Strategy Lesson #2

Ashley Staley, Annie Gladhill, Taylor Fink, Ryan Holloran and

Kristin Barrett
University of Maryland University College
EDTP 639
July 18, 2016

Strategy Lesson #2
Name: Ashley Staley, Annie Gladhill, Taylor Fink, Ryan Holloran and Kristin Barrett
Grade: 10th grade
Unit: Nuclear Weapons: The Global Impact
Time Allotted: 50 minutes
Lesson Topic: Global impact, how nuclear weapons have shaped the world
Context for Learning:
This lesson will be part of a larger unit covering World War II. In August of 1945, the
United States dropped nuclear bombs in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The
purpose of this lesson is to have students draw from their knowledge of multiple subjects
to investigate the global impact of nuclear weaponry. Students will have background
knowledge of the major events leading up to the decision to utilize nuclear weapons. The
previous lesson will have introduced students to the use of nuclear weapons. Students
will use inference, visualization and questioning strategies to enhance their proficiency
with the lesson objectives (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007).
The first strategy used in the lesson focusing on building the literacy skill of inference by
having students reflect on the various headlines and images presented in a historical
newspaper cover page. Students will be led in making inferences about the tone of the
source. In addition students are asked to infer information from this cover page utilizing
the pictures as well as the text. This exercise assists in build students knowledge of the
unit of study through the use of illustrations(Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). The final
component of this exercise asks students to think of any questions they might have about
the events that are being described. This warm up assists students in utilizing the
questioning strategy of the more we learn, the more we wonder (Harvey & Goudvis,
2007, pg.111).
The second strategy utilized in this lesson is the introduction of a K-W-L chart as
developed by Janet Allen in her book Tools for Teaching Content Literacy (Allen, 2004).
The K-W-L chart is a tool to lead students in actively researching a topic while helping
students to develop thinking strategies to support the information gathering process. The
first column of the K-W-L chart asks students to brainstorm what they already know
about the topic. The second column asks students to think about what they would like to
know. The formulation of the want to know section assists students in practicing the
skill of gaining information through questioning (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, pg.113).
The last column asks students to share what they have learned. This type of strategy is
used to help students build literacy skills while also activating background knowledge
(Allen, 2004).

The third strategy utilized in this lesson plan is an adaptation of Visualizing in reading,
Showing not Telling in Writing utilizing graphical representations of data (Harvey &
Goudvis, 2007, pg.136). This adaptation works to build the literacy skills of visualization
by leading students in utilizing the NUKEMAP online resource and creating graphs
representing findings from this resource (Wellerstein, 2012). This activity also builds
technology literacy through the use of chromebooks to access the website needed to
conduct this portion of the lesson. In addition this exercise builds students knowledge of
the use of mathematics skills and graphing to convey information.
Curriculum and SPA Standards Addressed:
NCSST Standards:
Science, Technology and Society
- Provide opportunities for learners to make judgments about how science and
technology have transformed the physical world and human society and our
understanding of time, space, place, and human-environment interactions.
- Encourage learners to formulate strategies and develop policy proposals pertaining
to science/technology-society issues.
Literacy Standards
RST.11-12.7 Students who demonstrate understanding can: Integrate and evaluate
multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g.,
quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a
problem. (HS-LS2-7)
Mathematic Standards
HSN.Q.A.1 Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use units as a way to
understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and
interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin
in graphs and data displays. (HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.2 Students who demonstrate understanding can: Define appropriate
quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. (HS-LS2-7)
Curriculum Standard Addressed:
CLG 1.5.1 The student will demonstrate the ability to summarize data
(measurements/observations).
CLG 1.5.4 The student will use tables, graphs, and displays to support arguments
and claims in both written and oral communication.

CCR Anchor Standard #1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and
to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCR Anchor Standard #4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCR Anchor Standard #7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats
and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
Global Connections:
- Guide learner analysis of the relationships and tensions between national
sovereignty and global interests in such matters as territorial disputes, economic
development, nuclear and other weapons deployment, use of natural resources, and
human rights concerns.
- Have learners illustrate how individual behaviors and decisions connect with global
systems.
MCCR Standard:
Topic- The United States in a Time of Crisis (1929-1945)
Indicator-2. Analyze the causes of World War II in Europe and the Pacific and
involvement of the United States in the war.
Objective D- Examine military strategies and technologies employed by the
United States in WWII including D-Day, island hopping and the development and
use of atomic weapons.
Materials:
Instructor Materials:
-

Classroom Computer

Computer-linked projection board

Electronic annotation pen for projection board

Electronic Presentation of daily lesson plan

Station labels and Station folders with instructions.

News publication of nuclear attacks.

