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Preparing for the Worst: Natural Disasters
Students learn the science behind natural disasters, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires, with an emphasis on how natural disasters happen.
ELA
Unit 2
4th Grade
Unit Summary
Natural disasters, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires, happen all over the world. Understanding how natural disasters happen and why helps children feel less anxious and more prepared. Therefore, this unit focuses on teaching students the science behind each natural disaster while also explaining what to do if they live in an area prone to a particular natural disaster. Over the course of the unit, students hear about many famous natural disasters, but the unit places more of an emphasis on how the disasters happen rather than exploring the devastation or destruction caused by previous natural disasters. The unit provides many opportunities for students to learn more about recent natural disasters, including a culminating research project.
The texts in this unit are chosen because of their wide variety of text features, content, and accessibility. Over the course of the unit, students read texts that are very technical and rely heavily on text features, diagrams, and illustrations, as well as texts that are written as informational narratives. Students are challenged to think about the structures the authors use to help the reader interact with and learn the content, noticing the author's use of cause-and-effect and chronology. Additionally, students learn the importance of referring to specific details from the text and using those details to explain and teach back the newly-learned material.
Students build their writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task question. Throughout the unit, students also learn to craft strong informational paragraphs, focusing on introducing a topic, providing details and reasons, and elaborating on details. Students also write a short narrative, using what they learned about a particular natural disaster and the features of a narrative to retell an experience. The unit culminates with students conducting research and writing a report on a recent natural disaster.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Texts
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Book: Unforgettable Natural Disasters (TIME FOR KIDS Nonfiction Readers) by Tamara Hollingsworth (Teacher Created Materials; 2 edition, 2013)
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Book: Hurricanes by Seymour Simon (HarperCollins, 2007)
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Book: Wildfires by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2016) — 990L
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Book: Earthquakes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 1010L
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Book: Volcanoes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 880L
Supporting Texts
Rubrics
Resources for Lessons and Projects
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 2.
Content Assessment
The Content Assessment pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards.
Cold Read Assessment
The Cold Read Assessment tests students' ability to comprehend a "cold" or unfamiliar passage and answer standards-based questions. The Cold Read Assessment can be given in addition to the Content Assessment as a pulse point for what students can read and analyze independently, a skill often required for standardized testing.
Fluency Assessment
The Fluency Assessment allows teachers to monitor students' oral reading fluency progress with a reading passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. Find guidance for using this assessment and supporting reading fluency in Teacher Tools.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.
Essential Questions
- Where and how do earthquakes occur? What hazards do earthquakes create? How can the hazards be reduced?
- Where and how do volcanoes occur? What hazards do volcanoes create? How can the hazards be reduced?
- Where and how do hurricanes occur? What hazards do hurricanes create? How can the hazards be reduced?
- Where and how do wildfires occur? What hazards do wildfires create? How can the hazards be reduced?
Reading Focus Areas
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To describe events and the scientific reasons they occur, readers need to be able to identify and describe the cause-and-effect connection between ideas.
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To explain scientific concepts, readers need to be able to identify and explain details that describe the sequence or chronology of events.
Writing Focus Areas
Informational Writing
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Introduce a topic clearly using a topic sentence.
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Group related information into paragraphs and sections.
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Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and concrete details.
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Order details strategically.
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Provide a concluding statement or section.
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Add headings, illustrations, and graphics.
Narrative Writing
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Brainstorm and draft a story with a logical sequence of events that unfolds naturally.
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Use details to orient the reader to the setting.
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Use dialogue, concrete words and phrases, and sensory details to develop experiences.
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Use transitional words and phrases to show a sequence of events.
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Write an ending that provides a sense of closure.
Speaking and Listening Focus Areas
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Prepare for discussion.
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Elaborate to support ideas. Provide evidence or examples to justify and defend a point clearly.
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Use specific vocabulary. Use vocabulary that is specific to the subject and task to clarify and share their thoughts.
Vocabulary
Text-based
absorbatmospherecatastrophiccarelessnessdestructivedroughtepicenterextinctexcessfaultfamineflammableforecasthavocimmenseimminentinactivemagnitudemoderatenatural disaster
Root/Affix
-able-less-nessin-re-
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 4th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Supporting All Students
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting All Students Teacher Tool.
Lesson Map
Write two paragraphs that describe the causes and effects of volcanic eruptions.
Use details from a text to support a main idea.
- Two Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.4.2.aW.4.2.bW.4.4
Use details from a text to support a main idea.
- Two Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.4.2.aW.4.2.b
Write a short narrative about a young person dealing with a natural disaster.
Brainstorm ideas for a story by identifying the setting, character, and conflict.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer
Standards
W.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.5W.4.8
Orient the reader at the start of a story by including specific setting details.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer
Standards
W.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.5
Show a narrator's thoughts and feelings through dialogue and description.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer
Standards
W.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.3.bW.4.3.cW.4.5
Transitional words and phrases are used to show the sequence of events in a story.
- Temporal Words and Phrases Mentor Text (G4, U2, L12)
Standards
L.4.1.bW.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.3.bW.4.3.cW.4.5
Research and report on a recent natural disaster.
Generate questions that are broad, not boring, about a chosen topic.
- Research Brainstorming Template (G4, U2, L24)
Standards
W.4.7
Take notes and categorize relevant information from print and digital sources.
- Research Brainstorming Template (G4, U2, L24)
Standards
W.4.7W.4.8
Generate a strong topic sentence for each paragraph by using the notes to determine the main idea of each paragraph.
- Two Paragraph Outline — students may need more than one copy if they decide to draft more than two paragraphs
- Research Brainstorming Template (G4, U2, L24) — completed previous day
Standards
W.4.2.aW.4.2.bW.4.2.eW.4.7
Include facts and details to develop a topic.
- Two Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.4.2W.4.2.aW.4.2.bW.4.2.eW.4.7
Delete unnecessary information that obscures meaning.
Standards
SL.4.1W.4.5
Text features reinforce the main idea of a text.
Standards
SL.4.1W.4.2.a
