Dealing with Natural and Unnatural Disasters in Lansing,

MI and Fukushima, JapanSnow and ice,

earthquakes, tsunami,and more!

By Bridget Cooper

1) How did the big December 21-22 ice storm affect you and your family? (Power outage? Fallen trees? Friends/ family without power? Changes in holiday plans?)2) What was hardest for you to deal with?• Write your answer in your nooto (notebook).• Compare your experience with 2-3

classmates near you.• What was the same for all of you?• What was different?

Storm vocabulary

• Power outage=teiden (停電 )

• Ice storm=koori no arashi (氷の嵐 )

• Heavy snow=ooyuki ( 大雪）• Frostbite= shimoyake ( 霜焼け )

What do you need in a disaster?

• Write down 3-4 things that you need (in nooto).

• Put a star (*) next to what you feel is the most important item.

• Compare with 2-3 classmates, and add to your list if possible.

What do you need in a disaster? You may have included some of

these items.

• Food=tabemono （食べ物）• water=mizu 　（水）• Shelter=hinanjo ( 避難所 )

• Medical care=iryou ( 医療 )

• medicine=kusuri ( 薬 )

• clothing=fuku 　（服）

Compare the victims of these two videos (in nooto)

• The ice storm (Michigan)Michigan ice storm NBC news 2.58 min.

• the earthquake/ tsunami (Fukushima)

BBC News reports on Children of the Tsunami

5:14 min.

Post-video activity

1. Compare your answers with 2-3 classmates. Add their ideas to your list.

2. What is the biggest similarity between the victims in Michigan and the victims in Fukushima?

3. What is the biggest difference?

What do we already know about the Triple Tragedies in Fukushima?

(answer in nooto)1. What do you think are the three

tragedies? Pick from this list: snowstorm, earthquake, tsunami, ice storm, nuclear plant meltdown, tornado, hurricane)?

2. When did this happen?

3. Where is Fukushima?

4. Is everything back to normal now?

What do we already know about the Triple Tragedies in Fukushima?

(answer in nooto)1. earthquake, tsunami, nuclear plant

meltdown

2. March 11, 2011, so it is sometimes called 3.11.

3. Fukushima is 160 miles northeast of Tokyo.

4. No, the nuclear meltdown continues.

Look at the picture and write what you think it means (in nooto).

Oct. 19, 2013 People in San Francisco made a human mural to express

concern about radiation from Fukushima.

In your nooto, make a KWL chart and write 3+ items in each column. Topic: 3.11.

Share what you wrote with your classmates.