Timer

Student Materials:
-

Pencil

KWL Organizer (Everyone)

Chromebooks (One per group, staged at stations as needed)

Group activity folder (One per group)

Blank Timeline (Everyone)

Graphic Organizer with analysis questions (Everyone)

Excerpt from The health and environmental effects of the production, testing,
and use of nuclear weapons article. (One per group)
Proactive Behavior Management:
In order to establish a successful learning environment, behavior management
will start proactively on the first day of school in order to mitigate having to constantly
react when a problem occurs (Lock, 2006). Students will know how to appropriately act
in my classroom. On the first day of school, a routine will be established and a set of
rules drafted with student support so all students know what to expect everyday in the
classroom. When students come into the classroom, they will be greeted individually.
Students will then take a seat and begin working on their warm-up that is projected on the
document camera. For this particular lesson, students will enter the classroom and begin
their warm-up from their seats. After students complete the warm-up they will know to
turn in their warm-up, turn in homework from the previous night and gather all the papers
needed for the day at the front of the room. After 5 minutes, students will be led in
reviewing the objective for the day and given a brief overview of what they will be doing.
Everyday, the teacher will ensure that students are informed of the high expectations set
for them. If students do misbehave, the teacher will follow through on repercussions in
keeping with the classroom drafted rules and will react the same way every time so
students know what to expect.
Provisions for Student Learning:
Students will use knowledge from a variety of subjects to gain a more complete
understanding of the lesson topic. Students will utilize multiple learning strategies
including individual and cooperative activities. This lesson was constructed in order to
lead students in activities that would help them to develop the literacy skills of
questioning, visualizing and inferring (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). Students will be
encouraged to use their own background knowledge and ideas to analyze the global

impacts of nuclear weapons. This lesson will engage students with a variety of
educational tools including KWL organizers (What I already Know, What I Want to
know, What I Learned, What Questions Remain), visual aids, and classroom technology
(Allen, 2004). KWL organizers will be collected by students as they enter the classroom
per daily routines. This lesson will have students connect a historic event to the potential
impact of similar events on our current global society. This lesson contains cooperative
group activities to enhance student inquiry (Alvermann, 2013). Timing for this lesson will
be crucial and leave little opportunity for disengagement caused by downtime. Groups
will be predetermined to ensure that diverse ability levels, cultures, and genders are
represented in each. Students who are learning disabled (LD) and accompanied by
paraeducators will be grouped with gifted students. English language learners (ELL)
students will initially be grouped with high-level students as well. Groupings may be
altered as needed should any English language learner or learning disabled students
require additional support.
Procedures:
Introductory/ Developmental Activities:
Warm-Up: The front page of the August, 7 1945 Oregonian newspaper will be
displayed on the board when students enter the classroom. Once the bell rings indicating
the beginning of class, students will reflect on the various headlines and images presented
on the newspaper. Students will be advised to make inferences about the tone of the
source, and to think of any questions they might have about the events that are being
described (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). After 3 minutes, the teacher will call on students to
discuss what stands out to them about the image on the board.
Motivator/Bridge: Objectives will be displayed on the board and students will
be instructed to get out the KWL organizer they picked up when they entered class.
Students will be introduced to the lesson topic and objectives (Allen, 2004). The teacher
will also let students know that they will be working in groups, and reminded of class
expectations. Once students have complied with initial instructions, the teacher will
introduce a 3-minute introductory video titled Coroners Report: Atomic Bomb,
describing the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (History, 2009). Students
will be instructed to take notes on the video as their notes will be used to complete a later
portion of the lesson.
Modeling: The teacher will have an example of a KWL organizer on the
projection board (Allen, 2004). The teacher will model filling out one example for each
of the first two sections titled What I Know and What I want to know, respectively
(Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). The teacher will model the process using one example while
conducting a think out-loud to inform students of her thought process (Alvermann, 2013).
Guided Practice: Once observing the teacher for one example, students will be
asked to work individually to complete the first two section of the KWL organizer (Allen,
2004). For the guided practice, students will be given 5 minutes to write down any prior
knowledge they have regarding the creation and use of nuclear weapons, and what more

they would like to find out. After 5 minutes, attention will be guided back to the
projection board.

Independent Tasks: Once in groups, the first task for students will be to discuss the
What I want to know portions of their KWL organizers (Allen, 2004). The students will
use the questions they created to guide a 5 minute group discussion. Students will use the
discussion time to present their questions to the group. Each group member will present
at least one question they recorded in their What I want to know section. After every
group member has participated, if there is any leftover time, students may continue to
present additional questions. After 5 minutes, Students will begin their first independent
activity.
Group Activities:
Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Weapons 10 Minutes: Groups will use the article
titled Health and Environmental Effects: The Health and Environmental Effects of the
Production, Testing and Use of Nuclear Weapons to research the long-term environmental
damage created by nuclear weapons (Egeland, 2014). Each group will be assigned one of
the three aspects of nuclear weapons presented in the article. Possible group topics will
include:
1. Creation and Storage of Nuclear weapons
2. Testing of Nuclear Weapons
3. Use of Nuclear Weapons
Each group will read through their assigned section of the article and discuss factual
evidence of long-term health and environmental risks associated with their topic. Each
group member will use the back of their graphic organizer to record a minimum of three
pieces of factual evidence. Each item of factual evidence must be explained in complete
sentences.
Nukemap Data Collection and Graphing 20 minutes: Students will use the
chromebooks to access the websites needed to conduct this portion of the lesson. Students
will use an interactive website to conduct a visualization exercise in order to better
understand the effect that nuclear weapons would have on our modern world. One
student from the group will access their online classroom to locate a link to the website
NUKEMAP (Wellerstein, 2012). Once at the site, the group will use the location dropdown menus to choose a major city in which to simulate a nuclear explosion. Students
will use the second drop down menu titled Enter a Yield and select little boy 15 kt or
fat man 20 kt. Students will be instructed on which options to select under the effects
options. Students will then simulate a nuclear explosion by clicking the Detonate
button. Each group member will record the estimated Casualty and Thermal Radiation
Radius data based on the simulation.
Groups will then open a new tab and use the World Atlas website to record
current population data for the city they chose to target for the simulation (Populations,

