Incredible Disasters

Without Warning:The Destruction of Pompeii

Pompeii was a bustling city in Ancient Rome. It was located near what is now Naples, Italy. The citylay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, the only active volcano on Europe's mainland. But the people didnot realize that it was a volcano.

Before a volcano erupts, it usually rumbles and smokes, sometimes for months. But when MountVesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., it did so without warning. The only clue was the strange behavior of theanimals. Just minutes before it happened, dogs fled the city. Flocks of sheep stampeded. Horses threwtheir riders and bolted. First the mountain sent out a spray of red-hot rocks and pebbles. They raineddown on the city. Then it put out clouds of toxic gases that killed all living things almost instantly.Next it spewed ash for a week. Tons of it fell on the city, covering it like a thick blanket. This formedan airtight cover about 12-feet deep that was not disturbed for over 1,500 years. Since oxygen couldnot reach the area, things did not decay.

Over time erosion broke down the top layer of ash. It turned into rich soil. Slowly the city becamehidden beneath layers of dirt. People planted vineyards and forgot a city had ever been there. Moreeruptions buried the city even deeper. Then, in 1595, a worker digging a tunnel uncovered a small partof the buried city. It took historians more than a century to figure out it was Pompeii. No one was veryinterested in it until a man from Spain decided that the city held gold. In 1748 he began to uncoverthe ruins. He was shocked to find that the paint of the wall murals was bright and some food wellpreserved. Olives soaking in oil were still edible, and jugs held wine that had not soured!

But most amazing were the people. There was a Roman soldier still standing tall at his post. Thepriests' bodies indicate that they were doing their duties as well. Inside a home, a rich man stood witha sword in one hand and a foot atop a chest filled with gold and silver coins. It appears that he wantedto defend his wealth from the five men lying nearby. Actually, archaeologists found just the shells ofthese bodies. They poured plaster into these molds. This resulted in such detailed copies of the peoplethat one can see the expressions on their faces.

Of the 20,000 people living in Pompeii, about 4,000 escaped. At the first sign of the eruption, thesurvivors did not wait to grab their belongings. They ran to the Mediterranean Sea and got into boats.Those who waited even a little while found that the volcano had caused wild tides that swept away boththe docks and the boats. This left them stranded. Many bodies lay on the path to the sea. A total of2,000 well-preserved corpses were found.

Now the ruins give us a glimpse of the once-beautiful, thriving city. There is still more to uncover,so the city remains under excavation. Millions of tourists come each year to see the city that slept formore than 1,500 years.

Incredible Disasters

Without Warning:The Destruction of Pompei

Major Volcanic Eruptions (through 2006)

Year Volcano Where Deaths

79

1631

1669

1783

1792

1815

1822

1883

1902

1919

1951

1985

1991

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Etna

Mount Skaptar

Mount Mayuyama

Mount Tambora

Galunggung

Krakatoa

Mount Pelee

Mount Kelud

Mount Lamington

Nevado del Ruiz

Mount Pinatubo

Italy

Italy

Sicily, Italy

Laki, Iceland

Unzen, Japan

Java, Indonesia

Java, Indonesia

Java & Sumatra, Indonesia

Martinique, West Indies

Indonesia

New Guinea

Colombia

Philippines

15,000

3,500

20,000

9,000

15,000

70,000+

4,000

36,000

30,000+

5,000

3,000

23,000

1,200

Incredible Disasters

Without Warning:The Destruction of Pompeii

1. In 79 C.E. the people of Pompeiia. knew that they were living at the c. were shocked when Mount Vesuvius erupted,

base of an active volcano.

b. had plenty of time to escape d. heard rumbling and saw smoke come from theafter Mount Vesuvius erupted. mountain for weeks before it erupted.

2. Most people died from the

a. hot rocks and pebbles falling from the sky. c. boiling lava.

b. poisonous fumes. d. thick blanket of ash.

3. What percent of Pompeii's population died in this disaster?

a. 25 percent c. 50 percentb. 33 percent d. 80 percent

4. The 79 C.E. eruption was the deadliest in Mount Vesuvius' history. True or False?Explain.

5. In terms of deadly volcanoes, what nation is the worst in which to live? Use facts from the chartin your answer.

6. Are the people living at the base of Mount Vesuvius today in as much danger as the people ofPompeii? Defend your stance.

Introduction

Qtandards and BenchmarksListed below are the McREL standards for Language Arts Level II (grades3-5). All standards and benchmarks are used with permission fromMcREL.

Kendall, J. S., & Marzano, R. J. (2004). Content knowledge: A compendiumof standards and benchmarks for K-12 education. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Online database:

http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/

McREL Standards are in bold. Benchmarks are in regular print.All lessons meet the following standards and benchmarks.

STANDARD 5 Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.Level IIBenchmark 3

Benchmark 7

Makes, confirms, and revises simple predictions about what will be found in a text(e.g., uses prior knowledge and ideas presented in text, illustrations, titles, topicsentences, key words, and foreshadowing clues)

Understands level-appropriate reading vocabulary (e.g., synonyms, antonyms,homophones, multi-meaning words)

Benchmark 10 Understands the author's purpose (e.g., to persuade, to inform) or point of view

STANDARD 7 Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of

Level IIBenchmark 1

Benchmark 5

Benchmark 6

informational texts

Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g.,textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines)

Summarizes and paraphrases information in texts (e.g., includes the main idea andsignificant supporting details of a reading selection)

Uses prior knowledge and experience to understand and respond to new information

STANDARD 1 Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Level IIBenchmark 6 Uses strategies (e.g., adapts focus, point of view, organization, form) to write for a

variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, entertain, explain, describe, record ideas)

Benchmark 7 Writes expository compositions (e.g., identifies and stays on the topic; develops thetopic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations; excludes extraneousand inappropriate information; uses structures such as cause-and-effect, chronology,similarities and differences; uses several sources of information; provides aconcluding statement)

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 9 #8376 Document-Based Questions