October 25-31, 2012, Current Events Lesson Plan
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Current Event:
Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the United States near Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the early evening of October 29. Sandy, which became a superstorm once it moved over land, produced a record storm surge that caused an estimated $50 billion in damage along the Jersey Shore and in New York City, particularly in the boroughs of Queens and on Staten Island.
Objective:
Superstorm Sandy caused catastrophic damage on the East Coast. At least 110 deaths were attributed to the storm. At the height of the storm, at least 8 million households and businesses were without electrical power. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore this natural disaster and the devastation it caused.
Words to Know:
• Atlantic Ocean
• cyclone
• disaster
• flood
• Great Lakes
• hurricane
• New Jersey
• New York City
• storm surge
Discussion Topics:
1. A disaster is a sudden, extremely unfortunate event that affects many people. Hurricanes, including Sandy, are one type of disaster. Ask your students if they know of any other kinds of natural disaster. (They may say tornados, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, volcanic eruptions, mudslides, or landslides.)
2. Sandy caused a record storm surge that devastated the Jersey Shore and parts of New York City. Ask your students if they can name other specific natural disasters that caused massive destruction in the past. (They may say Hurricane Katrina or the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan).
3. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a United States government agency that helps communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters. In the case of a severely destructive event, like Hurricane Sandy, the president of the United States may declare a location to be a federal disaster area. Ask your students how they think an agency like FEMA would help those affected by the hurricane. (They may say that FEMA provides funding for such needs as temporary housing and home repairs; offers assistance for the repairs of roads, buildings, and utilities; and works to distribute information, lend support, and offer training so that communities may be prepared for future disasters.)