Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly, (6:4, December 1989)

Grade Levels: 3, 4

Subject(s):

• Science/Earth Science
• Information Literacy/Research Skills

Curriculum (subject area) Objectives:
This activity may be used in connection with a science or social studies unit on weather or natural disasters which result in changes to the environment.

Resources :
Almanacs
Newspapers
McWhirter, Norris. The Guinness Book of World Records . Sterling.
Holford, Ingrid. The Guinness Book of Weather: Facts and Feats. Sterling , 1984.

Instructional Roles :
The library media specialist may work with the students on this unit activity with assistance from the classroom teacher.

Activity and Procedures for Completion :
Approximately two or three weeks before the lessons, the library media specialist may bring in old news magazines and may bring in copies of the daily newspaper which the students may cut up each day. The library media specialist may explain that the students must examine the materials for articles about flooding and other natural disasters. The students may be asked to define and list "natural disasters" -- earthquakes; hurricanes, tornadoes, or storms; avalanches; tidal waves; forest fires; volcanic eruptions; etc. The library media specialist may explain which sections of the newspaper are most likely to contain such information. The students may be assigned to work in groups to search the newspapers. Each group may be assigned the issue for a particular day. If the students find appropriate articles, they may cut them out and paste them in a notebook.

Meanwhile in the classroom, the students may study the dynamics of some of the natural disasters. Each group may be assigned to summarize information about a particular natural disaster. The information may be organized and written in the form of a report. These reports may be inserted into the notebook.

After the students have followed the news for awhile, the library media specialist may discuss the students' progress. They may be asked how they might find information about the very worst disasters of each kind. The library media specialist may introduce students to one or more almanacs and demonstrate how to use the tables of contents and indexes to locate needed information. Students may discuss search (i.e., index) terms which might be used to find the information. World record books may also be introduced to students. Again, the students may be shown the tables of contents and indexes. They may use the tables of contents to speculate about the chapters which are most likely to contain needed information. The indexes may be used to locate more specific information. The library media specialist may discuss the differences in the kinds of information found in the two types of reference sources. For example, the students might compare Information Please Almanac with The Guinness Book of World Records.

The students may work in their groups during individual study periods in the library media center. They must use the sources to find examples/records of the assigned natural disasters. For example, the worst floods may be listed on notebook paper (chronologically, alphabetically by place, or numerically by damage) and placed in the notebook. The notebook may be arranged by topic and students may help make a table of contents and index for the notebook. Each group may report its findings to the class and discuss the impact of the disasters on the environment. Students may also compare the various kinds of disasters and identify the kind which is most prevalent in the local region or geographical area.

Evaluation :
The student will locate information about floods and other natural disasters in newspapers, almanacs, and world record books.

Follow-Up :
The students may:

 
• Prepare an annotated list of the assigned disasters and provide scientific explanations of them.
• Write an account of a particular disaster based on the collected newspaper accounts and scientific data.
• Mark the locations of particular disasters on a large map of the United States or the world.