n.d.). Using the data collected from the two websites, each student will create two bar
graphs. The first graph will visually demonstrate the casualties of Hiroshima with the
estimated casualties of the simulation. The second graph will visually demonstrate the
area damage to Hiroshima with the estimated area damage to the simulated target.
Students will then answer questions using the information from articles red in
class and the bar graphs they created.
Summary/Closure: When the timer signals the end of the last rotation, students will
return to their desks. Once students have returned to their seats, the teacher will indicate
that it is time to review what was learned. Students will be instructed to get out their
KWL organizers (Allen, 2004). Students will then be instructed to briefly review the
questions they created before they began the station activity. Once they have reviewed
their initial questions, they will fill out the final two sections of the KWL organizer.
Students will record a minimum of three new things they learned from the station
activity. They will then record a minimum of three new questions that remain
unanswered. They may include previous questions in this section, but they must be in
addition to three new questions. The teacher will then call on students to answer
questions indicating that they accomplished the learning objectives.Questions may
include:

What does the data suggest about potential fatality numbers should a nuclear
bomb such as the one used in Hiroshima be dropped on a U.S. city today? How
far would the explosion reach? (Wait time)
o Answers may vary depending on location of bombing chosen by groups.
What were some major international events leading up to the bombings that seem
to be connected to the bombings? What event since? (wait time)
o Answers should be related to the major events of WWII and after
including Pearl Harbor, Island Hopping campaign, Multiple war fronts,
Treatment of P.O.Ws, Cold War, and Presidential visit to the bomb site.
What surprised you about the environmental impacts of nuclear weapons?
o Answers will vary, but should be related to atmospheric damage, effects of
radiation exposure on wildlife, long term impairment of natural plant
growth.

Adaptations:
The three English Language Learner students may use a dictionary in their primary
language to complete the activities in class. The KWL organizer maybe initially drafted
in the student's primary language to assist organizing of thoughts. Directions to the
activities will be made available in the students primary language. To assist the students
in developing literacy skills, they will be provided with handouts in English as well.
In order to accommodate the student with the paraprofessional due to a physical
disability, I will ensure this student receives priority seating. I will ensure that this
student can access everything he needs in the classroom. During the group work, I will
have the other students come to the students area if he is not able to get up and move to

the groups location. I will also provide a seat for the paraprofessional next to the student.
The two students with down syndrome will be accompanied by paraprofessionals. They
will receive human reader and scribe accommodations during all lesson activities. The
warm up image will be provided in large print. The article will be chunked into sections
and students will do option #1 of the summative assessment and only be required to write
10 sentences instead of one page. They will receive a pre printed hand out of a completed
simulation for the NukeMap activity that will have casualty and thermal radiation
information highlighted to use for their bar graph. These students may still participate in
the actual simulations and extra time will be given to them if they do not complete any of
the assignments in the time given.
Assessment:
Formative: Each student will turn in their completed work at the end of the class period.
The activity will be worth 30 total classwork points with the graphic organizer,
environmental questionnaire, and class participation being worth 10 points respectively.
During the following lesson, the teacher will conduct a class discussion utilizing the
KWL organizers in order to assess student achievement of the learning objectives (Allen,
2004).
Summative: Students will choose from the following 2 assessment formats.
Option 1: The use of nuclear weapons still impacts the way governments monitor global
relationships, as well as the actions of other nations. Locate an article that was written
since 2010 that relates to the current impact that nuclear weapons have on international
relationships. Write a one page reflection on the article analyzing how the use of nuclear
weapons may have influenced the international relationships being discussed in the
article. Begin by briefly summarizing the article. Your reflection must provide specific
examples from the lesson such as data, testimony from your interview, information
regarding the global impact of nuclear explosions. Your reflection will be graded based
on the provided rubric.
Option 2: Choose a magazine or newspaper in which write an editorial article. Create a
one-page editorial article that argues for, or against the development, and use of nuclear
weapons. Your article must clearly state your argument and present specific evidence
from the lesson to support your opinion. Remember: Editorial articles are based on
opinions, but your opinions must be supported by facts that come from this lesson. Your
article will be graded based on the rubric provided.
Generalization/Extension Activity: This lesson is somewhat long and most students will
not finish the stations and the KWL organizer with time to spare (Allen, 2004). If for
some reason, a student does finish the assignments, he can begin working on the
homework assignment or play around with the NUKEMAP website independently.
Review/Reinforcement: Students will be asked to interview someone at home who lived
during The Cold War years between 1946 - 1990. Students will use the questions
provided, and may ask any additional questions they come up with. They will record the

answers to the interview and turn in a copy of the transcripts. The transcript must also
include an MLA structured post-text citation at the bottom.

Appendix
Worksheets and Rubrics
Warm Up
Name: ___________________________ Date: __________________ Pd:_______

*The front page of The Oregonian on Aug. 7, 1945

After viewing the newspaper cover page provided answer the following
questions,
1) What inferences can be made about the tone of the source?

2) What information can you pull from the headlines and images?
3) Formulate one question using this resource that you would like to
further investigate.

