Natural Disasters

Grade 5

By: Sarah Wengerter

 Night of the Twisters

Author: Ivy Ruckman

ISBN: 978-0064401760
Copyright Date: 1984
Reading Level 720L Grade Level
Brief Discription When a tornado watch is issued one Tuesday
evening in June, twelve-year-old Dan Hatch and
his best friend, Arthur, don't think much of it.
After all, tornado warnings are a way of life
during the summer in Grand Island, Nebraska.
But soon enough, the wind begins to howl, and
the lights and telephone stop working. Then the
emergency siren starts to wail. Dan, his baby
brother, and Arthur have only seconds to get to
the basement before the monstrous twister is on
top of them. Little do they know that even if they
do survive the storm, their ordeal will have only
just begun. . . .
Rationale for including this text: This story allows students to experience what it
is like to be in “tornado alley”. It takes a real
event and adds faces and names to an even that
happened before them.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to blog about
reactions to text. They will also be working on
using text evidence with their blogs.
 I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD
79

Author: Lauren Tarshis

ISBN: 0545459397
Copyright Date: 2014
Reading Level 700L Below Grade Level
Brief Description During the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, one
boy struggles to escape. Can he survive the most
devastating disaster of ancient times?

In this thrilling addition to the bestselling I SURVIVED

series, readers are taken back to antiquity with a young
boy trying to escape as the giant Mount Vesuvius erupts.
Does he have what it takes to survive the epic
destruction of Pompeii?
Rationale for including this text: This series is high interest for all students,
especially students that are reading below grade
level.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to blog about
reactions to text. They will also be working on
using text evidence with their blogs.
 The Magic School Bus: Inside a Hurricane

Author: Joanna Cole

ISBN: 978-0590446860
Copyright Date: 1995
Reading Level 500L Below Grade Level
Brief Description The irrepressible Ms. Frizzle and her bewildered
class climb aboard the Magic School Bus for
another exciting and informative adventure in a
whirlwind visit to a hurricane.
Rationale for including this text: This book is great for lower level readers
because it has a lot pictures and descriptions.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to work on
background knowledge and to get familiar with
vocabulary.
 Storms

Author: Seymour Simon

ISBN: 0688117082
Copyright Date: 1989
Reading Level 940L Above Grade Level
Brief Description "A succinct, informative essay illuminated by
magnificent photographs. The subject is
particularly absorbing, as it highlights the natural
drama of a commonly experienced
phenomenon....The stunning visual portrayal of
storms, accompanied by impressive factual data
and clear explanations in crisp prose, is truly
compelling."--Horn Book.
Rationale for including this text: This book uses detailed pictures to show the
progress of a storm. Students are always draw to
these books because of the real life photos of a
storm in action
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to work on background
knowledge and to get familiar with vocabulary.
They will also use this book to help learn the
progression of storms.
 Electrical Storms

Author: Liza Burby

ISBN: 1404255818
Copyright Date: 1999
Reading Level 840L Grade Level
Brief Description Explains what electrical storms are, where and
when they happen, what their effects can be,
and ways to stay safe.
Rationale for including this text: This book uses detailed pictures to show the
progress of a storm. This text explains what the
storm is.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to work on background
knowledge and to get familiar with vocabulary.
They will also use this book to help learn the
progression of storms.
 I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011

Author: Lauren Tarshis

ISBN: 0545459370
Copyright Date: 2013
Reading Level 650L Below Grade Level
Brief Description Visiting his dad's hometown in Japan four months
after his father's death would be hard enough for
Ben. But one morning the pain turns to fear: first, a
massive earthquake rocks the quiet coastal village,
nearly toppling his uncle's house. Then the ocean
waters rise and Ben and his family are swept away-
and pulled apart-by a terrible tsunami.
Now Ben is alone, stranded in a strange country a
million miles from home. Can he fight hard enough
to survive one of the most epic disasters of all
time?
Rationale for including this text: This is a high interest book. Students love the “I
Survived…” series. It’s a great book to motivate
students.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Students will use this book to work on background
knowledge and to get familiar with vocabulary.
Will be using for comprehension.
 Volcanoes

