Natural Disasters Unit Study

This summer my 8 year old has been thinking about what she wants to learn in 3rd grade.  As soon as we sat down to have our “meeting” to discuss her third grade year she blurted out that she wanted to learn about natural disasters.  So, I’ve put together this study for my 3rd grader.  Please note that some of these videos are recommended for older viewers due to the death and destruction from natural disasters.

This unit study combines books, videos, and activities.  I’m not schoolifying this unit study at all.  When it says “read” I really mean that I hand my kid the book and she reads what she wants to read in the book.  Aside from some of the activities, most of this study will be done independently.

Avalanches

• Read Avalanche by Kramer
• Watch Avalanche The White Death
• Read Avalanches by Woods
• Watch Beautiful Monster: Avalanche
• Read the Science of Snow pdf and do the create your own avalanche activity.
• Watch Nightmare on Everest

Landslides

• Read Avalanche and Landslide Alert by Bishop
• Watch Killer Landslides
• Read Thundering Landslides by Spilsbury
• Watch Naked Science Landslides
• Do landslide experiment
• Watch When Nature Strikes Back: Landslides

Earthquakes

• Read Earthquake! by Nicolson
• Watch Nova Earthquakes
• Read Earthquake in Haiti by Aronin
• Play Stop Disasters Earthquake Game
• Watch Earthquakes Where The Fault Lies
• Read Anatomy of an Earthquake
• Watch Kobe Earthquake Disaster
• Activity – Earthquake in the Classroom
• Watch Earthquake Bridge

Sinkholes

• Read Sinkholes web page
• Watch Sinkholes Buried Alive
• Make a Sinkhole in a Cup
• Watch Swallowed by the Sinkhole

Volcanic Eruptions

• Read Volcano by Magloff
• Watch Ring of Fire
• Read Volcano: A Visual Guide
• Watch World’s Deadliest Volcanoes
• Make an Apple-Cano
• Watch Mega Disasters American Volcanoes
• Read Forces of Nature:  The Awesome Power of Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Tornadoes
• Watch Volcanoes of Iceland
• Make a Storm in a Teacup
• Watch Inside the Volcano

Floods

• Read Floods by Thompson
• Watch Nova Flood!
• Play Don’t Flood the Fidgets
• Read Furious Floods by Richards
• Watch Flood Disaster in Australia
• Play Stop Disasters Floods
• Read Flood and Monsoon Alert
• Watch 2011 Missouri River Flood

Tsunamis

• Read How Does an Earthquake Become a Tsunami
• Watch Mega Tsunami Disaster
• Read Tsunamis by Fine
• Watch Live Coverage of Tsunami Hitting Japan
• Tsunami in a Bottle activity
• Read Tsunami: Helping Each Other
• Watch Nova Surviving the Tsunami

Blizzards

• Read Blizzards by Burby
• Watch Blizzard of 93
• Read Severe Storm and Blizzard Alert
• Watch 16 Hours Behind the White Wall
• Snowstorm in a Can Activity
• Read White-Out: Blizzards
• Watch Britain’s Worst Weather – Snow

Hurricanes

• Read Hurricane by Nicolson
• Watch Super Hurricanes and Typhoons
• Play Create a Cane
• Read Anatomy of a Hurricane
• Watch Hurricane Tracker
• Play Stop Disasters Hurricane
• Read Hurricane Katrina by Rodger
• Watch Hurricane Katrina
• Make a hurricane in a bowl of water
• Watch Super Typhoon Haiyan
• Read Hurricane Igor
• Watch Inside the Eye of a Massive Hurricane

Thunderstorms

• Read Changing Weather Storms
• Watch Naked Science Lightning
• Do Make Lightning in Your Mouth activity
• Read Weather Watcher
• Watch Worst Weather Lightning
• Do Make Thunder activity
• Watch When Hail Attacks
• Read Thunder and Lightning by Miles
• Watch When Lightning Strikes
• Do Make a Thunderstorm activity
• Watch Storm Chasers Highway to Hail
• Do Making Hail activity
• Read Thunder and Lightning by Watt
• Do Make Lightning activity
• Watch Inside a Lightning Bolt

Tornadoes

• Read Tornado Alert
• Watch Tales of Tornado Alley
• Make a Tornado in a Bottle
• Read Storm Warning: Tornadoes
• Watch Storm Chasers Inside the Tornado
• Play Tornado Simulation
• Watch Britain’s Birmingham Tornado
• Read Tornado! by Nicolson
• Watch Storm Chasers Twister Twilight Zone
• Play the Tornado Chase Game
• Watch Witness: Joplin Tornado
• Read Tornadoes by Simon
• Watch Deadliest Tornadoes

Wildfires

• Read Forest Furnace:  Wildfires
• Watch Victoria
• Play Stop Disasters Wildfires
• Watch Oil Firefighting:  Real Life Hellfighter
• Read Wildfire by Morrison
• Watch Forests Under Fire
• Make large container of dried vegetation and one of green vegetation and light a match and place it in each container.  Like this one.
• Watch Wildland Firefighting:  Everyone Goes Home
• Read Extreme Wildfire: Smoke Jumpers, High-Tech Gear, Survival Tactics, and the Extraordinary Science of Fire
• Watch Fort McMurray Wildlife Special