Motivator/Bridge
Bridge Activity
Name: ___________________________ Date:__________________ Pd:_______
Use the following K-W-L chart to help you review the video Coroners Report: Atomic
Bomb, describing the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (History, 2009).
Take notes on the video as this K-W-L chart will be used to assist you complete a later
portion of the lesson (Allen,2004).

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

K-W-L
What do I know?

What do I want to know?

What did I learn?

Group Activities
Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Wars Handout
Name: ___________________________

Date:__________________ Pd:_______

In your work group use the article titled Health and Environmental Effects: The Health
and Environmental Effects of the Production, Testing and Use of Nuclear Weapons to
research the long-term environmental damage created by nuclear weapons (Egeland,
2014). Each group will be assigned one of the three aspects of nuclear weapons
presented in the article. Possible group topics will include:
1. Creation and Storage of Nuclear weapons

2. Testing of Nuclear Weapons

3. Use of Nuclear Weapons
Each group will read through their assigned section of the article and discuss factual
evidence of long-term health and environmental risks associated with their topic. Each
group member will use the back of their graphic organizer to record a minimum of three
pieces of factual evidence. Each item of factual evidence must be explained in complete
sentences.

Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Wars Article Handout

Health and Environmental Effects

The health and environmental effects of the production, testing, and use of nuclear
weapons
By Kjlv Egeland

In advance of the upcoming Mexico conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear

weapons, Kjlv Egeland outlines the health and environmental effects in this
background paper. The paper is intended to add to the growing evidence of the
humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons by highlighting the specific impact on
health and the environment.
Background Paper No 4/2014

Published: February 2014

Introduction
The production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons can affect the social and natural
world in a wide range of ways. This paper focuses on the effects that these weapons
can have on human health and the environment. More specifically, it looks at the
possible health and environmental effects of (1) the development and production of
nuclear weapons, (2) the testing of nuclear weapons, and (3) the use of nuclear
weapons.
Although nuclear weapons are commonly associated with the Cold War, several states
continue to produce and stockpile nuclear warheads. Although the military utility of
nuclear weapons is increasingly open to question, at least 17,000 nuclear warheads
are believed to be in existence today.[1] Nearly 93% of these weapons are in the hands
of the United States and Russia.[2] The remaining warheads are controlled by France,
The United Kingdom, China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. In addition,
between 150 and 240 US nuclear weapons are believed to be stationed in five
European NATO countries: Italy, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. [3] The
list of countries involved in the manufacture of nuclear weaponry is still longer.
Canada, Australia, Mali, and Namibia, for example, are all exporters of uranium, which
is used in the production of nuclear warheads.

RADIATION AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

The explosive components of nuclear weapons are made either from uranium or
plutonium, both of which are radioactive elements. While plutonium is artificially
created from converting uranium-238 nuclei, uranium is a naturally occurring chemical
element. The uranium used in nuclear weapons is enriched, meaning that the
composition of uranium-235 has been increased through so-called isotope separation.
In addition to uranium and plutonium, the manufacture, testing, and use of nuclear
weapons is associated with hazardous materials such as strontium, caesium, mercury,
cyanide, polychlorinated biphenyls (PBCs), and benzene. [4]

In Sargal, almost all its 2,400 inhabitants suffer the consequences of the nuclear
testing. Sandugosh Imangalieva was born deformed in 1951, two years after the
USSR exploded its first atomic bomb. Her mother, depicted in the photo, died in
1993 of cancer due to radiation. The USSR detonated 467 nuclear bombs at the
Semipalatinsk test site in northeast Kazakhstan, resulting in thousands of victims
who suffer from radioactive
diseases. John Van Hasselt/Corbis.
Radioactive waste emits ionizing radiation through the process of radioactive decay,
and is hazardous to the environment and most forms of life. [5] On the nuclear level,
ionizing radiation can cause induced radioactivity (the contagion of radioactivity from
a radioactive element to a stable one) and nuclear transmutation (the transformation
of one element or isotope into another).[6] On the chemical level, ionization can lead to
the destruction of chemical bonds, and materials contaminated with radioactivity
continue to react chemically with other elements after the original ionizing radiation
has ceased. Hence, radioactivity has a tendency to spread, and radioactive waste must
therefore be carefully confined.[7] About 1,400 tons of highly enriched uranium is
believed to have been generated by the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold
War era, and the arms reduction efforts produced more than 100 tons of excess
plutonium.[8]

