Download I. Topic: How physical process, climate changes, and natural

I. Topic: How physical process, climate changes, and natural hazards affect human societies
around the world
II. Grade Level: 4th
III. Subject: Social Studies / Time: 50 minutes
IV. Goal/s: This lesson will help students understand that physical processes, climate
changes, and natural hazards affect people and where they live.
V. Objectives:
Students will:
 define physical process, climate change, natural hazard, and other words associated
with the topic.
 analyze the roles of climate, natural hazards, and physical processes in creating and
altering places.
 create a presentation providing information on how people are affected by one of
the following types of events: a natural hazard, a physical process, or climate
change.
VI. IL-State Standards/Goals:
 IL.17
GOAL: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an
emphasis on the United States.
o IL.17.A
STANDARD: Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the
Earth.
o IL.17.A.ECa
Locate objects and places in familiar environments.
o IL.17.A.2b
Use maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather
information about people, places and environments.
o IL.17.B
STANDARD: Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth's
physical systems.
o IL.17.B.1a
Identify components of the Earth's physical systems.
o IL.17.B.2a
Describe how physical and human processes shape spatial patterns including
erosion, agriculture and settlement.
o IL.17.D.4
Explain how processes of spatial change have affected human history (e.g.,
resource development and use, natural disasters).
o IL.17.D.3b
Explain how interactions of geographic factors have shaped present conditions.
VII. NCSS Standards:
NCSS.1
INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIAL STUDIES THEMES STANDARDS
o NCSS.1.3
THEME THREE -- People, Places, and Environment: Social Studies teachers
should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and
provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of People,
Places, and Environment. Teachers of social studies at all school levels should
provide developmentally appropriate experiences as they guide learners in the
study of people, places and environments.
o NCSS.1.3.b
...have learners create, interpret, use, and distinguish various representations of
Earth, such as maps, globes and photographs, and use appropriate geographic
tools such as atlases, data bases, systems, charts, graphs, and maps to generate,
manipulate, and interpret information;
o NCSS.1.3.d
...help learners to locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships among
varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as
landforms, climate, and natural resources;
o NCSS.1.3.g
...challenge learners to examine, interpret, and analyze the interactions of human
beings and their physical environments;
VIII. Materials:
 Scenario slips (one per group)
 Vocabulary journals
 Appendix A - I
 Paper
 Pencil/pen
IX. Background Information:
Students should be able to identify and use key geographical features on maps (i.e.,
mountains, rivers, plains, valleys, and forests). They should also recognize reasons
settlements are founded on major river systems (i.e., transportation, manmade boundaries,
and food and water sources). Prior knowledge related to tectonic plates is also expected.
X. Big Idea: Different physical processes, climate changes, and natural hazards such as
global warming, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and others can cause
problems in the areas in which we (humans) live.
XI. Key Words:
1. Physical process: a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes
2. Erosion: The process in which the surface of the earth is worn away by the actions
of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
3. Earthquake: a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great
destruction, as a result of the movements within the earth’s crust.
4. Volcano: a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which
lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are or have been erupted from the earth’s
crust.
5. Climate change: the change in long-term trends in weather elements and
atmospheric conditions.
6. Global warming: the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere,
believed to be due to the greenhouse effect.
7. Natural hazard: a natural event that can change the landscape and cause danger to
people and property.
8. Tornado: a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the
ground.
9. Tsunami: a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching
heights of over 100 feet, onto land.
10. Hurricane: giant, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160
mph and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain a day.
XII. Procedures and Activities:
a) Introduction
Engage:
Ask the students why the school has alarms and safety drills. Have them explain
what types of hazards, or dangers, these alarms and drills protect them from.
Explore:
Ask the students if they know any of the hazards that could form or alter the
physical characteristics of a place. For example, “what can earthquakes do to the
Earth?”
Focus on physical systems, not human systems. For example, have them
think of changes caused by transient weather conditions.
What would happen if those conditions were climatic (that is, long-lived or
common in a given place)? List possible causal processes, including
earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, and wildfires.
Ask them guiding questions such as:
What hazard occurred during your scenario (if one did occur)?
How does this hazard affect you, the place you live, and the Earth?
What other types of hazards are there?
How do these hazards affect you, the place you live, and the Earth?
Provide the students with the big idea: “The big idea we will focus on today during
our lesson is that different physical processes, climate changes, and natural hazards
such as global warming, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and others
can cause problems in the areas in which we (humans) live.”
Identify and define the vocabulary words for the lesson (refer to key words above).
