InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Natural Hazards and Risks: Hurricanes
 Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The materials are free and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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Summary

Making the difficult decision to evacuate before a hurricane makes landfall can save lives and property. This two week module explores how hurricanes connect the ocean-atmosphere-terrestrial systems and society. Students evaluate how hurricane hazards and risks have changed with coastal development. Students use data to track historic hurricanes and compare the impacts from different hurricanes. The module culminates in a role-playing activity in which students identify and represent stakeholders facing hypothetical hurricane evacuation in their town.

Strengths of the Module

Students develop their ability to incorporate systems thinking: hurricanes form as the atmosphere and ocean interact, release energy along the ocean-land boundary and impact human lives and economies on the coast and many miles inland. See this activity for an example of systems thinking.

Students make sense of complex and uncertain data. Using historical records of hurricanes, individual hurricane tracks, recurrence intervals for different locations, flood records, and remote sensing data, students learn many methods of the geoscientist. The module includes links to additional data so instructors may tailor exercises by location or for the most recent hurricanes. For example, see these data-rich activities.

Students learn crucial skills for interdisciplinary problem-solving. The module culminates with students evaluating multiple perspectives and recommending action in the face of an approaching hurricane. See this role-playing activity for an example.

A great fit for courses in:

  • Earth science
  • environmental science
  • oceanography
  • natural hazards
  • global change
  • sustainability science
  • atmospheric science
  • environmental studies
Next Generation Science Standards Logo. A purple, orange, and green triangle to the left of the words, Next Generation Science Standards.

These materials have been reviewed for their alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards. At the top of each page, you can click on the NGSS logo to see the specific connections. Visit InTeGrate and the NGSS to learn more about the process of alignment and how to use InTeGrate materials to implement the NGSS.

NGSS in this Module

As a whole, this module provides students the opportunity to explore and analyze a variety of spatial, temporal, quantitative, and qualitative datasets associated with hurricanes and their impacts. Many activities are quantitative and make explicit connections to physical concepts of energy.


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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »