Units of Work - Disaster Resilience Education For Schools

advertisement
Disaster Resilience
Education
Units of Work
Lower Primary
Middle Primary
Upper Primary & Lower Secondary
Mt Macedon
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
2|P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney–General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Contents
‘Emergencies and Me’ ......................................................................................... 4
Lower Primary Unit of Work ............................................................................ 4
What a Disaster? ................................................................................................ 13
Middle Primary School Unit of Work ............................................................. 13
Jigsaw Example – Types of Disasters ............................................................. 17
Jigsaw Approach ............................................................................................ 20
Appendixes..................................................................................................... 25
Disaster Education Learning Centre Tasks ..................................................... 30
Index of Learning Centre Tasks ...................................................................... 31
Disasters and the World around Us ................................................................... 46
Upper Primary/Lower Secondary Unit of Work ............................................ 46
Appendixes..................................................................................................... 60
Disaster Education Learning Centre Tasks ..................................................... 65
Index of Learning Centre Tasks ...................................................................... 66
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
P a g e |3
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
‘Emergencies and Me’
Lower Primary Unit of Work
The following unit of work is designed to follow the various stages of the Inquiry
Approach. The work of Lane Clark is acknowledged as the backbone of the
Inquiry Approach advocated here. The next page of this document provides an
overview of the stages of learning for this particular Unit.
The activities suggested in this Unit make use of various ‘Thinking Curriculum’
skills and strategies.
4|P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney–General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Series Line for Emergencies and Me
The following Series Line details a unit of work that might be followed. Each stage of this Series Line has suggested activities that could be
undertaken as a part of this unit of work or used separately to fit with a unit of work developed locally.
FREE IMMERSION
ACTIVITIES
This is an opportunity to
introduce the children to
the topic and to ‘key’
them into the unit of
work.
WHAT?
1. Establish what the children
know about disasters
2. Investigate the different types
of disasters
FINDING OUT
 Who deals with the
different types of
emergencies?
SO WHAT?
What does knowing this
information mean to the students,
what difference will it make to them
and their community?
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
INTERNALISE
This is an opportunity for
the students to ‘pull’
together their learning and
to ‘internalise’ the
information gathered

What do they do?

How do they do it?

What do they use to
help them?

When do they do it?
P a g e |5
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Free Immersion Activities
Provide students with an opportunity to ‘tune in’ to the topic.
Activities might include one or more of the following examples that could be
used as whole class activities, or provided as ‘stations’ that the students circulate
through.

Organise a talk/presentation by the local fire services, State Emergency
Service, Red Cross Branch, Ambulance Service
 Watch a suitable video, movie or cartoon about disasters e.g. ‘Hazards
Disasters and Survival’, ‘Great Australian Disasters of the 20th Century’,
or ‘Nature’s Fury – Natural Disasters’ (available for loan from the
Australian Emergency Management Library. You can contact the library
directly by email: em.library@ag.gov.au
 Collect newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and internet
images of emergencies and disasters and make a wall montage
 Listen to music from various disaster movies
 Read real life stories about disaster - some are available on the Disaster
Resilience Education for Schools website - www.em.gov.au/schools
through the use of the Living with Disaster – Digital Stories.
What?
What do they know?
Find out what the children know about disasters using one or more of the
following activities:
Brainstorm as a class (or in small groups and then as a class).

Remember - all contributions are accepted in a brainstorm.

Consider recording the information as pictures rather than words or in
a simple web format
Note: Pictures could be used to replace the words in this web.
6|P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
In groups children create a simple song, poem, play, poster, or story about
disasters or particular disasters.
Use the wall montage, created in the immersion stage, to attach brainstormed
information to.
Investigate the types of disasters that might affect our community.

Each Jigsaw ‘home’ group (see below) finds out about different types of
disasters.

Using the chart below students visit various ‘Research Stations’ to
collect information.

