Our Violent Earth

Illustrated Non-Fiction Book: Our Violent Earth
Author: National Geographic
Grade Level: 5th - 8th
Pages: 103

Our Violent Earth is jammed packed with beautiful photographs that is supplemented with accurate text. This book would surely engage readers of any age but is geared for upper elementary and middle school readers. The real life photos are sure the capture the interests and engage students into the content with every page. Topics included in this book are: earthquakes, volcanoes, stormy weather, drought and fire, water and even a special story about California. The book was published in 1982 so some of the information is a bit outdated but it would be interesting for students to see changes over time. Students will take a "trip" around the world as they read this book and learn about places such as Iceland, Israel, and places all over the United States.

The photos and captions alone can tell a lot about the extreme weather that occurs around the world. This book is a great supplement text to any unit about weather because so much can be taught just through the pictures. The chapters in this book can be stand alone if talking about one topic or used to discuss the whole weather unit. Highly recommend taking a look. Or visit the National Geographic website for more updated photos.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

Illustrated Fiction Book: The Great San Francisco Earth Quake and Fire - A Graphic Novel
Author: Michael Burgan
Illustrators: Phil Miller and Charles Barnett III
Grade Level: 2nd - 5th
Pages: 32

This is a great book to introduce readers to the real life event: The Great San Francisco Fire, that happened in 1906. The book is very informative and accurate. It is an interesting approach to teach an earthquake but the book captures the human emotions that were felt that April morning. The book provides a lot of context as to why this city is continually struck by earthquakes. A lot of scientific and historical topics are explained such as shockwaves, fault lines, and port towns.

I love that this book is a graphic novel because it will encourage more readers to pick it up. Since it is packed with valuable information my struggling readers will have greater outcomes. There are ties to a lot of different content areas. Students will learn about the famous historical event while they are learning what geographical locations are suitable for earthquakes. They will also learn how to read a new style of writing, one that I think they will enjoy.

For more books from Graphic Library visit: http://lookingglassreview.com/html/the_graphic_library_books.html

Earth's Fiery Fury

Non-Fiction Book: Earth's Fiery Fury
Author: Sandra Downs
Grade Level: 4th - 6th
Pages: 64

Climb aboard as we journey below the Earth. This exciting book takes readers on a journey that will help explain what happens on Earth: volcanoes, hot springs, and mud pots. This very informative book explains the process of how volcanoes are formed, the different types of volcanoes, and various events that occur during a volcanoes lifetime. The book also discusses less popular volcanic events such as geysers and hot springs. I promise, once children find out about the magma heating under the Earth's surface they will find hot springs and geysers a little more interesting, The book is fairly text heavy, but the photographs that are provided will leave student's asking for more.

Volcanoes are definitely exciting, but it is also important for students to see the value of some of the Earth's other natural phenomena, which this book does in a very fun and informative way. If it were up to me a field trip to Yellowstone National Park would be in order, but if that is not possible the next best way to teach these topics would be this book. I would be sure to have many more photos and videos to supplement the text.

Check out a live cam of Old Faithful Geyer located in Yellowstone National Park here: http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/live/live4.htm

The geyser erupts approximately once every hour.

Weather Explained: A Beginner's Guide to the Elements

Non-Fiction Book: Weather Explained
Author: Derek Nelson
Grade Level: 4th - 6th
Pages: 69
This book is fantastic, it is packed with all the information a student would want to know when studying weather. This book not only covers extreme disasters but the small events that lead up to these disasters such as hail, wind, cloud movement, and rain. These introductory concepts must be understood before anyone can really learn and understand the big stuff such as monsoons, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. The book provides in-depth, but concise information in a very organized format. He uses a combination of text, illustrations, pictures, and side notes. The glossary and index make searching for favorite topics easy.

This book wouldn't be left out when teaching students about weather. It goes much more in depth than any textbook I have seen. The pictures are great teaching tools as well if you find yourself with a student that isn't the biggest fan of reading. It is a great book to pick and choose from if you only want to teacher a limited section. This will definitely be in my readers selection about weather.

Into the Volcano: A Graphic Novel

Fiction Book: Into the Volcano
Artist: Don Wood
Grade Level: 3rd - 5th
Pages:174
This graphic novel will capture the minds of MANY young readers. The story is about two brothers that must overcome all odds when they find themselves stuck on a volcano. They are sent to the volcano to help a family member which they have never met. The aunt, who they must save, is out to trick the two boys which sends them on a wild lava filled ride. The courageous bunch must then learn what it means to be brave and save one another.

Although this book is more of fantasy there are some great lessons to learn. Family, bravery, and adventure are just a few themes that are present in this book. I would not hesitate using this in my classroom when teaching about extreme weather. Communities all over the world must suffer the same things (bravery, danger, and the will to survive) any time a natural disaster strikes.

