Introduction
Nothing can be more shocking or awe inspiring than when mother nature unleashes its fury. Whether it is through tropical storms, floods, volcanoes, droughts or tornadoes, the power of nature can ruin lives, commerce, or even wipe out entire civilizations in a matter of moments. Throughout this webquest, you will learn about the different types of natural disaster, and the effects they can have on civilizations.
Task
The learners will gain information on the different types of natural disasters with an emphasis on respecting the power of nature, as well as what effects they can have on a society and/or economy.
Process
Utlizing the various resources below, you will explore information on the different types of natural disasters, in an effort to learn how to be safe during such a situation, as well as what social and economical effects can be expected from the natural disaster. You have been divided into groups for this webquest, with each student in a group becoming an expert on a type of natural disaster. On day one and two, you will cover the introductory information such as what constitutes a natural disaster, and watch a video on natural disasters produced by Natural Geographic from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-6whkbZXs.
On day 3, you will be separated into groups of 3-4 students. Each group is responsible with developing a group presentation utilizing multimedia, white boards, brief speeches, and a report written by each member on different natural disasters and how they affect societies and economics in areas where they hit, as well as the global economy. During the first day of group work, review the resources that are provided as a starting point on each type of natural disaster, with the corresponding student writing a briefing for the rest of the group on their natural disaster. Be sure to do some individual research to find more information on your disaster, as the links provided give a starting point on topics that have a lot of depth and information.
On day 4, you will discuss your briefing about your natural disaster with your groups, so that you will all be aware of the impacts, effects, and information on the various natural disasters and have the information required to begin assembling the necessary information for your group presentation.
On day 5, you will give your group presentation to the class, with each of you talking about your natural disaster, the social and economical effects it has on populace that suffer from it, as well as a worst-case scenario: Answer the question as a group of what would happen if an area suffered from more than one of these natural disasters simultaneously, and what steps individuals should take against such an occurence.
Types of natural disasters:
While there are several occurrences in nature that fall under the broad umbrella, for our purposes we will focus on the ones that are known to occur in our immediate area of Ohio. The three common types that hit Ohio (and have done so in the last 5 years) are tornadoes, earthquakes, and draughts.
Tornadoes:
In order to understand this type of natural disaster better, examine the links below:
Earthquake:
In order to understand this type of natural disaster, examine the links below:
Where Earthquakes have occured
Draughts
Evaluation
| Basic | Needs improvement | Good | Excellent | Score | |
| Tornado | Information is innacurate, or incomplete. |
Information has a few missing components, or a few innacuracies included,such as widely held myths. |
Information is decentlyaccurate, with all information included in the provided resources adequately covered,few small-if any-inaccuracies. |
Information is wholely accurate, showing adequeate preparation by the student in developing and finding their own resources for the presentation. |
20 |
| Earthquake | Information is innacurate, or incomplete. |
Information has a few missing components, or a few innacuracies included,such as widely held myths. | Information is decentlyaccurate, with all information included in the provided resources adequately covered,few small-if any-inaccuracies. | Information is wholely accurate, showing adequeate preparation by the student in developing and finding their own resources for the presentation. | 20 |
| Draught | Information is innacurate, or incomplete. |
Information has a few missing components, or a few innacuracies included,such as widely held myths. | Information is decentlyaccurate, with all information included in the provided resources adequately covered,few small-if any-inaccuracies. | Information is wholely accurate, showing adequeate preparation by the student in developing and finding their own resources for the presentation. | 20 |
| Materials |
Basic information is not presentation materials, or no materials utilized. |
Materials are present for the presentation, but are difficult to understand and/or are not described by the group/are not referenced by the group throughout the presentation. | Materials are present for the presentation, and are utlizied throughout as a basic support, although the information contained on the materials is no different (and thus does not contribute) to the overal presentation | The materials provided the right amount of support to the overall presentation, resulting in a cycle of supporting details from the oral and visual aspects of the presentation. | 15 |
| Worst Case scenario | The worst Case scenario was never mentioned in the presentation. | Although the scenario was mentioned, no in-depth answers about it were given. | The scenario was addressed, although it was treated as an afterthought with no planning involved. | The scenario was addressed and discussed in-depth, and planned carefully as to where it would fall in the order of the presentation. | 25 |
Total score: /100
In addition to this rubric, students will further be graded on their behavior as a member of the audience at an individual level.
Conclusion
Throughout this webquest, we have seen the sheer destructive power that nature can unleash upon the earth. As such, we should always treat these natural disasters with the respect they deserve, and acknowledge the effects they can have on the lives of those who are in their area of effect. For more information, please visit the websites below, or talk to your local science teacher.
Tornadoes:
http://en.vedur.is/media/loftslag/Tornado_Impacts_-_FMI_Presentation.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFq8Ome91_o