1. Jamie Claybrooks
IDT 7064
Dr. Mims
June 2013
Natural Disasters
Pathfinder
Grades 3-4

2. Become a Natural Disaster
Expert
• Choose a topic that interest you
Tornados Earthquake
Tsunami Avalanche
Drought Floods
Hurricane Wildfire

3. Here is a list of subtopics you may
want to research.
• What is it?
• How do they happen?
• Where do they happen?
• Why are they dangerous?
• What do they look like? (Create a labeled
diagram)
• Possible damage? Statistics and/or examples of
famous disasters- example- Katrina
• Preventions
• How do you prepare if given time?

4. This is a perfect starting point to get familiar
with your chosen topic! Go ahead and grab
the volume from the shelf, or get on the
computer for the online encyclopedia.
http://worldbookonline.com/student/home
http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia.html

5. This resource can be found in our library reference
section. Using the table of contents or index will help
guide you to cool facts, lists, and dates on natural
disasters. You can also use the online option below.
http://www.factmonster.com/almanacs.html

6. • Visit this site to view a variety of natural disaster threat maps.
You can also find atlases in our library reference section.
• http://www.globaldatavault.com/natural-disaster-threat-
maps.htm

7. Print/Books
• Now that you know the basics from the encyclopedia, it is
time to search our online school catalog for books on your
topic!
Make sure to spell the words correctly while searching!
Keywords or phrases for searching: natural
disasters, meteorology, severe weather, storms
• http://www1.youseemore.com/mnps/school.asp?SchoolType
=3&sID=88

8. Dewey Decimal #’s to Browse
• If you want to browse the shelves in our
school library or the public library to find the
information about WEATHER, look for these
numbers:
551.5 - Meteorology
551.6 - Weather

9. Parts of the book that can assist you
while searching for information
• Table of Contents- Skim this section to search
for topics and subtopics that you might use
• Index- Use this if you know specific
information that you need for your task.
• Bold words, charts, and diagrams-don’t forget
to pay attention to these to help the audience
understand.

10. Internet Sources
National Weather Service http://www.weather.gov/
World Book Online
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/search?st1=natural+weather+disasters&searchprop=WBS
Pebble Go http://www.pebblego.com/content/science/pgo_player.php
United States Climate Atlas http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/climate/us-climate-atlas.html
Natural Disasters Threat Map http://www.globaldatavault.com/natural-disaster-threat-maps.htm
The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/
Weather Wiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
Web Weather for Kids http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/

11. Websites
You must be careful to choose websites
that have accurate and valid information.
The internet has an enormous amount of
knowledge and can be exciting but
overwhelming.

12. Video clips and Movies
Meet Me at the Corner- Online video clip of an interview with a meteorologist – 4:44 min.
http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/episode/an-interview-with-a-meteorologist
Brainpop-Online video clip on natural disaster-4:14
http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/
Understanding Weather Storms- Online video clip showing origins, paths, and destructiveness of
storms- 2:01-
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=12816&CategoryID=2672
National Geographic Video Clips on natural disasters -
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/environment/environment-natural-disasters
NEO12- Educational Videos for k-12 on natural disasters- http://www.neok12.com/Natural-
Disasters.htm

13. • The Weather Channel -52 http://www.weather.com/
• Nashville’s News 2 WKRN-http://www.wkrn.com/weather
• Channel 4 News Today WSMV-http://www.wsmv.com/weather
• News Channel 5- DWTVF
http://www.newschannel5.com/category/105910/storm-5-weather-
center

14. Interviews
• Who are the experts that you could interview
to find out more information about your
natural disaster?
• Various meteorologists in the specific region where
your disaster occurs.
• Victims from the states that have survived the storms
or natural disaster.
*Calling, emailing, or interviewing in person are all acceptable

15. Bibliography
• Fema. Ready- Prepare. Plan. Stay informed. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from
• http://www.ready.gov/tornadoes
• Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Mt. View Elementary Interactive online OAC. Retrieved November
1, 2012 from http://www1.youseemore.com/mnps/school.asp?SchoolType=3&sID=88.
• Meet me at the corner http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/
• Mt. View Online Catalog http://www1.youseemore.com/mnps/school.asp?SchoolType=3&sID=88
• National Geographic Video http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/environment/environment-natural-
disasters
• NEOK-12 http://www.neok12.com/Natural-Disasters.htm
• Mills, S. (2006). Using the Internet for active teaching and learning. New
Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Pebble Go. Extreme Weather. Retrieved November 2, 2012 from
• http://www.pebblego.com/content/science/pgo_player.php
• Sky Diary- Kidstorms. Retrieved on November 1, 2012 from http://skydiary.com/kids/
• Top Ten Natural Disasters. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://listverse.com/2007/10/20/top-10-
natural-disasters/
• Weather Wizkids. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
• http://skydiary.com/kids/
• Web Weather for Kids http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/