Have the students write and define the new vocabulary words in their
vocabulary journals.
b) Development
Explain:
The following should be provided in direct instruction through PowerPoint along
with a handout (appendix B) the students should fill out with notes as they listen.
Why study physical processes, climate change, and natural hazards?
Knowing about the physical geography of the planet is important for every
serious student of the planet because the natural processes of the earth (which is
what the study of physical geography encompasses) affect the distribution of
resources, the conditions of human settlement, and have resulted in a wide
variety of diverse impacts to human populations throughout the millennia. Since
the earth is the only home to humans, by studying our planet, we humans and
residents of the planet earth can be better informed to help take care of our only
home.
What is a physical process and what are some examples?
A sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes such as erosion and
landform development (volcanoes, mountains, earthquakes etc.).
Note: Provide pictures of a volcano, mountains, and erosion.
Where do physical processes occur?
Physical processes can occur all over the world. Erosion is an example of a
physical process. Erosion is the process in which the surface of the earth is worn
away by the actions of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc. This can occur where
water meets land (oceans, rivers, lakes, etc.), where glaciers move across land
with enough force to change the land formations, and where wind moves
material (i.e., sand, rocks, etc.) through the air from one location to another.
Volcanoes and earthquakes form due to the movement of plates under earth’s
crust. These form at fault lines; where tectonic plates meet.
Ask the students: How do you think physical processes affect humans?
What is climate change and how can climate change affect humans?
Climate change is the change in long-term trends in weather elements and
atmospheric conditions. One big argument on how climate change can affect
humans is the argument against global warming. Global warming is the gradual
increase in the earth’s near-surface air and ocean temperatures. Global warming
remains a pressing issue in our society today since it can affect both the natural
environment and human life.
Ask the students: How do you think global warming and climate changes affect
humans?
What is a natural hazard and what are some examples of natural hazards?
A natural hazard is a natural event that can change the landscape and cause
danger to people and property. Some examples of natural hazards are tornadoes,
tsunamis, hurricanes, and drought.
Where do some natural hazards occur?
Since there are many different types of natural hazards, where they can occur is
a very difficult question to answer. Natural hazards can occur many places. For
example, earthquakes mainly occur near tectonic fault lines,
Ask the students: How do you think natural hazards affect humans?
c) Differentiated Instruction
ELL:
Provide extra vocabulary words the students may not know.
Provide handouts in native language.
Special Education:
Allow a specialist to help the students read through the handouts.
Talented and Gifted:
Allow students to pick a physical process, climate change, or natural hazard example
from history and create their own presentation on the topic.
d) Closure (30 minutes)
Extend and Apply:
Explain to the students that the Physical Geography handout will be used during the
following activity. They will determine whether their ideas for numbers 3, 5 and 8
are correct.
Split the class up into the following six (6) groups:
- Earthquake
- Volcano
- Climate Change
- Tornado
- Tsunami
- Hurricane
Hand each group the directions:
Directions: Given the provided before and after maps or pictures as well as
the small excerpt have the students discuss and create a presentation using
the following questions.
(1) What event occurred to cause the damage in the given picture/map?
(2) Where did the event occur (location on map)?
(3) Discuss how the before and after photos/maps are similar.
(4) Discuss how the before and after photos/maps are different.
(5) How did the event (physical process, climate change, or natural hazard)
affect the land?
(6) How do you think the event affected the people living there?
(7) After reading the small excerpt, how else do you think people were
affected by the event?
Hand each group their provided appendix handout
Earthquake: Sendai, Japan (Appendix D)
Volcano: Kasatochi in Alaska (Appendix E)
Tsunami: Sri Lanka (Appendix F)
Hurricane: Katrina (Appendix G)
Climate Change: Matterhorn Germany (Appendix H)
Tornado: Joplin, MO (Appendix I)
Give the students around 10 minutes to work in their groups discussing the
provided questions.
Next, have the students present the information they learned from the activity to the
rest of the class.
Locate where their event occurred on a map.
What caused the event to happen?
How did the event affected people?
How would you or should a school prepare for an event like this?
Close:
o Ask the students what was the big idea of the day and to summarize what they
learned.
o Go over each vocabulary word and ask a student to define it in their own words.
XIII. Assessment:
e) Formal:
Have the students write two paragraphs describing how physical processes, climate
change, and natural hazards affect humans.
Have them include:
3 new vocabulary words
4 examples of physical processes, climate change, or natural hazards
5-7 sentences per paragraph
f) Informal:
While the students work in their groups, walk around the room making sure
students are on task and are actively engaged in learning.