Disasters

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Whether caused by acts of nature, human error or even malevolence, disasters are an increasingly costly threat. The National Science Foundation works with the Administration and other federal agencies in a coordinated effort to anticipate disasters and minimize their effects. Research projects provide information on understanding the causes and predicting natural disasters, disaster preparation in the form of stronger buildings, infrastructure and cybersecurity, and disaster response.

Material Type: Lecture

Economics of Disasters

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This set of lessons looks at a variety of natural disasters from the Black Death of the Middle Ages to Hurricane Katrina in our too-recent memory, to fears of avian flu pandemics that haunt the future through the lens of economic analysis. The contexts were chosen to facilitate the teaching of economic reasoning principles not only in economics courses, but also in history and the other social studies disciplines. Each lesson addresses a question that reflects people's compassionate reaction to news of disaster and develops one or two key tools of economic analysis in answering that question. Case studies of past disasters provide real-world illustrations. Mandated content standards and testing have kicked 'current events' days from the social studies classroom calendar, transforming disasters from 'teachable moments' to curricular inconvenience. Using the economic way of thinking to sift through the chaos of natural disasters, however, reveals threads of uniformity running through the litany of horrors and devastation unique to each event. Once identified, the common features of past disasters form a template for analyzing 'the next one,' allowing teachers to quickly incorporate today's unexpected news into the planned curriculum outline.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Case Study, Lesson Plan

Disaster Simulation Infographic

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The goal for this lesson is to increase student comprehension and problem-solving skills by emphasizing real-world problems and encouraging students to be proactive in solving those problems. Description of classroom, grade level, and students: This assignment is for a 10th grade English II classroom, ranging from AP to standard student populations.Prior Knowledge of Subject: Students possess a prior knowledge about tornado activity, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes due to living in Oklahoma.Length of Lesson: Students will be allotted 10 class periods of 45 minutes in class. They are also allowed to work on this assignment outside of class, if needed.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Lori Hartin