4. Hazards on Earth

Setup: Prep Time 55 min.

• Print, cut, and assemble Card Decks C and D for each small group.

*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.

21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking

Science Practices

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Learners Will Do

• Match mitigation strategies with hazards in a card game.

Learners Will Know

• Scientists learn about natural hazards to think about ways to mitigate them.

Connecting Across Adventures

• Adventure 3: Hazards Where We Live: Last time, learners explored hazards near their community and considered how people mitigate those hazards.
• Adventure 4: Hazards on Earth: Today, learners learn about hazards on Earth and explore the ways that people have developed to mitigate some of them.
• Adventure 5: Hazards in Space: Next time, learners will learn that hazards also exist in space, that some are the same as on Earth, and some are different.

Level Up! (Optional)

• Learn more about the cards and game play in the How to Play the Space Hazards Card Game video (2:51).
• If learners want more background on particular hazards, you can show the Educator Science Background and/or the videos Earth Hazards and Climate Change (1:19) and Volcanic Hazards (until 0:32)
• You can make the game even harder by discarding the Hazard cards you mitigated into the discard pile and reshuffling them into the draw pile along with the other cards.
• If learners will benefit from more movement, play a version of the game in which some learners play the role of hazards and others play the role of mitigations, and all learners move around making corresponding hazard-mitigation pairs. Be mindful of learners’ mobility, as described in the video about supporting learners with diverse physical abilities.
• Have learners think about how different Earth hazards might be affected by climate change, then show the video Earth Hazards and Climate Change to help them learn more. (5 min.)
• NASA spacecraft don’t deal with hazards only in space: they have to escape hazards on Earth first! The first Artemis mission was set to launch on November 12, 2022, but Hurricane Nicole had other plans. Launching during a hurricane would have been too dangerous for the Orion capsule and fuel tanks, so NASA mitigated this hazard by delaying the launch to November 16, 2022. Artemis I successfully launched and completed its mission of orbiting the Moon. Learn more about Artemis I here: NASA Prepares Rocket, Spacecraft Ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, Re-targets Launch – Artemis
• Invite a family or community member to come in as a special guest and share their knowledge about hazard-related topics. (45 min.)
• Ask this story prompt question: Can you tell me a story about a time when you mitigated a natural hazard in your neighborhood? (Possible responses include shoveling walkways after a blizzard, keeping storm drains clear to avoid flooding during rainstorms, and preparing for hurricanes and typhoons.) Have learners share with a partner. Tell learners, if anyone asks them what they did today, they can tell them “We played a card game to learn about hazards and how to mitigate them, or make them less bad” and ask them the above story prompt question. Consider returning to learners’ ideas at thestart of the next adventure. (5 min.)