natural-disasters

Unit 6: Natural Disasters

Objectives:

  • This lesson teaches English learners vocabulary about natural disasters.
  • The lesson teaches ESL kids how to talk about disaster safety before, during and after.
  • Its grammatical objective is to reinforce the use of the modal verb ‘should’ for giving advice.
  • The lesson also teaches the use of ‘if clause’ and ‘main clause’ in zero conditional sentences. Zero conditionals are commonly used to talk about established facts or truths.
  • This English lesson also reviews the use of the conjunction ‘because’, which is used when giving reasons.

Main Lesson Materials & Study Steps

natural-disasters video lesson

1st –This cartoon animated video features a short dialogue, followed by vocabulary and sentence breakdown. It is essential for introducing the words, phrases, grammar, spelling and sentences of the lesson in context. Watch repeatedly to master the content. The video plays on any device.

natural-disasters game

2nd – Then the student plays this fun game after watching the video, to practice the contents of the lesson. The game reviews key vocabulary, grammar and sentences from the lessons. This game can be played on any device.

natural-disasters test

3rd – Finally the learner takes this test of the unit. The score of this test is captured in the LMS and gives educators an idea of how well their learner is doing. The test opens on any device – mobile & PC.

Worksheets for the Unit

The worksheets below are useful for offline and classroom activities. These printable exercises directly correlate with the above lesson 'Natural Disasters'. Every worksheet comes with an answer sheet on the second page for educators.

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Lesson Story:

Today at school, the teacher is leading a disaster drill to help students learn how to be safe during a tornado. Ms. Ann explores possible scenarios during a tornado and recommended actions for staying safe. The students also want to know why these actions are important. Ms. Ann does the good job of explaining the reasons to the students.

Vocabulary:

Natural disasters

tornado
earthquake
lightning
thunderstorms
volcanic eruption
tsunami
typhoon

Other Words

drill
siren
get ready
outside
indoors
funnel
cloud
sound
wall
spin
safe
destroy
winds

Sentences

Disaster Advice – Using modals ‘should/shouldn’t

  • You should stay indoors during a tornado.
  • You should get to the corner of room.
  • You shouldn’t go outside during a tornado.
  • You shouldn’t stand near windows during a tornado.

Earthquake Advice:  Before, During & After

  1. Before an earthquake, you should do preparatory drills.
  2. During an earthquake, you should move away from tall buildings.
  3. After an earthquake, you shouldn’t go into damaged buildings.

If clause + main clause in conditional sentences

  1. If there is a tornado, you should hide under a table.
  2. If you see clouds forming a funnel, it’s a tornado.
  3. If you feel the ground shaking, it’s an earthquake.

Giving reasons - because

  • Why should we put our heads down on our knees?
  • Because if something flies by, it wouldn’t hit your head.
  • Why should we protect our heads?
  • Because your head is the most important part of your body.

Extended Vocabulary - Word Association

tornado funnel cloud
earthquake shake/tremors
volcanic eruption lava flow
tsunami big wave
typhoon strong winds

This lesson is part of the Level 7 English course.

Download Level 7 Course Manual