Exposure to high levels of radiation can cause acute radiation syndrome, a

constellation of health effects defined by cellular degradation and damage to the DNA
structure.[9] In the immediate term, radiation exposure causes the immune system to
fail, and can damage the bone marrow, and the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and
central nervous systems.[10]Exposure to dangerous radiation can occur from external
sources, for example, gamma or x-rays emitted from contaminated objects; or from
internal sources, such as rays and particles emitted from radioactive substances that
enter the body through food, drink, or inhalation. Inhaling a single alpha-emitting
particle such as plutonium-239 can cause cancer, and intense radiation from a single
plutonium core is enough to cause acute lethal radiation sickness. [11]Studies show that
people exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons production, particularly workers on
nuclear plants, demonstrate an above-average incidence of cancer, including cancers
of the lung, brain, bladder, stomach, larynx, and trachea, as well as myeloma and
leukaemia. Uranium particles accumulate in the bones, and can cause leukaemia by
irradiating bone marrow.[12]
Nuclear waste must be confined in appropriate disposal facilities until it is no longer
hazardous to public health and the environment. The main approaches for handling
this waste have been (1) surface storage for the shortest-lived isotopes, (2) nearsurface storage for intermediate waste, and (3) deep burial or externally forced
transmutation for the most tenacious, high-level, waste. Some of these substances
take up to several billion years to fully decay.[13] As a result, even deep burial methods
are not completely failsafe, as geological disturbances such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, or even a new ice age could conceivably disrupt waste storage containers
within the immense span of time needed for the radioactivity to fully subside. [14] An
alternative means of treating nuclear waste is through a complicated process known as
transmutation, whereby a chemical element or isotope is converted into another, in
this instance, less radioactive substance with a shorter half-life (t 1/2, the amount of
time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to drop to half its original value).
In practice, this implies that the materials lose their radioactive properties more
quickly.

Production and storage

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
Uranium is a natural element that is mined all over the world. Australia, Canada,
Kazakhstan, Niger, Namibia, Russia, and Mali are some of the biggest extractors. [15] The
greatest health risk for miners is associated with the inhalation of radon gas, the
exposure to which has been proven to heighten the risk of lung cancer significantly.[16]
Uraniums chemical toxicity may cause irreversible kidney damage in persons exposed
to it, as uranium salts lodge in the kidney tubules, eventually causing renal failure
with the production of proteins and glucose in the urine. [17] In the 1950s and 60s,
when knowledge about the health effects of toxic and radioactive waste were less
widely known, miners were exposed to high levels of radon gas.
Many uranium mines have been abandoned in recent decades, but few have been fully
cleaned up. Abandoned mines represent a lingering problem; firstly, because they pose
the risk of contaminating surrounding areas, and secondly, because the clean-up
process itself produces radioactive materials.[18]

At the manufacturing stage, workers at nuclear production facilities are the most at
risk. However, if dangerous materials are released into the air or soil, the public may
also be affected. The ethereal quality of nuclear dust or debris ensures that it can
travel miles through the air until settling distant from its source.
Workers exposed to dangerous materials, either at production facilities or clean-up
sites, have been made ill by exposure to dangerous toxins and materials. In 2000, the
US Department of Energy acknowledged the negative health consequences suffered by
workers at the Hanford Site in Washington State, resulting in the filing of thousands of
legal claims by current and former workers. [19]

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC CONSEQUENCES

As noted above, many of the by-products of nuclear weapons production are dangerous
for humans and the environment. In some instances, nuclear waste has leaked into
nature; it has even been deliberately dumped in rivers and lakes. In the United States,
several rivers have been contaminated by nuclear waste, including the Snake River
(Idaho), Columbia River (Washington), and Savannah River (South Carolina). [20]
Radioactive and/or toxic substances can escape into the soil or atmosphere through
human error, careless practices, or simply bad luck.

Employee Steve Flores watches as Radiation Safety Officer Mike Nolan checks
barrels of low-level Class A commercial nuclear waste with a Geiger counter in a
trench at the Hanford Site in the state of Washington. Roger
Ressmeyer/Corbis.
The high financial cost associated with cleaning up nuclear facilities and
decommissioning nuclear warheads has resulted in irresponsible handling of nuclear
waste. Old weapons and contaminated platforms are left rusting in anticipation of
better technology and funding. In Murmansk, Russia, submarines stacked with nuclear
warheads are permanently anchored, at great risk to the surrounding area. In 2011,
nearly 20 per cent of the worlds reactors and nuclear fuels were concentrated in this
region on the Kola Peninsula.[21]

Although the above examples demonstrate the severe and widespread impact of
nuclear waste on humans and the environment, creative means have been employed
to make use of the latent energy stored in nuclear weapons. Decommissioned nuclear
bombs have been put to pacific use through the exploitation of their energy for civilian
power: the uranium from 20,000 decommissioned Russian nuclear bombs provided a
tenth of US electricity consumption in the first two decades following the end of the
Cold War. Nevertheless, disposal of the nuclear waste associated with these weapons
decommissioning remains highly problematic.[22]

Testing of nuclear weapons

In total, more than 2,000 nuclear weapon tests have been conducted around the world
since 1945.[23] These tests have gravely affected human health, the climate, and local
ecosystems. Test-explosions in the atmosphere and on the surface caused large
amounts of radioactive carbon to be blasted into the air. Much of this returned to the
surface as radioactive fallout, and was recycled into plants and animals. The United
Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union ceased atmospheric testing after
signing the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) in 1963, but France continued atmospheric
testing until 1974, and China until 1980.