Author: Seymour Simon

ISBN: 0060877170
Copyright Date: 2006
Reading Level 880L Grade Level
Brief Description Do you think of volcanoes as simply big mountains with
lava streaming over their tops? Not all of them are like
that. Some are covered in ice, and some look like
nothing more than deep blue lakes. Some have not
erupted in living memory and still may awaken someday
to send red-hot rocks and ash flying through the air for
hundreds of miles around. Acclaimed science writer
Seymour Simon and the Smithsonian Institution have
come together to update this smartly written and
beautifully photographed treatment of one of nature's
hottest topics.
Rationale for including this text: The images are so vivid and allow the students to
make connection
Task for students as they interact with this text: Concept Circle
 Tornadoes

Author: Seymour Simon

ISBN: 978-0064437912
Copyright Date: 2001
Reading Level 1020L Above Grade Level
Brief Description Tornadoes are twisting columns of air that cause
massive destruction. Learn how a tornado is formed and
what to do if one touches down.
Rationale for including this text: The images are so vivid and allow the students to
make connections.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Concept Circle, Vocabulary , and Comprehension
about how they form and what they do
 The Eye Of The Hurricane

Author: Richard Brightfield

ISBN: 978-0021852734
Copyright Date: 2001
Reading Level 760L Above Grade Level
Brief Description Susan, Jamie, Jimmy, and Ron, along with other
students, are on a ship on their way home from Europe
where they had attended summer school. Their trip is
delayed when the ship gets caught in a hurricane, and
the captain decides to wait out the storm in th
Rationale for including this text: The images are so vivid and allow the students to
make connections.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Background Knowledge
 Poem

https://madinos.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/untitled.jpg

Author: Unknown
ISBN: https://madinos.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/untitled.jpg
Copyright Date:
Reading Level
Brief Description All about natural disasters
Rationale for including this text: This is a great way to show the effects disasters have on
people and environment
Task for students as they interact with this Comprehension/How the environment and people are
text: affected
 Poem 2

Natural Disasters

When the earth quacks,

and the forest shakes,
the animals run and cower
But when it's all over the earth
is covered in dead trees and leaves,
We can't help it, its nature wild and crazy.
Where ever we go it will be something.
But pollution is killing it destroying it,
and soon it will be gone,
And people will feel
like they did something wrong,
But there is a solution to the pollution,
It is a challenge that we will all have
to take so be awake and be ready

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/natural-disasters/ = use for video

Author: Jacob Gifford

ISBN: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/natural-disasters/
Copyright Date: December 14, 2008
Reading Level
Brief Description All about natural disasters and what we can do to help our earth.
Rationale for including this text: This is all about how disaster aren’t very prevent but there
is one thing we can prevent.
Task for students as they interact with this Comprehension/How the environment and people are
text: affected
 Article

"The Big One" by sea and not by land

From Newela.com

Author: By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

ISBN:
Copyright Date: 3.24.2014
Reading Level 870L Grade Level can be adjusted
Brief Description This article is about underwater earthquakes.
Rationale for including this text: This article shares information that is current and
present to the lives of my students.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Background Knowledge, Thinking Maps
"The Big One" by sea and not by land
By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff
Grade Level 5
03.23.14
Word Count 629

Surfer Lee Johnson emerges from the water at San Onofre State Beach, Calif., with the twin domes from the San
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in the distance. Officials have said the plant can sustain a 7.0 quake but not the
9.0 that struck Japan in 2011. Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/MCT

LOS ANGELES — Scientists worry that a strong earthquake off the coast of California
could do major damage to the West Coast.

Earthquakes on land can cause a lot of damage. But earthquakes in the ocean have
their own dangers. These earthquakes can cause a tsunami, a huge wave that rushes
into coastal cities.

The Cascadia fault line, 700 miles off the coast of Northern California, could produce a
tsunami that would heavily damage the West Coast, scientists say.

A giant tsunami along the West Coast would wash away towns, destroy U.S. Highway
101 and cause $70 billion in damage. The wave could destroy bridges, knock down
power lines, and cut communication systems like phones or Internet.
It’s possible that people would only have 15 minutes to escape. As many as 10,000
people could die.

