Curated OER
Floodplain Modeling
Students simulate the impact of fluctuating river volumes on structures and landforms. They experiment with table top-sized riverbed models and water. Students consider how human design can help mitigate the effects of a flood.
Curated OER
Where is Everyone Going?
Students conduct an experiment. In this emergency response instructional activity, students watch videos about hurricanes and discuss the difference between natural disasters and man-made disasters. Students perform a hurricane...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Curated OER
Earthquakes
Students discuss a natural disaster. In this earthquakes research lesson, students discover why earthquakes happen, what happens after an earthquake, and what to do during an earthquake. They discuss some information as a class and work...
Curated OER
Science Videos
Learners plan, practice, and act in a 2-3 minute videotaped production about a specific topic. Students from a local high school give presentations pertaining to seasons, earth rotation, and moon phases. Learners analyze the...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonic Cycle
Learners explore the Earth's movements by completing worksheets. In this plate tectonics lesson, students define such natural disasters as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and mudslides and discuss their connections to plate tectonics....
Curated OER
Weather Research
Students compare and contrast weather conditions. In this weather instructional activity, students conduct online research to identify the weather conditions for the city they have chosen. Students compare and contrast the similarities...
Curated OER
Fire Triangle in the Forest
Students investigate the physical properties of fire by creating storyboards. For this elements lesson, students view a video clip of forest fires and identify the cause. Students create large storyboards defining the three elements...
Curated OER
Weather Jeopardy
Future meteorologists play a Jeopardy game to review vocabulary and concepts taught during a weather unit. Questions cover such topics as weather vocabulary, tornado safety, the water cycle, and cloud types are part of this review.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle
Your class sets up a mini water cycle model to examine the process. Then they watch an animation, following a water molecule through the cycle. A well-developed lab sheet guides learners through the lesson and a PowerPoint presentation...
Curated OER
Landslides
Students study a natural disaster. In this landslides facts lesson, students discover how and why landslides happen and how they have an effect on people. They discuss this information as a class and then work in small groups to create...
Curated OER
Model Volcanoes
Students discover what causes earthquakes, volcanoes and floods. Using this information, they discuss how these natural disasters change the surface of the Earth. In groups, they make models, draw pictures and make them erupt.
Curated OER
Droughts
Students discuss a natural disaster. In this droughts lesson plan, students discover how droughts occur and how they affect the society dealing with one. They discuss how the population of Australia deals with droughts and work on...
Curated OER
Volcano Live
Students discover the inevitable threat of volcanoes as they identify the ring of fire. In this natural disasters lesson, students examine the tectonic plate theory and discuss how magma works it's way to the surface of the Earth....
Curated OER
Bushfires
Students study a natural disaster. In this fire safety lesson, students discover the facts about bushfires and what they can do to prevent them. They discuss facts about bushfires as a class and then work independently on an activity in...
Curated OER
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: Disasters!
Students explore weather. They discuss a variety of extreme forces of nature. Students select a topic of their interest and research that topic. They prepare a multimedia presentation on their selected weather topic. Students present...
Curated OER
Twisters
Students differentiate between the terms 'tornado watch' and 'tornado warning' and simulate the conditions that produce tornadoes. They read "Night of the Twisters" by Ivy Ruckman and conduct an experiment using two-liter plastic...
Curated OER
A Whirlwind Tour
Students explore volcanoes, hurricanes, and tornadoes through the use of the Internet.
Curated OER
Living in a Watershed
Fourth graders examine watersheds. In this ecosystem instructional activity, 4th graders discover what a watershed is and identify the local watershed they live in. Students investigate the attributes of a watershed as well.
Curated OER
Water, Water Everywhere
Students estimate the amount of water that can be found in its various forms including oceans, lakes, glaciers, rivers, etc. They view a demonstration about water distribution and discuss flash flooding safety precautions.
Curated OER
Get on the Hurricane Track...Prepare Yourself!
Learners research hurricanes. Students explore the stages of hurricanes, the Weather Forecasting Center, and tracking of hurricanes. They analyze information and produce a public service announcement educating the public on hurricane...
Curated OER
Energy
Pupils see that energy is everywhere in nature - in the light of the sun, in wind, in falling water and erupting volcanoes. Without energy, there is no life. This lesson provides many good ideas across the curriculum to study energy.
Curated OER
Mini-Landslide
Students explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...
Curated OER
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Even though volcanoes look alike, they can be very different based on the types of lava that erupts from their surface. Learn about strata volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and the varying viscosity of lava with an engaging hands-on activity....