Individuals then return to their home group where the information is
collated on a group chart.
Possible Research Stations:

Use ‘Disaster Mapper’ – An interactive resource for schools (‘Disaster
Mapper’ is an interactive curriculum resource that have over fifty disaster
events that have occurred in Australia since 1890.It has facts and images
of each event and has the ability to identify where disasters occur
throughout Australia). ‘Disaster Mapper’ can be found on the Home page
at www.em.gov.au/schools, to locate your region in Australia and identify
the potential hazards/risks for your community.

non-fiction texts with information about a range of disasters

simple survey of students from other or older grades

fiction texts
Disasters Chart – students record their information (in words and/or pictures) in
each box
What I found out about disasters
Insert pictures of a
flood
Insert words about a
Insert words and
flood
pictures about a volcano
Wonderings?
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e |7
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Jigsaw Example (Types of Disasters)
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways; the suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being
undertaken. In this example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home groups). One person from each of the
‘home’ groups then joins one of the ‘expert’ groups. The ‘expert’ groups work together to find and share information on their ‘topic’.
Students then return to their ‘home’ group and share the information learnt.
8|P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Finding out – Who?
1. Place students into mixed ability home groups – see Jigsaw Approach below.
2. Using the chart below students visit the various Research Stations to collect
information find out about the people in our community who are involved in
emergencies. Note that ‘wonderings’ from the previous activity could be
added to the chart.
3. Individuals then return to their home group where the information is
collated on a group chart.
Research Stations could include:
Disaster Mapper – An interactive resource for schools (Disaster Mapper is an
interactive curriculum resource that has over fifty disaster events that have
occurred in Australia since 1890.It has facts and images of each event and has
the ability to identify where disasters occur throughout Australia. Disaster
Mapper can be found on the Home page at www.em.gov.au/schools.)

Non-fiction texts with information about a range of disasters

Simple survey of students from other or older grades

Fiction texts
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
P a g e |9
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
People and Emergencies Chart
Who?
What do they do
What do they use?
?
Police officer
Direct, rescue, protect,
Police car, dogs, sirens, lights,
helicopter,
Fire Person
Teach, put out fires,
Fire engines, hoses, water,
evacuate, rescue
helicopter, fire, bulldozers
Vulcanologist
National Parks Worker
Ambulance officer
Red Cross volunteer
Town Planner
10 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Jigsaw Approach (Learning about Particular Disasters)
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways. The suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being
undertaken. In this example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home groups). Students from each of the
‘home’ groups visit the various Research Stations to learn about one or two particular disasters. Students then return to their ‘home’
group and share the information learnt.
Research Stations
Students from each home group
visit the Research Stations to
gather information about their
disaster.
Home groups
Mixed ability groups
Six students in each group.
Students visit different Research Stations to gather
information about their disaster.
Students return to home groups to share information learnt
Research Stations
Students from each home group
visit the Research Stations to
gather information about their
disaster.
or ideas developed.
Disaster
Mapper
1
Web
Search
2
3
Fiction texts
Other / Older
student survey
4
11 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Internalise the information
1. The groups select a method to present their information to the class and
prepare their presentation.
Methods for presentation could include: an audio tape, video, a play, a dance, a
story, a picture, an advertisement, a chart, a book...
2. Students present their information to the class.
3. As a class combine the information from the group charts on a class chart.
Class Action Plan

Students develop a class action plan using the new information they
have learned. Plans could include:-Developing household emergency
plans.

Practising aspects of the School Emergency Plans on a regular basis.

Sharing their Learning Centre tasks with other grades, or the school
community – through the school newsletter, or the wider community –
on the school web site, or posters to put around the school.

Writing to the people who are involved in disasters with ideas that
could help them.

Creating a household or class emergency kit.

Undertaking a child’s first-aid course.

Raising money to donate one of the volunteer emergency groups.
12 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
What a Disaster?
Middle Primary School Unit of Work
The following Unit of Work is designed to follow the various stages of the Inquiry
Approach.
The work of Lane Clark is acknowledged as the backbone of the Inquiry Approach
advocated here.
The next page of this document provides an overview of the stages of learning
for this particular Unit.
The activities suggested in this Unit make use of various ‘Thinking Curriculum’
skills and strategies.
Series Line for What? A Disaster!
The following Series Line details a unit of work that might be followed. Each
stage of this Series Line has suggested activities that could be undertaken as a
part of this unit of work or used separately to fit with a unit of work developed
locally.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 13
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Free Immersion Activities
Provide students with an opportunity to ‘tune in’ to the topic.
Activities might include one or more of the following examples that could be
used as whole class activities, or provided as ‘stations’ that the students circulate
through.

Organise a talk/presentation by the local fire services, State Emergency
Service, Red Cross Branch, Ambulance Service

Watch a suitable video, movie or cartoon about disasters e.g. ‘Hazards,
Disasters and Survival’, ‘Great Australian Disasters of the 20th Century’,
or ‘Nature’s Fury – Natural Disasters’ (available for loan from the
Australian Emergency Management Library. You can contact the library
directly by email: em.library@ag.gov.au).

