Tertiary Effects Prediction Mitigation


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Questions




Explain how energy (heat) transfer drives processes that cause natural disasters. Make connections between the biosphere and physical workings of earth.

• Earth Structure, Materials, Systems, and Cycles

What makes the Earth a system? How does the Earth system change?

o What is earth made of?

o What is energy? What are sources

of energy on earth? How does energy

move from one place to another?

o How long does it take for things on earth to happen?

o What role does plate tectonics have in creating natural disasters?

o What is the Rock Cycle and why is it important?

o What are the leading ideas about how earth is shaped? What role does life play in this?

• Use diagrams and scale models

Energy Convection Conduction Radiation Scale Plate Tectonics Rock Cycle UniformitarianismEvolution


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Questions




Describe transmission of seismic waves and their effects. Explain why some areas are at greater risk and how this risk can be mitigated. Analyze prediction methods Compare and contrast earthquakes that have occurred.

• Earthquakes: Causes and Measurements

• Earthquake Hazards and Risks

• Earthquake Prediction

• Earthquake Case Histories

Why is location important? How does the Earth system change? Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen?

o What causes an earthquake? What does stress

have to do with it?

o How do we measure earthquakes?

o What controls how large an earthquake will be?

o What does earthquake risk depend on? How do

buildings respond to seismic waves?

How is location important?

o How can we predict when and where an earthquake is likely to occur?

o What is the uncertainty associated with the predictions?

• Use an earthquake intensity scale to determine damage and loss of life

• Locate an epicenter

• Plot epicenters to determine high risk zones

Earthquake Epicenter Stress Fault Moment magnitude Richter Scale Modified Mercalli intensity scale Prediction Seismic waves


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Questions




Describe transmission of seismic waves and their effects. Explain why some areas are at greater risk and how this risk can be mitigated. Analyze prediction methods

• Tsunami

Why is location important? How does the Earth system change? Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen? What affects the vulnerability of a population?

o What is a tsunami? o What causes a

tsunami? o How can we predict

and issue early warnings for tsunami?

o How can you survive a tsunami?

o How can a tsunami cause outbreaks of infectious disease?

o 2004 Tsunami

• Locate an epicenter and issue tsunami warnings

Tsunami Infectious disease


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Questions




Explain how different types of magma create different volcanoes with different hazards. Explain why some areas are at greater risk and how this risk can be mitigated. Analyze tradeoffs in ordering evacuations

• Volcanoes, Magma, and Volcanic Eruptions

• Volcanic Hazards, Beneficial Aspects, and Predicting Eruptions

• Volcanic Case Histories

How does the Earth system change? How do humans interact with the Earth system? Why is location important? Who should be responsible for mitigation and emergency response?

o What are the different types of magma?

o What does gas have to do with an eruption?

o Where do different types of magma come from?

o How do different types of magma, make different types of eruptions?

o How do different types of eruptions create different types of landforms?

o What are the effects of a volcanic eruption?

o What are the benefits of volcanoes?

o Why would people live where there are volcanoes?

o How does volcano monitoring work?

o How do we know when it’s going to blow?

o What are the tradeoffs in ordering evacuations?

• Demonstrate how viscosity effects the type of eruption

• Adopt and monitor a volcano

Volcano Magma Felsic Mafic Viscosity Explosive Effusive Composite cone Shield volcano Cinder cone Pyroclastic surge Tradeoff


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Questions




Describe the causes of landslides. Demonstrate how to know if your land will slide and how to mitigate it.

• Slope Stability, Triggering Events, Mass Wasting Hazards

Who should be responsible for mitigation and emergency response? How does the Earth system change? How do humans interact with the Earth system?

o What is the main force that causes landslides?

o What role does water play in causing landslides?

o What are triggering events?

o How do you know if your land will slide?

• Calculate angle of repose for different materials

Landslide Mass wasting Triggering Events Angle of repose


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Questions




Explain how energy (heat) transfer drives processes that cause natural disasters. Make connections between the biosphere and the ocean-atmosphere system.