Source: Wikipedia
Before signing the PTBT, the Soviet Union conducted several hundred nuclear weapons
tests in the Barents Sea. Fallout from the Soviet tests most notably from a test
detonation at the island Novaja Zamlja in 1956 spread to neighbouring countries,
such as Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and the

British Isles.[24] Other nuclear weapon states, notably France and the United States,
performed many of their tests in the Pacific and Polynesia. [25] Health and
environmental effects in these regions are still understudied. [26]
On September 5th, 2013, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, urged the General
Assembly that we should all remember the terrible toll of nuclear tests [] It is time
to address the horrific human and environmental effects of nuclear tests through a
global ban, the most reliable means to meet these challenges. [27] The Comprehensive
Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) has not yet entered into force, due to the failure of a number
of key states to ratify, including the United States, China, Israel, India, and Pakistan. [28]

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
Ionizing radiation is one of the few scientifically proven carcinogens in human beings.
[29]Estimates of the number of cancer outbreaks caused by radioactive fallout vary
substantially from a few hundred thousand to over two million. [30] US studies show
that the risk of developing cancer has been greatest for children, probably because
children are more likely to drink contaminated milk. In the 1950s, fallout from nuclear
tests in Nevada contaminated vast areas of farmlands in the United States. Even milk
products demonstrated traces of radioactivity, as a result of contaminated dairy cattle
feed. In 1997, the US National Cancer institute calculated that milk contamination
would cause between 11,000 and 212,000 outbreaks of thyroid cancer alone. [31] While
the example above is from the United States, there is little reason to believe that
practices and conditions are much better elsewhere. For example, very little is known
about nuclear weapons production and testing in China, Pakistan, India, North Korea,
and Israel.
Airborne radioactive debris has potentially increased the risk of cancer and miscarriage
many places. Unborn babies are more at risk than adults, because of the more rapidly
dividing cells in developing organs and tissue. [32]

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC CONSEQUENCES

The radiation spike resulting from atmospheric tests during the Cold War can be easily
observed in nature, and is even used as a reference point when dating objects,
including elephants tusks and hippopotamuses canine teeth. [33] Atmospheric testing
also resulted in large amounts of soot being launched into the air. Soot reflects
sunlight, causing a cooling effect on the global climate. This has potentially masked
some of the effect of CO2-induced global warming.[34] The radioactive debris produced
by surface tests performed decades ago still persist in the upper atmosphere. Most of
the radioactive particles are removed in the first few years after the explosion, but a
fraction remains in the stratosphere for a few decades or even hundreds or thousands
of years.[35] The debris can be shifted around in the atmosphere by natural events
such as volcanic eruptions, and eventually return to the ground as rain. [36]

Trace amounts of iodine-131 has been found in milk from dairy cows accross the
US. Phil Klein/Corbis.
While atmospheric testing is no longer as much of a concern, certain states continue to
test nuclear weapons underground. While less hazardous than underwater and
atmospheric testing, underground tests are not without health and environmental
consequences. The greatest threat is that dangerous substances, such as plutonium,
iodine-129, and caesium-135, can be recycled into local ecosystems through
underground leakages.[37]

Use of nuclear weapons

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
The immediate blast from detonating a nuclear weapon would kill people within a large
area, causing severe burn-injuries and blindness. Furthermore, severe risks would be
associated with the shock wave, falling buildings, shattered glass and other potentially
lethal flying objects.[38]

Remains of the Nagasaki Medical College, 1945. Underwood &

Underwood/Corbis.
The radiation impact of a possible nuclear detonation is very difficult to assess, as the
effect of the explosion depends upon a wide range of factors, including the yield of the
weapon, its location, and distance from the surface. The immediate effect of
detonating a nuclear weapon includes thermal radiation, amounting to about 70 to 80%
of the weapons energy yield.[39] Another significant concern is long-term nuclear
radiation, the effects of which would depend on the amount of nuclear debris created
by pulverized buildings and soil.[40]Furthermore, radiation exposure lowers individuals
resistance to infection, increasing the risk of disease and magnifying the harmful
impact of any injuries sustained as a result of the blast. [41]

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC CONSEQUENCES

The detonation of several nuclear weapons could seriously affect the environment,
and have noticeable impacts on the climate. Scientists have calculated that detonating
between 50 and 100 nuclear weapons in quick succession could throw enough soot into
the atmosphere to cause climatic changes unprecedented in human history. In this
scenario, the ozone layer would be severely damaged, global temperatures would
drop, and the production of vital staple crops could be seriously hampered. The term
nuclear winter is often used to describe this prospect. [42]

ENDNOTES

(1) ]Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),

World Nuclear Forces, 2013,
http://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2012/07, (accessed 10.01.2014).
(2) Ibid.
[3] Steve Andreasen, Malcolm Chalmers and Isabelle Williams,
NATO and Nuclear Weapons: Is a New Consensus Possible?,
Occasional Paper, Royal United Services Institute, August 2010,
p. 5.
[4] The Encyclopedia of Earth, Uranium,
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156796/, (accessed
10.01.2014); Reaching Critical Will, Environment and Nuclear
Weapons, http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/factsheets/critical-issues/4734-environment-and-nuclear-weapons,
(accessed 13.12.2013).

