Severe weather
Mapping your community – Learner challenge
Information for teachers
Introduction
This learner challenge is provided by Education Scotland to support the teaching of emergency and resilience education. It challenges learners create a map of their community
identifying groups of people who might require extra help during periods of severe winter weather.
The accompanying ‘Information for learners’ sheet provides a challenge brief, sets out the tasks, gives examples of useful resources and offers questions for learners to reflect
upon. The ‘Creating a Digital Map’ worksheet can be downloaded from the Ready for emergencies website.
Experiences and Outcomes
•
I am learning to assess and manage risk, to protect myself and others, and to reduce the potential for
harm when possible. HWB 1-16a - 4-16a
•
I know and can demonstrate how to keep myself and others safe and how to respond in a range of
emergency situations. HWB 1-17a - 4-17a
•
As I can use a range of maps and geographical information systems to gather, interpret and present
conclusions and can locate a range of features within Scotland, UK, Europe and the wider world. SOC
3-14a
•
I can use specialised maps and geographical information systems to identify patterns of human activity
and physical processes. SOC 4-14a
•
As I extend and enhance my knowledge of features of various types of software, including those which
help find, organise, manage and access information, I can apply what I learn in different situations.
TCH 1-03a - 2-03a
Taking it further
Learners could investigate emergency planning further,
considering what other steps to take in order prepare for and
cope with severe winter weather as individuals and
communities. This provides opportunities for partnership
working with members of local emergency planning groups.
Learners could consider in more detail the impact of severe
winter weather on their own lives.
The digital mapping exercise can also be used to support a
variety of different learning experiences across the curriculum.
The ‘How much salt?’ learner challenge (available on the Ready
for Emergencies website) can be used to help learners
understand how to respond to severe winter weather using
digital mapping techniques.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/readyforemergencies
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Severe weather
Mapping your community – Learner challenge
Information for learners
Challenge brief
Looking out for other people in your household, family and community during
severe winter weather is important, but remembering everyone who might need
support is not as easy as it sounds.
In this challenge, you are asked to think about groups of people in society who
might need support during such times. Digital mapping can be used as part of a
concerted community effort to create an effective support plan. This exercise will
provide you with the necessary skills to develop a digital map for your local
community marking.
The map should be designed to act as a checklist to help prepare for supporting
vulnerable people during times of severe weather.
Tasks
In a group, discuss the kinds of people who might need help during severe winter
weather. This could include people in sheltered housing, people with disabilities,
those going to or from hospital or those in areas which might be particularly badly
affected by severe weather. What support might they need?
Using the instructions on creating custom maps available from Google Maps (see
‘Resources’), create a digital map of your community highlighting where extra
support might be needed (for example care homes, special schools, hospitals,
etc).
Resources
Google Maps
http://maps.google.co.uk
Google Maps: Creating custom maps
http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/tutorials/mapseng_lite.html
Ready for Emergencies: Severe weather
http://www.readyscotland.org/are-you-ready/severe-weather/
Reflective questions
•
What types of severe weather do we get in winter?
•
How might severe winter weather affect you and your family?
•
Why might some people need extra support during periods of severe weather?
•
Why is it important to consider other people within your community during periods
of severe winter weather?
•
How can digital maps help you make an emergency plan?
•
In what other circumstances could digital maps help you?
Present your digital map to members of your local community emergency planning
group and discuss what extra support might be needed.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/readyforemergencies
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