• The Ocean-Atmosphere System

What makes the Earth a system? How does the Earth system change? How does change affect the future?

o What are the ocean and atmosphere made of?

o How are they connected?

o Where does that energy that makes weather come from?

o What’s the difference between weather and climate?

o What effect do geologic processes (like volcanoes) have on the climate system?

o What effect has life had on the climate system?

o What is El Nino? How does it affect climate?

• Use diagrams that illustrate processes

• Create and employ conceptual models of ocean-atmosphere processes

Ocean-atmosphere system Weather Climate Water cycle


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Questions




Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns. Explain how loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

• Tropical Cyclones • Flooding • Hurricane and

Flood Case histories

What affects the vulnerability of a population? Why is location important? Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen? Who should be responsible for mitigation and emergency response?

o Where do hurricanes form?

o Where do hurricanes get their energy from?

o How do hurricanes “work”?

o Why do hurricanes rotate?

o Why do they follow the paths that they do?

o How do we monitor and track hurricanes?

o What is most dangerous part of a hurricane?

o What are the effects of hurricanes?

o What does flood stage mean?

o What factors affect flooding?

o How does human intervention affect flooding?

o Should you buy flood insurance?

o What are the effects of flooding?

o Can floods be predicted?

• Track an Atlantic hurricane

• Create a plan for your family in case of a 100-year flood of the Chenango River

Hurricane Cyclone Rotate Energy Storm Surge Flood Flood insurance


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Questions




Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns. Explain how loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

• Extra-Tropical Cyclones

• Thunderstorms & Tornadoes

• Case Histories

Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen? Who should be responsible for mitigation and emergency response?

o What is a Nor’easter?

o How should you prepare for a blizzard?

o What causes thunderstorms?

o What are the effects of thunderstorms?

o What should you do in the thunderstorm?

o How do tornadoes form?

o Where do tornadoes happen the most?

o How do you stay safe during a tornado?

• Create a plan for your family in case of a severe thunderstorm

Extra-tropical cyclone Blizzard Nor’easter Thunderstorm Lightening Thunder Tornado Fujita Scale


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Questions




Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns. Explain how loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness. Explain how the living and nonliving environments change over time and respond to disturbances. Explain the impact of technological development and growth in the human population on the living and nonliving environment.

• Drought • Wild Fires • Case Histories • Climate Change

How do humans interact with the Earth system? What affects the vulnerability of a population? How does the Earth system change? How does change affect the future? How do humans interact with the Earth system?

o What causes droughts?

o Why do people live where there is little rain?

o How are droughts related to forest fires?

o How does human intervention affect wildfires?

o Is global warming really occurring?

o If it is, how will it affect me?

o Has the climate changed before?

o How do humans affect climate?

• Using a map of planetary winds, determine areas of high risk for drought and fires

• Evaluate

information including graphs and diagrams about global climate change.

Drought Wild Fire Climate Greenhouse gasses Ozone


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Questions




Explain how the living and nonliving environments change over time and respond to disturbances.

• Meteorites & Impacting Events

Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen? Who should be responsible for mitigation and emergency response?

o Where in the universe are we?

o What is a meteorite? o What are the

differences between meteorites?

o Where do meteorites come from?

o What is an impact event?

How do velocity and size affect the amount of damage?

Where can craters be found?

o How are meteorite impacts and mass extinctions related?

o What will happen to humans when a large meteorite hits earth?

• Locate regions of space that have the potential to produce meteorites large enough to cause a mass extinction

Meteorite Mass extinctions


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Questions




Explain the physical scientific basis of natural disasters Evaluate human and economic impacts of natural hazards Assess emergency response and policy for natural hazards Synthesize information from various sources Communicate effectively with peers regarding science and social policy

• Conclusion

How does the Earth system change? How do humans interact with the Earth system? What affects the vulnerability of a population? Why is location important? Is it worth spending a lot of money to prepare for something that might happen?

o How can we effectively prepare for natural disasters?

o What role does communication play in mitigating disasters?

o How do humans afect how bad a natural disaster is?

o How is economy (from personal to global levels) affected by natural disasters?

o How do natural disasters affect our environment and the ecosystems in it? What connections are there between geologically caused and biologically caused natural disasters?

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norwich city schools subject: natural disasters … city schools subject: natural disasters date:...

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