Natural Phenomena
Lesson #1
Agenda

 Brain Storm:
 What is the definition of natural phenomena/disaster
 List out as many natural phenomena/disasters as you
can
 Teacher to define natural phenomena and give
examples
 Videos about natural disasters
 Explain Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes,
Volcanoes and Tsunamis
 Trends of natural disaster graph
What is a Natural
Phenomenon

disaster caused by natural forces
rather than by human action that
affects the environment, and leads to
financial, environmental and/or
human losses
List of Natural Phenomenon

Avalanches
Blizzards
Cyclones
 Earthquakes
Floods and
landslides
Heat waves
Storms
Tornadoes
Tsunamis
Volcanoes
Wildfires
Video Clips

 Hurricanes : explains why they start and they work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f45jA5UxB0
 Tornadoes: explain how tornadoes form
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GWtfb5l8iA
 Earth quakes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtBXTvtFaCU
&feature=fvw
 Sinkholes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGkDouBVoLs
What is a Hurricane?

 Hurricanes is a strong wind
with a consistent speed of 74
miles (119 kilometers) an
hours –speed of a car driving
on a highway
 Hurricane season peaks from
mid-August to late October
and averages five to six
hurricanes per year.
 Hurricane sometimes can
turn into a Tornado
What is a Tornado?

 Tornadoes: Tornadoes are vertical
funnels of rapidly spinning air.
Wind my go above 250 miles (400
kilometers)
 United States is a major hotspot
with about a thousand tornadoes
every year.
 Tornadoes are classified as weak,
strong, or violent storms. Violent
tornadoes comprise only about two
percent of all tornadoes, but they
cause 70 percent of all tornado
deaths and may last an hour or
more
What is an Earthquake

 Earthquakes occur
when two plates
move suddenly
against each other.
 Volcanoes are also
caused by the shift
of the tectonic plates
as it creates a break
in the ground
What is a Volcano

 The name "volcano" has its origin
from the name of Vulcan, a god of
fire in Roman mythology.
 As pressure in the molten rock
builds up it needs to escape
somewhere. So it forces its way up
“fissures” which are narrow
cracks in the earths crust. Once
the magma erupts through the
earth’s surface it’s called lava.
 There are around 1510 'active'
volcanoes in the world. We
currently know of 80 or more
which are under the oceans.
What is a Tsunami

 The most common causes of
tsunamis are underwater
earthquakes
 A tsunami is a series of ocean
waves that sends surges of
water, sometimes reaching
heights of over 100 feet (30.5
meters), onto land. Tsunamis
race across the sea at up to
500 miles (805 kilometers) an
hour—about as fast as a jet
airplane.
What is a Sinkhole?

 a sinkhole happens when water
erodes solid bedrock, carving an
underground cavity that can then
collapse.
 Heavy rains from tropical storm
Agatha likely triggered the
collapse of a huge sinkhole in
Guatemala (South America next
to Mexico) on June 2010.
 The sinkhole is 60 feet (18 meters)
wide and about 300 feet (100
meters) deep
Natural Disasters Reported
between 1900-2009

Natural Phenomena
Lesson #2
Agenda

 Review what is a natural disasters
 Finish anything left over from lesson #1
 Have students work in groups reading articles and
discuss about the effect/damages of the natural
disasters. –Each group will share their article with
the class and talk about the damages it caused
 Teacher to go over the damages caused by the
natural disaster and give some statistics if there is
time
Effects of Tornadoes

 A tornadoes' funnel is like a giant vacuum cleaner. It
sucks up anything on the ground it touches.
 Tornadoes can lift vehicles, cut power lines and tear off
roofs.
 They can ruin crops and other vegetation
 They can destroy chimneys, roof shingles, satellite dishes
and tree branches.
 The worst tornadoes can flatten trees and crush metal
buildings
 Flying debris can cause damage
 Can hurt or even kill people
Effects of Tsunami

 The pounding water can strip away sand from
beaches and tear up trees and other vegetation
(plants).
 Tsunami can destroy costal towns and villages.
 People can be swept away and drowned.
Effects of Natural Disasters

 Cause damage to property
such as homes, cars
business and farms
 Cost a lot of money-as
homes and structures need
to be rebuild
 Causes injuries and death
to humans and animals
 Cause trauma and
psychological effect