Collect newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and internet
images of disasters and make a wall montage

Listen to music from various disaster movies

Read real-life stories about disasters - see the Disaster Resilience
Education for Schools at www.em.gov.au/schools
14 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
What?
What do they know?
Find out what the children know about disasters using one or more of the
following activities:

Brainstorm - as a class (or in small groups and then as a class).

Remember - all contributions are accepted in a brainstorm.

Consider - recording the information in pictures and words or in a
simple web format.
Bush
Drought
Flood
Fire
Water
Fire truck

In groups, children create a simple song, poem, play, poster, or story
about emergencies or particular emergencies

Use the wall montage, created in the immersion stage, to attach
brainstormed information to.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 15
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Investigate the types of disasters that might affect our community
1. Each Jigsaw ‘home’ group (see below) finds out about different types of
disasters.
2. Using the chart below students visit various ‘Expert Groups’ to collect
information.
3. Individuals then return to their home group where the information is
collated on a group chart.
Possible Expert Groups:

Use Disaster Mapper – An interactive resource for schools (Disaster
Mapper is an interactive curriculum resource that have over fifty
disaster events that have occurred in Australia since 1890.It has facts
and images of each event and has the ability to identify where disasters
occur throughout Australia. Disaster Mapper can be found on the
Home page at www.em.gov.au/schools) to locate your region in
Australia.

Simple survey of students from other or older grades

Fiction texts

Disaster Chart
Type of disaster
16 | P a g e
What happens?
Wonderings?
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Jigsaw Example – Types of Disasters
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways; the
suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being undertaken. In this
example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home
groups). One person from each of the ‘home’ groups then joins one of the
‘expert’ groups. The ‘expert’ groups work together to find and share information
on their ‘topic’. Students then return to their ‘home’ group and share the
information learnt.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 17
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Check various events, including each of the types of disasters, to see if they fit
the definition of a disaster.
A simple definition: A disaster is something that causes a lot of destruction,
disruption and/or distress to a community.
Use the table on the next page for ‘home’ groups to discuss what a disaster is. A
class discussion could then follow.
What is a Disaster?
Event
A lot of destruction
A lot of disruption
A lot of distress
Car crash
Bushfire
Flood
Drought
Earthquake/Tsunami
Storm Surge
Heatwave
Bike accident
Cyclone
Landslide
Tornado
Volcano
Large toxic chemical
spill
Bridge collapse
Major animal disease
Severe Storm and
Lightning
18 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Find out
(The Who? Where? When? Why? & How? of various disasters).
1. Place students into mixed ability home groups – see Jigsaw Approach below.
2. Using the chart below students visit the various Research Stations to collect
information on the disaster they are finding out about. Note that
‘wonderings’ from the previous activity could be added to the chart.
3. Individuals then return to their home group where the information is
collated on a group chart.
Research Stations could include:
Disaster Mapper – An interactive resource for schools (Disaster Mapper
is an interactive curriculum resource that have over fifty disaster events
that have occurred in Australia since 1890.It has facts and images of
each event and has the ability to identify where disasters occur
throughout Australia. Disaster Mapper can be found on the Home page
at www.em.gov.au/schools.)

