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With apologies to Earth, Wind, and Fire (http://www.earthwindandfire.com), natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes and affect all areas of the earth. The December 26, 2004 tsunamis demonstrated the terrible impact one earthquake can have. The following are some of the best websites on different types of natural disasters. Because of the immediacy of the tsunami, additional sites are included for this topic.
In the song by the same name, Earth, Wind & Fire sing: "Born of the Earth, are nature's children; Fed by the Wind, the breath of life... Can't you understand, You're but a grain of sand." Perhaps studying natural disasters will make children more aware of their physical environment and their place in it.
GENERAL
Earth Observatory Natural Hazards
http://earthobservatory. nasa.gov/ NaturalHazards/
Produced by NASA, this site makes available satellite imagery of natural hazards around the world. All images can be copied and reproduced. Images are grouped into categories such as smoke, fires, floods, storms, and volcanoes.
Forces of Nature
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/
This is a very impressive ThinkQuest site with good graphics and sound. Most interesting are the pictures and images of real-life natural disasters. Also available in Spanish.
National Geographic: Forces of Nature
http://ww w. nationalgeographic.com/ forcesofnature
As always, National Geographic has produced an excellent companion, this one for the large-screen movie Forces of Nature. Four forces are presented: hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tornadoes. You can preview the film and learn about these dangers. There are good lesson plans, as well as Fast Facts, Famous Forces, and a Glossary.
National Weather Service
http://www.n ws.noaa.gov/
The National Weather Service does not discuss or explain natural disasters to any great extent. However, it does present information and images from recent storms and natural disasters. And, of course, it can be used as a source of weather forecasts and weather advisories.
Natural Disasters - Without Warning
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001382F/
Use this ThinkQuest Jr. site as an example of what a sixth grade class can do, both with technology and with the topic of natural disasters.
Savage Earth
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/
This is a great place to start when beginning a unit on natural disasters. While the website accompanies a fourpart series broadcast on PBS in 1998, it includes supplemental scientific articles, along with the original images and animation...