First Hand accounts
In working with young students we must be very conscious of the content regarding natural disaster's that explain the human devastation. I chose the following BBC Reporter's Blog on the Boxing Day Tsunami because of the brevity of the first-hand accounts without all the gory details. Additionally, this site offers some great graphics on simple explanations on why and how tsunamis originate. There are some great pictures of what it looked after the tsunami and what it looks like now.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4129521.stm
Caplovich, J., W. W. Westbrook, et al. (1987). Blizzard!: the great storm of '88. Vernon, Conn., VeRo Pub. Co.
A fascinating and well documented resource on the blizzard of 1888 and life before and after the storm. It includes numerous first and second-hand accounts, including oral histories, newspaper reports, before and after photographs, and weather maps.
Watson, B. (1990). New England's disastrous weather. Camden, Me., Yankee Books.
Not only does this book contain excellent first hand accounts of natural disasters pertaining to New England, but also includes historic photographs related to these disasters that brings us closer to our distant past. This book is divided into six chapters under the themes of: hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, floods, summertime and the prognosticators. A fantastic resource!
Because of the importance of the visuals, I have been looking for a site that I can bring my students to look at pictures of what the environment looks before and after a natural disaster. I am still searching but I bookmarked the following site because of the oral accounts with text and some great images of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake:
http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/lb/main/crm/earthquake/index.html
Anything that you would like to know about earthquakes can be located by searching this site; from the causes to tracking systems; to first hand accounts; this is the place to go.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/events/
Myths
Bierlein, J. F. (1994). Parallel Myths. New York, Ballantine Books.
A great resource for the new reader to mythology. Bierlein elaborates on the universality and importance of myth in human history and culture.
Cotterell, A. (1989). The Macmillan illustrated encyclopedia of myths & legends. New York, Macmillan.
This book is divided by world's regions and includes myths and legends from across the five continents. It has many colorful pictures, tables, timelines, and alphabetical list of myths and legends. A great source to locate concise myths and legends.
Philip, N. and N. Mistry (1995). The illustrated book of myths : tales & legends of the world. London ; New York
Boston, D. Kindersley ;
Distributed by Houghton Mifflin Co.
This book includes a collection of myths from many cultures. It has three important sections with many short myths and legends related to creation myths, beginnings, and visions of the end. Highly recommended as read-aloud or independent reading for all different levels.
Verniero, J. C. (2001). One-hundred-and-one Asian read-aloud myths and legends. New York, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Distributed by Workman Pub. co.
An excellent source of Asian myths and legends divided by country: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia.
Willis, R., Ed. (1993). World Mythology. New York, Henry Holt and Company.
This reference book is divided into sections by country and region offering an extensive biographical list. A must have in teaching about mythology. It also provides the reader with a great source of pictures and illustrations depicting mythological representations in the arts.
Natural disasters
Abbott, P. L. (2004). Natural disasters. Boston, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
This is possibly one of the most important reference books relating to natural disasters. I add it here and to the students' resources list because of the wealth of information it has in graphs, maps, and tables. It also includes an extensive glossary of terms.
Fredericks, A. D. (2001). Investigating natural disasters through children's literature : an integrated approach. Englewood, Colo., Teacher Ideas Press.
If you are interested in introducing, presenting, or expanding on the content related to natural disasters through children's literature, this is the book to reference. It includes children's literature and offers was to teach about natural disasters.
Standards
Connecticut State Department of Education (2007). SDE: Science, Connecticut State Department of Education. 7/1/2007, 2007
This is the Connecticut Stated Department of Education web site for Science. This page contains the necessary links to Connecticut Curriculum science frameworks, a draft of CAPT handbooks and other important links. Well organized with very valuable resources. Includes samples of embedded performance tasks.
Connecticut State Department of Education (2007). SDE: Social Studies - Social Studies Trace Maps, Connecticut State Department of Education. 7/1/2007, 2007
This is the Connecticut Stated Department of Education web site for History/Social Studies. This page contains the necessary links to Connecticut Curriculum Trace Maps for History/Social Studies. It is a concise and well-organized web page but lacks sample lessons.
TESOL (2006). PreK-12 English language proficiency standards. Alexandria, Va., Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
A must have volume in order to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of the English Language Learner. It includes the newest Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages standards with sample lessons.