Non-fiction texts with information about a range of disasters

Internet

Simple survey of students from other or older grades

Fiction texts
Types of Disaster
Who is
involved?
Where do
When do
Why do they
they happen? they happen? happen?
How do they
happen?
Wondering?
?
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 19
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Jigsaw Approach
(Learning about Particular Disasters)
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways. The
suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being undertaken. In this
example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home
groups). Students from each of the ‘home’ groups visit the various Research
Stations to learn about one or two particular disasters. Students then return to
their ‘home’ group and share the information learnt.
20 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Internalise the information
1. The groups select a method to present their information to the class and
prepare their presentation. Methods for presentation could include: an
audio presentation, a video, a play, a dance, a story, a picture, an
advertisement, a chart, a book etc.
2. Students present their information to the class.
3. As a class combine the information from the group charts on a class chart.
Going Further
Provide students with a range of Learning Centre tasks (see below) to choose
from and a ‘Topic Wheel’ (see Appendixes) organiser to assist with undertaking
the task. Establish ‘criteria’ (see Appendixes about the Learning Centre tasks with
the students.
Students self assess their tasks against the criteria developed.
Blooms
revised
Remembering
Understanding
List disasters
that have
affected your
community in
recent years
Write a play
based on a
picture story
book involving a
disaster (E.g.
Smudge by
Jacqueline
French)
Applying
Analysing
Evaluating
Creating
Create a new
school
evacuation
plan
Write a
newspape
r article
about a
new
(fictitious)
flood
rescue
vehicle
Multiple
Intelligences
Word
(Linguistic)
Maths
(Logical/Math
ematical)
Make a
timeline of
Australian
disasters
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Get data
about a
particular
disaster and
construct a
graph that
educates
people about
disasters.
Create a map
of the school or
local area and
note the
potential
sources of
risk/hazards to
the school
P a g e | 21
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Picture
(Spatial)
Body
(Bodily/
Kinaesthetic)
Make a cartoon
strip showing
people how to
respond to a
particular
disaster.
Make a
diorama or
model of a
particular
disaster.
Find out the
‘speed’ of a
variety of
disasters – see if
you can outrun
them – record
your results.
Organise and
supervise a
school
evacuation
exercise.
Write and
perform a play
about how to
prepare for a
particular
disaster.
Write a
soundscape
that
represents a
particular
disaster.
Write a song
or jingle to sell
a household
emergency kit.
Musical
People
(Interpersonal)
Tell your family
or a younger
grade about an
Australian
hazard (design
an evaluation
form for your
audience to
complete)
Self
Nature
(Naturalist)
Interview
people about
their disaster
experiences.
Describe what
you do in a flood
situation
(Intrapersonal)
List ways in
which humans
contribute to
natural disasters
22 | P a g e
Create plans/
diagrams of a
new product
that will assist
in preventing
disasters
Find some
Indigenous
Australian
Dreamtime
stories that
mention
disasters. Explain
the stories in your
own words.
Write a song
that describes
how people
might feel
after a
disaster
Organising
and
participate in
a debate on
the value of
bushfires/
flooding.
Make a
recording or
brochure
about what
you think are
the main
‘rules’ for
surviving a
cyclone
Make a game
to teach
people about
water
conservation
Develop a
plan to rescue
an
endangered
animal from a
hazard.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Other tasks could include:

historical events in local, Australian or World history

information about what we can do about different disasters

activities which develop a greater understanding of particular disasters

communications in emergency situations

describe and then modify an emergency product

disasters in the media – books, stories, film, songs, music

environmental issues

detail about Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery

speculating on the future

literature and disasters

mapping activities

Internet resources evaluation

Art works about disasters and emergencies.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 23
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Internalise and reflect
In groups, or individually, students mind map their knowledge of disasters
Mind Mapping
Developed by Tony Buzan, Mind Mapping, in its simplest form, is a tool that can
be used to graphically record information and ideas.
So what? Action Plan

Students develop a personal action plan using the new information
they have learned. Plans could include:-

developing a household evacuation plan

reviewing the school’s Emergency Plans

sharing their Learning Centre tasks with other grades, or the school
community – through the school newsletter, or the wider community –
on the school web site

writing to the newspaper about the necessity for people to be prepared
for emergencies