Early Warning System

Officials in California, Oregon and Washington are now making plans to prepare for an
earthquake and tsunami. They hope to learn lessons from a 2011 disaster in Japan. A
9.0 earthquake there created a huge tsunami that flooded coastal areas.

That tsunami took people by surprise. It killed more than 10,000 and left more than
300,000 homeless. It also damaged a nuclear power plant. A meltdown at the plant
spread dangerous radiation in the area.

Researchers on the West Coast hope to save lives by quickly spotting a tsunami and
warning local citizens. They hope that new tsunami detectors deep under the ocean can
provide early warnings.

Predicting a tsunami’s strength is important to saving lives. Japanese scientists did not
realize how big their tsunami was. Local people were not prepared, and many lost their
lives.

It’s very important to have correct information, said Vasily Titov, head of the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Center for Tsunami
Research.

Escape To High Ground

To escape a tsunami, people must get to high ground such as a hill or mountain. But in
flat areas, there is nowhere to go. Safety officials must build high ground.

One idea is buildings with roofs that can protect people from a tsunami. One of these at
a school in Washington will protect 1,000 people with a high wall.

Officials have also discussed building man-made hills. Each hill could hold as many as
800 people.

California is famous for the San Andreas fault. This fault runs through the heart of the
state. It produced the famously scary 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The 1906 quake
killed more than 3,000 people.

Scientists now think that the Cascadia fault is more dangerous than they thought.
The Cascadia fault is made up of three tectonic plates that are pushing against each
other. The most powerful earthquakes in the last 10 years in California were caused by
Cascadia.

Scientists had believed that the Cascadia fault could only produce a 7.5 earthquake. But
they now believe that it could create an enormous 9.0 quake.

Like A Rubber Band

The Cascadia fault is dangerous for two reasons. First, it is very long.

Second, it is an area where two huge tectonic plates are being pushed under the even-
larger North American plate. The smaller plates push under little by little, dragging the
North American plate down with them.

But the North American plate is old and strong, and it won’t be pulled down forever.

Once every couple hundred years, the North American plate snaps back upward like a
rubber band, creating a strong earthquake.

On March 16, a small earthquake caused by the Cascadia fault erupted 50 miles off the
coast, causing light shaking. No injuries or damages were reported.

The West Coast was spared this time, but scientists still wonder when “The Big One”
will hit.

“It could be today. It could be 100 years from now,” U.S. Geological Survey seismologist
David Oppenheimer said.
 Article 2

Death toll rises to nearly 300 in Pakistan earthquake

https://newsela.com/articles/pakistan-earthquake/id/1246/

Author: By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

ISBN:
Copyright Date: 09.25.2013
Reading Level 1020L Above Grade Level can be adjusted
Brief Description This article is about the horrible earthquake that
demolished part of Pakistan.
Rationale for including this text: This article shares information that is current and
present to the lives of my students.
Task for students as they interact with this text: Background Knowledge, Thinking Maps,
Comprehension
Death toll rises to nearly 300 in Pakistan
earthquake
By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff
Grade Level 7
09.25.13
Word Count866

Pakistani villagers look for belongings amid the rubble of their destroyed homes following an earthquake in the
remote district of Awaran, Baluchistan province, Pakistan. Photo: AP Photo/Arshad Butt

ISLAMABAD — The death toll from a large earthquake in southwestern Pakistan

reached nearly 300 on Wednesday.

Crisis teams braced for more deaths and rescue workers raced to reach isolated
mountain communities.

Local television images from Pakistan’s earthquake-prone Baluchistan province showed

the devastation. The disaster left vast fields of mud, bricks, broken furniture, battered
household items and traditional string beds. Most houses in the region are poorly
constructed of basic materials.
In one video, a dazed man pawed through the rubble trying to collect a few modest
possessions from his destroyed home.

Quake Hits Remote Areas

The epicenter of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake was 40 miles northeast of Awaran. It
struck at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Initial reports placed the magnitude at 7.8. The
epicenter is the point on the earth's surface directly above the center of the earthquake.
The magnitude is a measure of how strong the earthquake is on a 1-10 scale. A
magnitude 8 earthquake is 10 times stronger than one measuring magnitude 7.

Damage reports trickled in slowly. It was initially difficult to get a comprehensive picture
of the damage as often happens when natural disasters hit remote areas.

In Baluchistan’s Awaran district, among the worst-hit areas, a state of emergency was
declared Tuesday. Baluchistan is Pakistan’s largest but least-populated province, with
about 13 million people.

By Wednesday afternoon, the confirmed death toll in Awaran was 216. About 400
people were injured, according to a government official.

An official in the deputy commissioner’s office of the adjoining Kech district said that
district’s latest death total was 43, based on doctors’ reports. Media reports placed the
number of known deaths across Pakistan at more than 285. This included 20 bodies
found Wednesday afternoon in an Awaran seminary.

Most Of Awaran's Houses Destroyed

Telecommunications and medical facilities have been overwhelmed. By some accounts,

90 percent of Awaran’s housing was destroyed. Thousands of people were forced to
spend Tuesday night in the open.

Tremors from were felt as far away as Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The Indian
capital of New Delhi, several hundred miles to the east, also trembled.

Muhammad Akbar, 27, was reached by telephone in Dandar in Kech district. He said a
first jolt Tuesday wasn’t so big, but a second one destroyed virtually every building in
the village, including his eight-room mud house. It killed his cousin and many others.

“Right now, as I talk to you, I’m sitting on a rock beside the ruins,” the teacher said,
adding that no government rescue workers had arrived yet. “It’s really hot, and we don’t
have any shelter. My three children were terrified, although they’ve now taken to playing
in the debris. Our whole life is under the rubble.”

The Pakistani army said in a statement that it sent more than 1,000 soldiers and
Frontier Corps troops to search for survivors. Six of its helicopters airlifted the injured
out of, and food and medicine into, the affected area.

A spokesman for the Baluchistan government said it was sending 1,000 tents, 500 food
bags, various types of medicine and a dozen ambulances to Awaran. But steep terrain
and the lack of paved roads continued to slow rescue operations.

Quake Forms An Island In Arabian Sea

Gwadar, a port city located about 200 miles southwest of Awaran in the Arabian Sea,
saw one of the more unusual characteristics of the earthquake: the near-spontaneous
formation of an island a few hundred yards off the coast.

Seismologists suspect that it’s a temporary “mud volcano.” These form when a jet of
sand and muck gushes to the surface under pressure after an earthquake. Initial
estimates were that the island was about 30 feet high and 100 feet long.

“If it is just mud, it’s possible it will disappear soon,” said Zahid Rafi, director at
Pakistan’s National Seismic Monitoring Center. “In 1945, two mud islands emerged in
the same area, and they later disappeared. It there’s a rock beneath it, or it appeared
because of the movement of a big rock, then it may stay.”

Dr. Ali Rashid Tabrez is Director-General of Karachi’s National Institute of

Oceanography. It sent a team to the island Wednesday to collect samples and take
pictures. Dr. Tabrez said the seabed beneath the seismically active coastline contains
vast amounts of frozen, highly pressurized methane gas. It periodically thrusts a mix of
liquid and debris to the surface.

“During the last 15 years, three such islands emerged in the Makran coastal area, but
they all disappeared after four or five months,” he said.

Though methane is not poisonous, anything in large amounts can be dangerous, he

added. He urged gawkers to avoid visiting Pakistan’s newest, and perhaps most short-
lived, island.
Where Three Plates Of The Earth's Crust Meet

The area around Awaran has significant seismic activity. Three plates of the earth's
crust meet there, the Eurasia, Arabia and India plates. The India plate moves
northbound into the Eurasia plate at a rate of about 1.5 inches a year. It has created the
world’s tallest mountains, including the Himalayan, Karakoram, Pamir and Hindu Kush
ranges, capped by Mt. Everest.

Pakistan suffered the worst earthquake in its history in 2005. That year, a magnitude 7.6
earthquake killed more than 74,000 people.
 App/Website

Author: Crystal Wicker

ISBN: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
Copyright Date: 2015
Reading Level
Brief Description General search options that go into detail about all the disasters.
Rationale for including this text: This is a great website for students to use for choice on
what they want to look for. They will use the website for
their final project.
Task for students as they interact with this Comprehension/General Research/Concept Circles/Final
text: Project Choice