Caveat Academy course · Grades 6 to 8

Natural Disasters and Preparedness: the science of hazards and how to stay safe

Learn why the ground shakes, volcanoes explode and storms spin, and what keeps people safe when they do: read a seismogram to find how far away an earthquake was, tell a lahar from a lava flow, rate a hurricane by its winds, count the seconds to a lightning strike and build a real emergency plan and kit for your own family. Six modules at your own pace.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Hazards, risk and Earth's engines

    Explain the difference between a hazard, a disaster and risk, analyze risk as hazard, exposure and vulnerability, and connect hazards to plate boundaries and the Sun's uneven heating.

    • Hazard, disaster and risk
    • Plate tectonics: why the ground shakes and erupts
    • The weather engine
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Earthquakes and tsunamis

    Explain how faults produce seismic waves, compute the distance to an earthquake from the S minus P time, compare magnitude and intensity and apply earthquake and tsunami safety steps.

    • Faults and seismic waves
    • Measuring and locating earthquakes
    • Tsunamis and staying safe
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Volcanoes

    Compare volcano types and eruption styles, evaluate volcanic hazards and interpret monitoring data as warning signs.

    • How volcanoes form and erupt
    • Volcanic hazards
    • Watching volcanoes and warning people
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Severe storms

    Explain how thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes form, use the EF and Saffir-Simpson scales and choose safe actions for watches and warnings.

    • Thunderstorms and lightning
    • Tornadoes
    • Hurricanes
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Floods, wildfires, heat and drought

    Analyze the causes and dangers of floods, wildfires, extreme heat and drought and choose the safe response to each.

    • Floods
    • Wildfires
    • Heat waves and drought
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Preparing, responding and recovering

    Design a family emergency plan and kit, compute supplies and evaluate community mitigation using benefit and cost.

    • A family emergency plan
    • The emergency kit
    • Communities that bounce back
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · The emergency kit

Worked example: how much water does a family need

  1. A family of 4 plans for 3 days at 1 gallon per person per day.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished first course in natural hazards: you can explain hazard, disaster and risk and lower risk through exposure and vulnerability, connect earthquakes and volcanoes to plate boundaries, compute the distance to an earthquake from a seismogram, compare magnitude and intensity, choose safe actions for earthquakes and tsunamis, compare volcano types and hazards and read monitoring signs, explain thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes and use the EF and Saffir-Simpson scales, act safely in floods, wildfires and heat, and build a family emergency plan and kit with the supply math done. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 6 to 8 taking or about to take Earth science, students curious about storms, volcanoes and earthquakes, and homeschool families who want a science course with a practical payoff at home. The last module is done together with a parent or guardian: the student builds the family plan and kit list.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program and Volcano Hazards Program, on seismic waves, magnitude, monitoring and volcanic hazards: usgs.gov
  2. National Weather Service, safety pages on lightning, tornadoes, floods (Turn Around Don't Drown) and heat: weather.gov
  3. National Hurricane Center, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and storm surge overview: nhc.noaa.gov
  4. Ready.gov (FEMA), make a plan and build a kit: ready.gov
  5. National Institute of Building Sciences, Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves (2019 report): nibs.org

Natural Disasters and Preparedness is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical middle school Earth science or natural hazards elective but does not replace a school course and awards no credit. The safety guidance is general, drawn from national agencies; in a real emergency follow the instructions of local officials and call 911. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.