1. What is a natural disaster?
2. What combinations of factors cause different kinds natural disasters?

1. Students will be able to identify natural disasters and their characteristics.
2. Students will be able to identify where specific natural disasters occur.
3. Students will be able to describe methods of predicting natural disasters.
4. Students will learn how to prepare for disasters and what to do when they occur.

1. Engage, Activate Prior Knowledge and Build Context;
2. Students exchange three emails with their ePals;
3. Create presentations about their ePals? countries as a culminating activity; and,
4. Reflect/Assess.

National Council for Geographic Education Standards?
The World in Spatial Terms?
Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.
Places and Regions
Standard 4: The physical and human characteristics of places.
Physical Systems
Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface.
Environment and Society
Standard 14: How human actions modify the physical environment.
Standard 15: How physical systems affect human systems.

National Science Education Standards:
Unifying Concepts and Processes
K-4 Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science
5-8 Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science.
5-8 Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives.