Teachers notes

Natural Disasters
The extreme conditions and wild weather of our world
These teachers notes are to be used with Project Pull-out #55, which is found in issue 108 of DMAG. Students will learn about various aspects of the weather and develop their understanding of natural, physical phenomena and how it affects the world on a local and global scale.
This supplement encourages students to:
Recognise that there are various parts to the physical environment, including earth, air, fire and water Understand that there are many physical phenomena that can change the environment and its community Explore issues and the decision-making involved in human interaction with regards to natural disasters Understand that many links exist between people, places and resources on a local, national and global level Acquire information about the needs of other areas of the world and how Australia can assist Identify, through a variety of media, situations where civic action has lead to the improvement of community living Temperature Precipitation Fronts Troughs Sunset / sunrise Wind speed / direction. In their research, they should find out what the aspect tells us about the weather, how meteorologists predict/measure it, why its important for us to be informed about it and if theres a specific way to read it how it should be read. Students are then to demonstrate their findings using a real weather report. with their barometer. Using their findings, students may also wish to create their own weather report.

Extension exercise: How does it work?

Gifted and talented students are to investigate how a barometer uses changing levels of air pressure to show and predict changes in the weather.

HSIE: Physical phenomena

Ask students to read DMAGs Project Pull-out to see what sorts of natural, physical phenomena there are in the world. When do they think these phenomena become hazards? When do they become disasters? What other natural disasters are there aside from the ones covered in the pull-out? (e.g. avalanches, volcano eruptions.) How do these occur?

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientific Visualization Studio

Experiment: Create a barometer

One way that meteorologists predict the weather is by using a barometer. As a class or in groups, do The Weatherman experiment in the Students Worksheets. Students can share their graphs/findings with each other at the end of the experiment and see if they can predict the weather

Geography: mapping
Ask the class which of the natural phenomena discussed in the Physical Phenomena exercise we experience in Australia. What could be the reasons for this? (E.g. we experience bushfires due to our hot, dry climate.) Are there any natural phenomena we dont experience at all? Why? Students

Science: Whats the weather?

As a class, look at a weather report. This can be online, in a newspaper or on the television. What information does the report provide? In groups, ask students to research a different aspect of the report. This can include:

Teachers notes

Natural Disasters
The extreme conditions and wild weather of our world
are to pick a natural phenomenon of their choice and find out what causes it. Students are to present their findings to the class as a model or demonstration. They should also find out where this phenomenon occurs and present this on a map. Can they see any patterns with this?

Extension exercise: Evaluation

Gifted and talented students can evaluate how well their chosen natural disaster was dealt with on a local, national and global scale. What could have been done better to reduce the impact of the disaster and improve the situation faster? What solutions can they come up with to deal with natural disasters in the future?

HSIE: Natural disasters

Divide the class into groups and ask each to investigate one of the following recent natural disasters of the world: Haiti earthquake Queensland floods Black Saturday bushfires Indian Ocean tsunami/earthquake Hurricane Katrina Peru landslides In their investigation they should find out when the disaster occurred, how it occurred, the magnitude of the disaster and how the disaster affected the environment and the community it hit (e.g. did it change the landscape? Did it leave people homeless? Economically, how was the community affected? Were people left jobless? Did the communitys tourism industry suffer as a result of the disaster?)

HSIE: Global connections

After completing the Natural Disasters exercise, brainstorm as a class what issues need to be addressed following a natural disaster i.e. shelter for victims who have lost their homes, food, health and safety, rebuilding, etc. Students can further look into how the government responded to the disaster they investigated and how they addressed each of the above issues. Did anyone besides the government respond to the disaster? Were any special organisations involved? What about the general community and the world? Did Australia aid the victims of the disaster in any way? Gifted and talented students may also wish to discuss the question: do we have a global responsibility to help victims of natural disasters whether in our own country or worldwide?

English: Creative writing

If you like, look at newspaper clippings or news footage of people being interviewed after a natural disaster. Then, ask students to imagine having survived a natural disaster and to write a one-page journal entry of their experience after the event. How do they feel? How has life changed for them? Where have they been and what have they been doing since the disaster occurred? If students wish, they can share their entry with the class.
ABOUT DMAG These teachers notes were written by the staff at DMAG. These notes may be reproduced for use in school classrooms. To subscribe to the magazine they refer to, call 1300 361 146 (Australia) or +61 2 9901 6111 (International).

HSIE: Global and social issues

On a larger scale, students are to research what affect the disaster had on the country as a whole. Has the community completely recovered from the disaster today or are efforts still being made to rebuild the community?

Drama: News report

Ask students to create a news report on their natural disaster. For this report, students may wish to delegate people to be news reporters, on-the-scene reporters and scientists and victims being interviewed. Students can perform their report in front of the class or film it to be played in the classroom.