Wildfires
Hurricanes
Volcanoes
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Blizzard
Natural Disasters Text Set
Curriculum Connection:
Hurricanes Earth’s Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber
(GT Education Selection HM 5 Challenge Book), GT Reading: 4th Grade
After reading Hurricanes Earth’s Mightiest Storms students have to complete a
performance task for literary analysis. Student will have learned about the use of
graphic aids and organizational patterns of texts by reading Hurricanes Earth’s Mightiest
Storms. They will have also learned how to identify an author’s purpose in writing and
how someone might use the text.
For the summative task students work with a partner to publish a brochure about
a powerful act of nature and how people must cope with its challenges. Students will
select a powerful natural disaster in which to research for their brochure.
Student have to collect facts, opinions, and other information from texts,
preciously read selections, the Internet, Safari Montage, and the media center
about their selected natural disaster.
Voluntary State Curriculum Indicators and Objectives:
5.2.A.4a- Identify and explain the author’s/text’s purpose and intended audience
5.2.A.2.b- Use graphic aids such as photographs, maps, sketches encountered in
informational texts,
5.2.A.2.f- Identify and explain the contributions of text features to meaning.
5.2.A.3.a- Identify and analyze the organizational patterns of texts.
5.2.A.4.i- Identify and explain how someone might use the text.
Earthquakes
1.) Ball, J. (2004). Earthquakes. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Pub.
Earthquakes are Earth shattering. Caused by the slipping and rubbing of huge
rock slabs underground, earthquakes are unpredictable and sometimes cause major
damage. Every year, Earth has about one million quakes, yet humans only feel about 6
percent of them. So how do we know the others happen? Let Discovery Channel show
you the ups and downs in Earthquakes. (Nonfiction) (9-12)
2.) Branley, F. (2004). Earthquakes. New York: Harper Collins.
Discusses why earthquakes happen, what their sometimes devastating effects
can be, where the danger zones are, and what measures people can take to safeguard
themselves. (Nonfiction) (ages 6-9)
3.) Collier, B. (2006). Earthquakes! New York: HarperCollins.
Readers can get the inside scoop on the power of earthquakes as they take a journey
to the center of the earth to find out what makes the ground shake. They also learn
about the recent tsunami and what precautions have been taken to ensure future safety.
(Nonfiction) (ages 6-9)
4.) Osborne, M. (2001). Earthquakes in the early morning. New York: Random House.
Jack and Annie travel back to the morning of the great San Francisco
earthquake. While they are there, they meet a reporter and help get some kids to safety.
(Fantasy) (ages 8-12)
5.) Seymour, S. (1991). Earthquakes. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
Examines the phenomenon of earthquakes, describing how and where they
occur, how they can be predicted, and how much damage they can inflict. (Nonfiction)
(ages 9-2)
Additional Resources:
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Website: http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0816559.html
o Fact Monster tells you how earthquakes are caused and describes the different
types of seismic earthquakes waves. Read about the various kinds of damages
that earthquakes can cause and find out where the worst damage usually occurs.
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Video: Bill Nye the Science Guy: Earthquakes (Safari Montage)
o Published in 1995
o Bill explains the causes of earthquakes and what makes big pieces of earth's
crust move. He tells what to have on hand in case of a quake and visits scientists
who study and measure earthquakes. Features an interactive question-andanswer format and hands-on activities.
Hurricanes
6.) Challoner, J. (2004). Hurricane & tornado. New York: DK Children.
Describes dangerous and destructive weather conditions around the world, such
as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, hail, and drought with photographs,
historical background, and legends. (Nonfiction) (ages 9-14)
7.) Chambers, C. (1990). Hurricane. Chicago: Heinemann Library
Looks at the weather phenomena known as a hurricane, explaining what
hurricanes are, where and why they occur, and what conditions are like during a
hurricane, and discusses how people prepare for and cope with these huge storms.
(Nonfiction) (ages 6-9)
8.) Cole, J. (1995). The magic school bus inside a hurricane. New York: Scholastic.
A special field trip on the magic school bus allows Ms. Frizzle's class to
experience a hurricane firsthand, from air, sea, and land. (Nonfiction) (ages 6-10)
9.) Dixon, D. (2004). Hurricane destruction. Ohio: Waterbird books.
Examines hurricanes, how wind is formed that creates them, where most
hurricanes occur, how scientists detect them, and case studies for the Galveston
disaster in 1900 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. (Nonfiction) (ages 8-12)
10.) Treaster, J. (2007). Hurricane force: in the path of america’s deadliest storms.
Boston: Kingfisher.
Describes how violent storms and hurricanes are formed and notes some of
history's greatest storms to hit the United States such as Hurricane Katrina. (Nonfiction)
(ages 9-12)
Additional Resources:
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Video: Hurricanes & Tornadoes (Safari Montage)
o Published: 1998; Executive producer: Andrew Schlessinger
o Through satellite images, Doppler radar, and storm footage, examines
hurricanes and tornadoes, how they form and the destruction they cause.
-
Website: http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm
o Discusses how hurricanes are formed and the destruction they can cause.
Find out why we can't stop hurricanes. Do hurricane disaster math, see
photos, take a hurricane quiz, and play the "water, wind, and earth" game.
Tornadoes
11.) Arnold, D. The bravest of us all. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Ruby Jane thinks that her sister Velma Jean is the bravest person in her family,
but when a tornado comes, Ruby Jane shows that she is very brave herself. (Realistic
fiction) (ages 6-9)
12.) Chambers, K. (2007). Tornado. Chicago: Heinemann Library.
Describes how tornadoes are formed, the conditions that exist in tornadoes, the
harmful and beneficial effects of these storms, and their impact on humans, plants, and
animals. (Nonfiction) (ages 6-10)
13.) Nicolson, C. (2003). Tornadoes! New York: Kids Can Press.
Nicolson discusses tornado formation and types, the Fujita scale, storm chasers,
prediction, and safety measures to follow. Some major storms, notably the 1925 TriState Tornado (Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) and those hitting Oklahoma City in 1999
and Owensboro, KY, in 2000, receive special attention in the text. (Nonfiction)
(ages 8-12)
14.) Osborne, M. (2001). Twister on tuesday. New York: Random House.
When Jack and Annie travel back to the Kansas prairie in search of "something
to learn," they gain an understanding of how hard life was for pioneers and they
experience the terror of a tornado. (Fantasy) (ages 8 -12)
15.) Scavuzzo, W. (2004). Tornado alert! New York: Crabtree Publisher.
Photographs and text provide information about tornadoes, explaining what they
are and how they form, how they are studied, the damage they can cause, and how to
stay safe, and includes a look at some famous twisters. (Nonfiction) (ages 8-12)
Additional Resources:
-
Video: Hurricanes & Tornadoes (Safari Montage)
o Published: 1998; Executive producer: Andrew Schlessinger
o Through satellite images, Doppler radar, and storm footage, examines hurricanes
and tornadoes, how they form and the destruction they cause.
-
Website:
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/tornado.html&edu=elem
o Find out why tornados are hard for people who study the weather to forecast.
Read about storm chasers, and discover how tornado spotters and weather radar
allow meteorologists to issue tornado warnings. Explore tornado myths and find
out if you should open your windows during a tornado. Take a look at maps that
show where tornadoes most often form.
Volcanoes
16.) Adams, S. (2007). The best book of volcanoes. Boston: Kingfisher.
Provides information about volcanoes, explaining what they are and how they
work, looking at different types of volcanoes, and discussing where they are located,
what happens when a volcano erupts, and the changes eruptions can make to the
surrounding landscapes. (Nonfiction) (ages 9-12)
17.) Herman, G. (1996 ) The magic school bus blows its top: a book about volcanoes.
New York: Scholastic.
A special field trip on the Magic School Bus allows Ms. Frizzle's class to
experience the formation of an island from an underwater volcano. (Nonfiction)
(ages 6-9)
18.) Niz, X. (2006). Volcanoes. Minnapolis: Capstone Press.
Describes volcanoes, including how they form, plants and animals near
volcanoes, how people and weather change volcanoes, volcanoes in North America,
and the Ring of Fire. (Nonfiction) (ages 6-9)
19.) Souza, D. (2006). Volcanoes inside and out. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press
Explains what happens to the earth before and during a volcanic eruption, and
describes several historic eruptions, including Mount Saint Helens in 1980. (Nonfiction)
(ages 6-9)
20.) Stamper, J. (2003). Voyage to Volcano. New York: Scholastic.
When Ms Frizzle teaches about volcanoes, she takes the class all the way to
Hawaii, where they wade through lava and see a real volcano blow its top. (Nonfiction)
(ages 8-12)
Additional Resources:
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Video: Bill Nye the Science Guy: Volcanoes (Safari Montage)
o Published in 1996
o Defines volcanoes, explains how they are formed, and explores the different
types that exist. Features an interactive question-and-answer format and handson activities.
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Website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/volcanoes/
o Find out why some volcanoes explode and some just flow. Understand that
eruptions can also blast through sideways, as well as cause mudslides,
avalanches, and tsunamis. Learn about the "ring of fire," Earth's shifting plates,
volcanic hot spots, and the rocks created by lava. This site provides eyewitness
accounts, volcano vocabulary, and expert answers to kids' questions about
volcanoes.