Impact of Disasters: Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
disaster; 1000 Year Floods of the Upper Mississippi in 2008
Eric Schulz; Anamosa Middle School; Anamosa Community School District; 2012 Keizai Koho Fellow
Grade Level (Req.): 6-8
Content Area (Req.): Geography
Focus Question: How do people deal with disasters?
Time Frame (Req.): 5 50 min.
class periods
Unit (Opt.): Natural Disasters
Goal (Req.): Make a connection between the Great Earthquake of
Eastern Japan in 2011 and the 1000 Year Floods of the Upper
Mississippi in 2008.
Objective (Req.): Identify ways people where affected by natural and
human disasters.
Materials Needed (Req.):
New Vocabulary (Opt.):
 http://www.nippon Tohoku
sekai.com/main/articles/great-east-japan PrefectureClick here to enter text.
earthquake-of-2011/haunting-minami Click here to enter text.
sanriku-tsunami-images/
 Click here to enter text.
 Schulz picture 1
 Sample Matrix
 Directions for creating Newscast
 Click here to enter text.
Anticipatory Set/Introduction [Inquiry Question is required] (Req.): Click here to enter text.
Ask students to make a list of disasters. Look up the definition of the word disaster. Read the
information and watch the video from Minami-Sanriku.
Read and discuss focus question.
Instructional Sequence/Procedure (Req.):
1. As a class create a matrix to record information about the impact of the earthquake, the
tsunami, the nuclear disaster, and the flood in Cedar Rapids. Matrix may include numbers of
deaths and injuries, property damage, environmental damage, job loss, population
displacement.
2. Work in groups of three to collect information for the matrix from sources on the internet.
3. Assign groups use the primary source documents we received in Japan to prepare and present
Disaster news reports.
4. Students will create a short newscast to teach the rest of the class about a particular group and
how they were impacted by the assigned disaster.
5. Give students time to prepare and rehearse their new report.
6. As the student present their 2-4 minute report the rest of the class can complete that section of
the notes for this lesson.
7. Have students create a top five list which include the five most important lessons that people
involved in these disasters learned.
Formative Evaluation (Req.): Click here to enter
text.
Assessment (Req.): Write a letter to the editor
about the most important lesson they learned
about how disasters impact people. Your opinion
must have at least two supporting pieces of
evidence from the matrix or the students’
newscasts.
Iowa Core Curriculum Standards Used (Req.):
 Understand how physical processes and human actions modify the environment and how the
environments affects humans

NGS Standards Used (Req.):
 Standard 15 How physical systems affect human systems

Five Themes of Geography Used (Req.):
 Human Environment Interaction

School District Standards and Benchmarks (Opt.):
 Click here to enter text.
 Click here to enter text.
 Click here to enter text.
Other Essential Information (Opt.): I would like to have students use the presentations from the 2012
Keizai Koho Teacher Study Trip to Japan. I will add links to these if they become available or I will create
summaries of these documents that the students can use.
Internet Resources for Matrix:
 Earthquake
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/tokyo/publ/2011disaster.htm
 Tsunami http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami

• Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/documentlibrary/safetyandsecurity/reports/specialreport-on-the-nuclear-accident-at-the-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-stationCedar Rapids
Flood http://www.cedarrapidsfloodstory.com/statistics/
http://www.nippon-sekai.com/main/articles/great-east-japan-earthquake-of2011/haunting-minami-sanriku-tsunami-images/
Schulz Picture 1
Sample Matrix
Earthquake
Area affected
No. Homes
damaged
Property Damage
$
Fatalities
Jobs Lost
Tsunami
Nuclear Disaster
2008 CR Flood
Directions for Creating News Report
Work with your group to create a newscast about a place
that was impacted by a disaster.
Step 1: Review the Roles. Each member should act in
one of the following roles.
News Anchorperson: Brief outline of how this group was
affected.
Reporter: This person interviews a person from the
place that was impacted by a disaster.
Interviewee: This person acts as someone that was
impacted by the disaster. The interview should include
what happened, what has happened since, what do they
what to happen next.
Step 2: Create a report that is 2-4 minutes long. You
must include a graphic, prop, or graph.
Step 3: Practice. Make sure you are loud enough for the
entire class to hear.