Exploring Natural

Disasters Web Quest

A Web Quest for 3rd Grade (Weather) Designed by: Abby Tepper Abigail.tepper@salve.edu

Introduction• This lesson was developed as part of the Salve Regina

University’s Technology in Education class. This assignment will engage the students in third grade while also contributing to their skills with technology.

• This Web Quest was created to help students discover different natural disasters and become experts on their specific disaster.

• Weather is the day-to-day conditions of a particular place. It is around us all the time and it is something that we as humans cannot control. Someone who studies the weather is called a meteorologist. For this project, you are going to become a meteorologist and an expert in a particular natural disaster in history. You must investigate this natural disaster and be able to present to the class all that you know. As an expert, you will research a natural disaster in history and find out the behind-the-scenes information of the disaster.

Task• The task for this project is that you form a group of three. 1)

Create a particular natural disaster fact book 2) Include an example in history of this type of natural disaster 3) Find photos of the natural disaster in history using an online source as well as the library or from parents and relatives 4) Write a letter to the government explaining how they can better help improve the after facts of the natural disaster. This project may take a lot of time, but you all must write your own letter in part four.

Task Continued • Questions to be answered: • What is the particular natural disaster? • Where do the people live that are affected by this

disaster?• What are the consequences of this disaster? • When has this disaster occurred in history? • Who was affected by the particular natural

disaster in history? • How can the government clean up natural

disasters and improve the aftermath?

ProcessDivide the tasks up among group membersNatural Disaster Fact Book Coordinator: This

person will be the expert on the particular natural disaster that you choose. The fact book should include:

A picture of the natural disasterState what it is, how it happens, where it

happensThe example in history with a picture Other historical facts of the disaster

Resources for the Fact Book Coordinator • http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/

natural-disasters-pictures.htm - Pictures of natural disaster

• http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters - Information on natural disasters

• http://listverse.com/2010/03/15/top-10-most-terrifying-natural-disasters-in-history/ - Top 10 most terrifying natural disasters in history

Process ContinuedMap Designer: This person must use a map of the

United States to create a climate map. It should be neat and colorful. The following should be on the map:

Map keyStates where the natural disaster is common Bodies of waterClimate of the states currently

Resources for the Map Designer • http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/maps/us

a-blank_WMWTD.pdf - Blank map of the United States

• http://www.inscenter.com/info-center/disaster-planning/risk-profile - Helpful map to find common natural disasters

• http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-state-temperatures.php - Climate of each state

Process ContinuedExplorer Expert: This person is in charge of finding

where the natural disaster occurs as well as the top 10 places to see this disaster. The following will be included in the fact book:

Pictures of where the disaster has occurred recently

When the disaster last occurred at the particular places

Safety guides to following natural disasters The brochure must be engaging and colorful

Resources for the Explorer Expert (Earthquake Example) • http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/

top_states.php- Top 10 places to experience an earthquake • http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/ - Pictures of

recent earthquakes in California • http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/index.php

- Information on the latest earthquakes • http://earthquakecountry.org/sevensteps/ - Safety

guides for earthquakes This is an example of a brochure which can be your fact book. It can be made on either a computer if you would like or by hand. The brochure should have a cover page with subtitles on other pages.

Non-online Resources For non-online resources, students can use the library at the school. With the help of our librarian, students can find information on their particular natural disaster. Students may also go to their parents and interview them if they have experienced a natural disaster in history. This can be added to the fact book along with any pictures they have of the disaster. This is an example of

a natural disaster in history. The picture shows the highway during the blizzard of 1978.

Evaluation Rubric for the Brochure/Fact BookBelow is the link for the rubric you will be graded on: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=PrintRubric&rubric_id=2386792&

Evaluation Rubric for the Map Below is the link for the rubric you will be graded on:http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=PrintRubric&rubric_id=2386793&

Conclusion Congratulations! You have now become an expert on a natural disaster. It is important that you learn all about natural disasters because you never know when one might occur! One must be prepared at all times and know the safety precautions when dealing with disaster. You have gained knowledge on the ins and outs of the disaster, where the disaster occurs, when it has occurred in history, and what the disaster looks like. To reflect on this Web Quest, you must know construct your letter to the government explaining how they can deal with the aftermath of this disaster. You can explore how the government deals with this natural disaster now and suggest changes. To improve this lesson and receive greater points, you may use the computer to make your brochure or fact book. This will improve the layout of it. If you have any further questions on the project, please feel free to ask your teacher for help.