Description
This unit was taught in a sixth grade Earth Science class, with students of varying academic and English language abilities. Prior to this unit, this Earth Science course covered plate tectonics and earthquakes, with natural disasters as the next topic of study. With the goal of having students connect Earth Science content to their everyday lives, we asked the students the following guiding question: “What is the most dangerous place to live in the United States?”. Working in collaborative groups, students conducted research on an individual natural disaster, then collected and organized data on seven other natural disasters as presented by their peers. Students then analyzed and interpreted the data to create an evidence-based argument to address the guiding question from the unit.