Disasters

Living in dangerous places is nothing new. From Pompeii and its volcano to New Orleans and its vulnerability to hurricanes, humans must always contend with natural forces. Pupils first examine the history of Pompeii and then analyze the...

The most famous American disasters - natural and otherwise - of the late 19th and early 20th century are the focus of this presentation. Detailing the 1865 sinking of the USS Saldana, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and the Influenza...

Have your class do research on natural disasters and create a presentation using this resource. In completing this activity, learners apply the five geography themes to their research. They write a paper describing their results. It's a...

The unsinkable ship that sunk. Scholars review the case against the White Star Line following the tragic loss of life from the Titanic disaster. Academics read documents and organize them into arguments for and against the cruise line....

A 10-week unit plan about natural disasters has some strong structural ideas, and rubrics for several assessments are attached, but the procedural details are sparse. The unit covers volcano, tsunami, earthquake, and cyclone disasters....

One man's unsinkable dream became a disaster for many. An intriguing activity uses primary sources to examine the claims made by Titanic survivors against the White Star Line. Scholars analyze the claims, complete a worksheet, and...

When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned home in 2003, it sparked questions about the future of America's space program. Using video footage that includes former astronauts involved in the shuttle program, experts on...

Students compare the consequences of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco to Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans as a basis for investigating the transformative effect of infamous United States natural disasters.

Students design new devices to help victims of natural disaster communicate with rescue workers, government, media and loved ones. For homework, they write proposals promoting their technology.

How are disasters addressed by the Federal Government? This New York Times lesson, based on the article "Disaster Aid: The Mix of Mercy and Politics," prompts middle schoolers to discuss the idea of using a disaster declaration as a...