Ninth Ward

Fiction Book: Ninth Ward
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Grade Level: 4th - 7th
Pages: 217

Follow 12 year old Lanesha and her Mama Ya-Ya as they are faced with one of the most memorable natural disasters of the century: Hurricane Katrina. Lanesha and her Mama Ya-Ya live in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, a district that is settled along the Mississippi River. She and Mama Ya-Ya  live a happy live without the fancy clothes and their cupboards aren't always packed with food but they always have each other. But as the hurricane quickly approaches Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have no other option than to stay in their home and face the storm head on. Perseverance, bravery and the will to live is the only thing keeping the family alive.

This is a must read even if weather is not a topic in your classroom. Any teacher can use this to teach how weather and the earth affect us humans. This is a perfect story about the will to survive that has been based on real events. It would be a great supplement book when talking about natural disasters. The author uses fantastic descriptions, almost too real. I think students would like to see the real life photos of Hurricane Katrina while reading this book.

The following website offers a packet that is filled with ideas for curricular connections including math, science, language, and history: 
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/ninthward/NinthWard-Home.html

Danny Dunn and the Weather Machine

Fiction Book: Danny Dunn and the Weather Machine
Author:Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin
Illustrated: Ezra Jack Keats
Grade Level: 3rd - 6th
Pages:144
Challenge your students, ask them, what would you do if your hometown was suffering from a drought? Would you be a hero? Would you help out? Ration? Well, Danny Dunn and a group of his friends decide to help  out a local teacher build a drought fighting machine. The drought fighting friends try to create clouds so it will rain all over the town. Join the team to see if the gang of friends is able to become hometown heroes.

Though this book is fiction, it is still content relevant. The book would be great to use when discussing natural disasters in your classroom. A drought, a less thought of disaster has long lasting effects on a community. Danny Dunn and pals use science to determine what would be best to fight the drought off. I would not hesitate in using this as a supplementary text in a science classroom. The book was
published in 1959, but it still relevant in terms of content. It would be a cool to investigate how engineers are trying to create clouds in order to make rain. The book is way ahead of the game. Great read for children who are  interested in fictional stories it is an added bonus that they get to learn about weather along the way.

Scholastic Atlas of Weather

Non-Fiction Book: Scholastic Atlas of Weather
Created and produced by: QA International
Pages: 80
Interest/Grade Level: 2nd - 5th


If you have a student your classroom that LOVES weather, this is the book for them! Each page is packed with information of a new topic, the topics range from anything weather including: snow, winds, rain, fire, clouds, weather technology, jobs in weather, atmosphere and more. The vivid color illustrations allow students to see how weather works. The accurate illustrations show movement patterns, scaled models of things that are normally too large or too small to see. Student's will find the facts and figures that each page offers interesting. The explanations of these processes are kid friendly but still very accurate and scientific.

This book would fit great in a fourth grade curriculum. It beats any science book, teachers can take this book page by page to supplement any new weather concept. It can not only be used in a science classroom but could be  used in a social studies classroom when talking about geography. The glossary and index make it easy for teachers to quickly refer students to a certain topic. The book also includes a neat measurement conversion chart.

Magic School Bus: "Kicks up a Storm"

Movie: Magic School Bus: Kicks up a Storm

Written By: John May, Brian Meehl, Jocelyn Stevenson

Runtime: 22 minutes

Grade Level 3-5

Gather on the Magic School Bus for a wild ride, while Ms. Frizzle's class creates their own thunderstorm! This is a great introductory movie to weather, the class learns about the important elements of weather: wind, air and heat. Ralphie the "Weatherman" is determined to create a thunderstorm but along the way the class stops at the clouds, is turned into ice crystals, and forced up in an updraft. They learn all about cloud composition as well as the perfect combinations to produce different type of weather.

This engaging movie will keep students interest while teaching them introductory facts that they must know before they can move on to bigger storms. The film provides real world examples that help children envision the process (warm air rising out of a toaster to represent an updraft). The movie provides many scientific facts in a fun way. 

Tornadoes by Seymour Simon

Non-Fiction Illustrated Book: Tornadoes
Author: Seymour Simon
Pages:  32
Grade Level: 6-7
Interest Level: 3-5

            Tornadoes is a great book to introduce younger students to the exciting and dangerous natural disaster: tornadoes. Page by page, author Seymour Simon, reveals new information and provides real photographs, maps, and diagrams to illustrate how these storms develop and the destruction they may cause. The pages have a lot of information packed in; the pages containing text are fairly long for a younger reader. The scientific facts are direct so readers can rattle off their newly learned information.

           

             It is so important for children, as well as adults, to understand how these storms work in order to remain calm and safe during a tornado. Schools celebrate Tornado Awareness Week in April; this would be a perfect time for teachers to discuss the warning signs of tornadoes and the safety precautions one must take in the event of a tornado. In Wisconsin, before fifth grade, students learn about weather and patterns/changes over time.   

For more information about awareness weeks visit: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml

Publisher: Marrow Junior Books
Publication Date: 1999
Source of Book: UW-Whitewater Library

What is a natural disaster?

According to the dictionary a natural disaster is any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences, such as an avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, and volcanic eruption.