Natural Disasters and Climate Change
Full Day Unit | 3rd – 8th Grade
Description:
Students will learn about how Natural Hazards affect cities and the various people living in them, and how we can design our cities to be more resilient to these hazards. When available, this activity is paired with the Earthquake Shake Table.
Activities done @ the following field trips: JFK School, 2019
Handouts:
- Approaching Storm Roleplaying Game
- Rapidly Deployable Levees
- Personal Flotation Device | Single Test Version
- Natural Disasters and Storytelling
Web Links:
- NYT – Where Disaster Strikes
- Boston’s Evacuation Routes
- Household Emergency Kit
- Safety Tips for Specific Threats (Mass.gov)
- Boston Climate Ready Map Explorer
- MA Sea Level Rise Viewer
- Climate Ready – Greenway Flood Wall
- Family Preparedness Planner – Make Your Own
- Town Evacuation Maps (Folder)
- List of Planned Cities
- Boston’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (full)
Presentations:
- Natural Disasters PowerPoint
- “Weathering the Impacts of Climate Change in Coastal Ecosystems” by NU Marine Science Professor Brian Helmuth
- “Sustainable Building Systems & Resilient Housing” by NU Graduate student Kris Govertsen
This activity is under continued development. The activity is a continuation of work done by Colin Bergmann on Systems Thinking and Urban Resilience.