[5] World Health Organization (WHO), What is Ionizing

Radiation?,
http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/about/what_is_ir/en/inde
x2.html, (accessed 26.01.2014).
[6] P.F. Dahl, From Nuclear Transmutation to Nuclear Fission,
1932-1939, London, Institute of Physics Publishing, 2002, pp.
4, 147, 169.
[7] The Health and Physics Society, Radioactivity in Nature,
The University of Michigan,
http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo/introduction/natural.htm,
(accessed 13.12.2013).
[8] Y. Gohar, Transmutation of Transuranic Elements and Long
Lived Fission Product in Fusion Devices, International
Workshop on Blanket and Fusion Concept for the
Transmutation of Actinides,
http://aries.ucsd.edu/LIB/MEETINGS/0103TRANSMUT/gohar/Gohar-present.pdf, (accessed 13.12.2013).
[9] E. Donnelly et al., Acute Radiation Syndrome: Assessment
and Management, Southern Medical Journal, vol. 103, no. 6,
2010, pp. 54146.
[10] S.I.L. Eide, T.G. Hugo, and C.H. Ruge, Conference Report
No. 1, commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs: Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons,
International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI), 2013.
[11] E. Schlosser, Command and Control, New York, Penguin,
2013, p. 94; E. Donnelly et al., Acute Radiation Syndrome:
Assessment and Management, Southern Medical Journal, vol.
103, no. 6, 2010, pp. 54146.
[12] V. eicha et al., Incidence of Leukemia, Lymphoma, and
Multiple Myeloma in Czech Uranium Miners: A CaseCohort
Study, Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 114, no. 6,
2006, pp. 81822.
[13] World Nuclear Association, Waste Management:
Overview, 2012, http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/NuclearFuel-Cycle/Nuclear-Wastes/Waste-Management-Overview/,
(accessed 26.01.2014).
[14] Ibid.

[15] International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

(ICAN), Production of Nuclear Weapons,
http://www.icanw.org/the-facts/catastrophic-harm/productionof-nuclear-weapons/, (accessed 19.12.3013).
[16] R.J. Roscoe, K. Steenland, W.E. Halperin, J.J. Beaumont,
and R.J. Waxweiler, Lung Cancer Mortality Among Nonsmoking
Uranium Miners Exposed to Radon Daughters, The Journal of
the American Medical Association, vol. 262, no. 5, 1989, pp.
62933.
[17] J. Emseley, Natures Building Blocks: An AZ Guide to the
Elements, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 477.
[18] Reaching Critical Will, Environment and Nuclear
Weapons, http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/factsheets/critical-issues/4734-environment-and-nuclear-weapons,
(accessed 13.12.2013).
[19] United States Department of Energy (DOE), Hanford Site,
http://energy.gov/em/hanford-site, (accessed 11.01.2014);
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), Hanford Facts,
http://www.psr.org/chapters/washington/hanford/hanfordfacts.html, (accessed 20.12.2013).
[20] See Reaching Critical Will, Environment and Nuclear
Weapons, http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/factsheets/critical-issues/4734-environment-and-nuclear-weapons,
(accessed 13.12.2013).
[21] J. Vidal, Russian Region Where Submarine Caught Fire is
Worlds Atomic Dustbin, The Guardian, 30 December 2011.
[22] B. Draxler, Russias Decommissioned Nuclear Bombs
Provide 10% of U.S. Electricity, Discover Magazine, 11
December 2013.
[23] Z. Keck, America Leads the World in Nuclear Tests, The
Diplomat, 06.06.2013.
[24] O. Njlstad, Under en Radioaktiv Himmel, Oslo,
Forsvarsstudier 3/1996, p. 5.

[25] See T.E. Hamilton, The Health Effects of Radioactive

Fallout on Marshall Islanders: Health Policy Issues of Nuclear
Weapons, The PSR Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1, 1991, pp. 1523.
[26] Reaching Critical Will, Environment and Nuclear
Weapons, http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/factsheets/critical-issues/4734-environment-and-nuclear-weapons,
(accessed 13.12.2013).
[27] United Nations official website, Citing Horrific Human,
Environmental Effects, UN Officials Urge Global Ban on Nuclear
Tests, 2013.
[28] Ibid.
[29] Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear
Test-Ban-Treaty, General Overview of the Effects of Nuclear
Testing, http://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-ofnuclear-testing/general-overview-of-theeffects-of-nucleartesting/, (accessed 11.01.2014).
[30] Ibid.
[31] National Research Council, Exposure of the American
Population to Iodine-131 from Nevada Nuclear-Bomb Tests,
Washington DC, National Academic Press, 1999, p. 72.
[32] L. Yevtushok, N. Zymak-Zakutnia, S. Lapchenko, B. Wang,
Z. Sosyniuk, H.H. Hobbart, and W. Wertelecki, Persisting
Patterns of Elevated Congenital Malformations in a Chornobyl
Impacted Region of Ukraine, Omni-Net Ukraine Birth Defects
Prevention Program, 6 March 2013, http://ibisbirthdefects.org/start/pdf/NYAcadMedWW2.pdf, (accessed
16.12.2013); Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR),
Depleted Uranium, http://www.psr.org/nuclearweapons/depleted-uranium.html, (accessed 23.12.2013).
[33] Nature, Nuclear Bombs Mark Tusks and Teeth, vol. 499,
no. 7457, 2013.
[34] Y. Fujii, The Role of Atmospheric Nuclear Explosions on
the Stagnation of Global Warming in the Mid 20th Century,
Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, vol. 73,
no. 5, pp. 64352.

