Chernobyl Disaster's 25th Anniversary

April 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. Unfortunately, the current disaster at the six Fukushima nuclear reactors caused by the Sendai earthquake and tsunami in Japan provides another reminder of the dangers of nuclear power.

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

The disaster began during a systems test at reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the town of Pripyat. There was a sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions.

This event exposed the graphite moderator of the reactor to air, causing it to ignite. The resulting fire sent a plume of highly radioactive smoke fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat. The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe.

Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were evacuated, and over 336,000 people were resettled. According to official post-Soviet data, about 60% of the fallout landed in Belarus.

Both the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents raised concerns about the safety of the nuclear power industry. In Russia, it slowed the growth of the nuclear power industry for decades. In Japan, it raised serious concerns about nuclear power plant inspection. In the U.S., it generated new fears about reliance on the development of additional nuclear power plants as part of an overall solution to alternative and clean energy policy.

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity to help your students learn more about the benefits and hazards of nuclear power—"Nuclear Power—Savior or Demon?"

This and all BookCarts are complete inquiry-based learning activities for your students. This saves time for more teaching and learning that are too often consumed in non-productive searching and having to evaluate relevancy and credibility.

Each Cart provides examples of essential questions that help students to develop critical thinking skills that are so necessary with the glut of dubious information posted on the Internet. Each also includes student directions and a 21st Century skills and literacy standard. So, BookCart learning activities include everything that students need to succeed in inquiry-based learning in one place. You can copy, edit, and adapt these models to differentiate instruction for your students. Learn how:

• Logon to the eLibrary Science TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN tab at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Type Nuclear Power--Savior or Demon? in the SEARCH box
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE with the prefix COPY OF.
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Or, you can use these alternative ways to copy, edit, or create BookCart learning activities. Learn how, or see our short video. Traditional Search Learning Activity: Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) that cites at least four resources from the Pathfinder listed below. Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add to or substitute others):

• Why are most environmentalists against nuclear power—at least two reasons?
• How can nuclear power be made safer?
• How does the cost of nuclear power compare to green energy development?
• How popular and safe is nuclear power in other countries?

Type Nuclear Power in the Search box > Enter Nuclear Power in the Document Title box

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.