Staying Safe from Nature
Aligned to 4-ESS3-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Natural events like floods, earthquakes, and wildfires can harm people and buildings. Engineers design solutions, such as walls, warning systems, and stronger buildings, to reduce the damage these events cause.
Worked examples
Example 1
A town near a river builds a tall wall called a levee. When heavy rain makes the river rise, the levee holds the water back and keeps homes from flooding.
Example 2
Coastal towns plant dune grass and keep the dunes tall, because dunes absorb storm waves before they reach houses.
Example 3
Early warning matters as much as walls. A tsunami siren gives people minutes to get uphill, and minutes are enough.
Practice questions
- Think of a natural event that can happen where you live. What damage could it cause?
- Design a barrier or a plan that could protect a house from one natural hazard.
- Compare two solutions for the same hazard and tell which one protects more people.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Protegernos de la naturaleza
Los eventos naturales como las inundaciones, los terremotos y los incendios forestales pueden dañar a las personas y a los edificios. Los ingenieros diseñan soluciones, como muros, sistemas de alerta y edificios más resistentes, para reducir los daños que causan estos eventos.
Ejemplo 1: Un pueblo cerca de un río construye un muro alto llamado dique. Cuando la lluvia fuerte hace crecer el río, el dique detiene el agua y evita que las casas se inunden.
Ejemplo 2: Los pueblos costeros plantan pasto en las dunas y las mantienen altas, porque las dunas absorben las olas de tormenta antes de que lleguen a las casas.
Ejemplo 3: Avisar a tiempo importa tanto como los muros. Una sirena de tsunami le da a la gente minutos para subir a un lugar alto, y esos minutos bastan.
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