[35] J.C. Alvarado to the BBC, R. Morelle, Nuclear Weapon Test

Debris Persists in the Atmosphere,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25641310,
(accessed 26.01.2014).
[36] R. Morelle, Nuclear Weapon Test Debris Persists in the
Atmosphere, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scienceenvironment-25641310, (accessed 26.01.2014).
[37] Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear
Test-Ban-Treaty, General Overview of the Effects of Nuclear
Testing, http://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/, (accessed
11.01.2014).
[38]
S.I.L. Eide, T.G. Hugo, and C.H. Ruge, Conference
Report No. 1, commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs: Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons,
International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI), 2013.
[39]
L. Sartori, Effects of Nuclear Weapons, pp. 211 in
D. Hafemeister (ed), Nuclear Arms Today, New York, NY,
American Institute of Physics, 1991, p. 3.
[40]

Ibid., p. 7.

[41]

Ibid., p. 9.

[42]
A. Jha, Climate Threat from Nuclear Bombs, The
Guardian, 12 December 2006.

Nuke Map/graphing hand out

Name: ___________________________ Date:__________________ Pd:_______

NukeMap Investigation
Instructions:
1. In your online classroom click on the NukeMap website link
http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
2. Click the drop down menu in section (1) to choose a location to conduct your
simulation.
3. In section (2) titled Enter a yield, click the drop down menu and choose either little
boy OR fat man.
4. In section (3) titled Basic Options click on casualties (this will tell you the amount
of deaths that would result from this nuclear weapon in your chosen location).
5. Detonate!
6. Each member of the group records casualty numbers and scroll down to see thermal
radiation radius data. Record this information in the table below.
7. Go to the website http://www.worldatlas.com/citypops.htm to research the current
population data for the location your group chose for your simulation. Record it in the
table.
NukeMap Simulation Data
Hiroshima

(your location)

Total Population
Nuclear Weapon Casualties
Thermal Radiation Radius
8. Using the information from the NukeMap Simulation Data table, create two bar
graphs; one comparing the estimated casualties of Hiroshima with the casualties of
your location and the second comparing estimated area damage (thermal radiation
radius) to that of your location.

9. Using the information from your NukeMap Simulation Data and the bar graphs
you created, answer the following questions:
1. What percentage of the total population of your location were casualties?
(# of casualties/ total population)

2. Which location experienced the largest impact on the population?

3. Given the data you have collected, how might the use of a nuclear weapon in
this area affect the way people think about global conflicts and interdependence?

Summative Assessment Handout

Name: ____________________________ Date: __________________ Pd:_______
Summative: Students will choose from the following two assessment formats.
Option 1: The use of nuclear weapons still impacts the way governments monitor global
relationships, as well as the actions of other nations. Locate an article that was written
since 2010 that relates to the current impact that nuclear weapons have on international
relationships. Write a one page reflection on the article analyzing how the use of nuclear
weapons may have influenced the international relationships being discussed in the
article. Begin by briefly summarizing the article. Your reflection must provide specific
examples from the lesson such as data, testimony from your interview, information
regarding the global impact of nuclear explosions. Your reflection will be graded based
on the provided rubric.
Option 2: Choose a magazine or newspaper in which write an editorial article. Create a
one-page editorial article that argues for, or against the development, and use of nuclear
weapons. Your article must clearly state your argument and present specific evidence
from the lesson to support your opinion. Remember: Editorial articles are based on
opinions, but your opinions must be supported by facts that come from this lesson. Your
article will be graded based on the rubric provided.

Name: ____________________________ Date: __________________

Pd:_______
Rubric for project option 1 or 2 ,
Summative Assessment Rubric
4

Organization

Thoughts are well

formulated and
flow logically.
Writing is in easy
to view format and
contains proper
sentence structure
throughout.

Thoughts are well

formulated and
flow logically.
Writing is well
formatted and
contains few
sentence structure
errors.

Thoughts need better

organization.a
Writing is formatted
but contains several
structural errors.

Thoughts are not well

formulated and do not
flow logically. Writing is
in not well formatted
and contains numerous
errors.

Focus on
Topic:
Content

Response
demonstrates
knowledge of
multiple
perspectives and
understanding of
the topic.

Response
demonstrates some
knowledge of
multiple
perspectives and
understanding of
the topic.

Response does not

demonstrate
knowledge of
multiple perspectives
and understanding of
the topic

Response does not focus

on concepts addressed
in the writing prompt.

Support for
Analysis:

Response provides
exceptional
contextual support
for claims made.
Support comes
directly from the
class materials

Response provides
reasonable
contextual support
for claims made
and comes mostly
from class
materials

Response provides
little contextual
support for claims
made or support
comes from outside
sources

Response does not

provide contextual
support for claims
made.

Spelling and
Grammar

Response is void of
spelling and
grammatical
errors.

Response contains
few spelling or
grammatical
errors.

Response contains
many spelling or
grammatical errors.

Response contains an
unacceptable amount of
errors

Points
Earned

Reinforcement Interview
Name: ___________________________ Date: __________________ Pd:_______
Conduct an interview of an individual who was alive during the war. Interview
questions to guide reinforcement interview,
1) What are their interviewee's thoughts on the A-bomb and its use on Japan in 1945?
2) Was the person afraid of a possible nuclear war?
3) What country did they fear was most likely to start a nuclear war?
4)Were they afraid of being killed by a nuclear bomb?

References
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succeeding in todays diverse classroom (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allny and Bacon.
Egeland, K. (2014, February). ILPI Weapons of Mass Destruction Project. Retrieved July
14, 2016, from http://nwp.ilpi.org/?p=2177
Goudvis, A Harvey, S (2007) Strategies that Work Teaching Comprehension for
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