Critical+Challenge+3

= Canada's Worst Natural Event = Outcomes

What are the factors that determine climate in the diverse geographical regions of Canada (e.g., latitude, water, mountains)?

How have natural disasters and severe weather been part of Canada’s physical geography?

Top Weather Events CBC Digital Archives Extreme Weather Canadian Hurricane Center

= Identify Canada's worst natural event. =

Students examine the impact of extreme weather events and other natural disasters on the Canadian environment, people and the economy.

Look for images that illustrate the natural phenomenon and the resulting effects on the environment and humans.
 * Introduction to global natural disasters **

As students view each image, ask them to record their first response. Invite students to share these thoughts and feelings with a partner and then with the class. Discuss the overall impact of these disasters. Discuss how these events impact people and cities on a personal level (effects on people), economic level (effects on money and jobs) and environmental level (effects on nature) in both direct and indirect ways.
 * Examining the impact of natural disasters **

As students look again at the images, they discuss the direct and indirect impacts of each natural disaster.
 * Introduction to concepts: Direct and indirect impact **
 * direct impact—consequences that follow immediately from an event; e.g., injury or death; loss of home or belongings; destruction of buildings and infrastructures such as roads, water mains, power lines; environmental devastation
 * indirect impact—consequences that come about because of the effects of an event; e.g., emotional and psychological effects that arise from loss of life or home; economic impacts; pollution or water infestation from broken water mains or expulsion of raw sewage; disease; increased crime; loss of power; food shortages.

Students to consider whether the impacts would have short-term or long-term consequences. Suggest that students may determine the consequences by analyzing the information; e.g., the event occurred on November 27, 1967; it took 20 years to rebuild the highway. Students also will have to draw inferences—make educated guesses about the consequences; e.g., all homes were destroyed in the flood; long-term consequences are emotional hardship, the need to find money to rebuild and refurnish homes, the need for time to rebuild homes.
 * Examining short-term and long-term consequences **

Describe the events briefly and include their personal, economic and environmental impacts.
 * Introduction to natural disasters in Canadian history **
 * Montreal ice storm (1998)
 * drought on the Prairies (1930s and 2000s)
 * Pine Lake tornado (2000)
 * Port Alberni tsunami (1964)
 * Saskatchewan blizzard (1947)
 * Ontario's Hurricane Hazel (1954)
 * Kelowna forest fires (2003)
 * Edmonton tornado (1987).

Form groups of students and ask them to use online and print resources to research a Canadian natural disaster or extreme weather event. Students should include information on the overall severity of the event, the impact on people and the environment, and the economic repercussions. Students should try to draw inferences about the direct and indirect effects on the environment, people and the economy.
 * Research a major natural event **

After the research is complete, students determine the environmental, human and economic impact of their natural disasters and to indicate whether the effects are short term or long term. Criteria:
 * Rate the impact of the event **
 * overall severity
 * impact on people
 * impact on the environment
 * economic repercussions.

Present the worst natural events Students present their choice of the worst natural event by using 2.0 tool.

After all the presentations, ask students to select, individually, the most severe event or disaster by identifying the event with the longest-lasting impacts—human, economic and environmental. Remind students to use the rating criteria and evidence to support their decisions. Invite students to share their decisions with the class.
 * Identify the worst disaster **

Compare and rank the severity of the top 10 weather events for the previous year as posted on Environment Canada's Web site (see References). As an alternative, prepare a top 10 list for the century by determining, by decade, which were the most severe events.
 * Extension: Examine top 10 weather events **


 * Dimensions of thinking focus:** critical thinking and creative thinking, historical thinking, decision making and problem solving