creating a household emergency kit

organising and/or undertaking a kids first-aid course, and

organising an Evacuation Drill at school or home, analyse how it went,
suggest improvements and test again.
24 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Appendixes
Teaching and Learning Tools & Strategies
Detailed below are a number of teaching and learning tools & strategies
suggested for use in this Unit of Work.
Graphic Organisers.
Graphic organisers are charts that be used to assist students to record, organise,
evaluate and analyse, information. Examples include: simple webs, concepts
maps, Venn diagrams, Mindmaps, flow charts and matrices.
Wonderings
As students gather information and research particular topics questions may
arise regarding that topic or related ideas. Providing opportunities and
encouraging students to record their ‘wonderings’ will assist framing future
directions for their own, and potentially the group or class, inquiry learning.
Multiple Intelligences
Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University suggests that there are at least
eight different kinds of human intelligence, including 1. The Linguistic (Word) Intelligence;
2. The Mathematical/Logical Intelligence;
3. The Spatial (Picture) Intelligence;
4. The Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence;
5. The Musical Intelligence;
6. The Intrapersonal (Self) Intelligence;
7. The Interpersonal Intelligence; and
8. The Naturalist (Nature) Intelligence.
9. Blooms Taxonomy (Anderson Revision)
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 25
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Physical Behavioural Environmental Think–chart
A useful organiser for giving more detailed analysis of a topic or issue (in this
case we have also included a column for students to record their wonderings).
Disaster Type
Physical
Behavioural
Environmental
What does it
look like?
Cause
Where & when
do you find it?
(sound, smell
etc – it is the
taking in of
stimuli from
the five
senses).
 Swollen
rivers
 Lots of
water
Flood
 Heavy rain
 Big lake
 Flash floods
How does it
happen?
Wonderings?
Effect
What does it
do?
 Land
covered
with water
 Winter or
summer in
the tropics
 Houses
flooded
 Sometimes
with storms
or from a
tsunami
 Crops
destroyed
 Bridges
washed
away
 People can
be killed or
injured
 Heavy or
prolonged
rain
 Rivers
 Lakes
 coast
 How often
do they
happen in
Australia?
 What is the
biggest one
ever?
 Could it
happen to
my house?
 What do
you do in a
disaster like
this?
 Rivers break
banks
 Flash floods
26 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Think it - Venn Diagrams
Taking the information from a series of Think–charts and comparing and
contrasting that information within a Venn or tri-Venn diagram is known as the
Think it process and is an organiser sequence developed by Lane Clark. It is a
powerful process that when used correctly allows learners to discover the
characteristics of anything being examined. Venn diagrams are a useful tool for
grouping and comparing information.
In this example three different sources provide the following information about
severe storms. Using the diagram helps us see that severe storms have high
winds, but can also include heavy rain, flash flooding, tornados, thunder &
lightning, and hailstones.
Video
Cold temperatures
Snow
People killed
Flash flooding
Heavy rain
Hailstones
Text
High winds
Crops destroyed
Fires started
Buildings damaged
Stock killed
Cars washed away
People injured
Net search
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 27
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Developing Criteria
Developing criteria regarding the expectations of an activity assists students to
clarify what they are working towards, and provides students with opportunities
to self or peer assess. Criteria should preferably be developed or negotiated with
the students. An example of Criteria that might have been developed for the
Middle Primary Learning Centre tasks might look thus:
OK
Great
Really Great
disaster ideas on your topic
5 disaster ideas on your
7 disaster ideas on your
included
topic included
topic included
ideas for action described
4 ideas for action described
6 ideas for action described
Sources of information used 3 sources of information
4 sources of information
used
used
information about local, or
2 communication vehicles
Information about local,
national or international
used
and national and
issues included
international issues
included
1 communication vehicle
2 communication vehicles
3 communication vehicles
used
used
used
28 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Topic Wheels
Students complete the following table to assist them with clarifying the direction
and form of their study/research:
Some ideas for finding out:

write a letter

survey people

phone someone

visit somewhere

read a book or books

go to the school or local library

think about it and record your ideas

talk to others

test it

do it

photograph it

film it

search the net

send an email

watch a video.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 29
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Disaster Education Learning Centre Tasks
Middle Primary Student Activities
The following sets of Learning Centre Tasks are designed to be used in the ‘Going
Further’ stage of an inquiry process.
Students should negotiate with the teacher which of these ‘mini projects’ they
are to undertake.
There are two tasks per page. The page could be cut in half to make a set of
cards.
Each task includes:

A description of the task

An indication of the most likely Blooms level and Multiple Intelligence
Domain focus
A table for students to:

consider what resources they will require

consider presentation ideas

space to write brief notes/ideas and to record who they might be
working with

dot points for students to record criteria for assessment

space to record ideas for improvement after completion of the task
30 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Index of Learning Centre Tasks
Page No.
Title
Blooms level
Multiple Intelligence
Domain/s
32
A Disaster Play
Understanding
Word
32
Interview
Analysing
Interpersonal & Word
33
Local Disasters
Remembering
Word
33
Evacuation Plan
Evaluating
Word
34
Disaster Graph
Analysing
Maths
34
Local Emergency Manager
Creating
Intrapersonal
35
A Map Of Local Hazards
Evaluating
Maths & Spatial
35
A Timeline
Remembering
Maths & Spatial
36
The Speed Of Disasters
Understanding
Maths & Kinaesthetic
36
Cartoon Strip
Understanding
Spatial
37
Good Disasters?
Evaluating
Interpersonal & Word
37
Disaster Performance
Analysing
Kinaesthetic
38
Disaster Buster
Creating
Spatial
38
A New Flood Vehicle
Creating
Word
39
Construct a Disaster
Applying
Spatial
39
A Water Game
Applying
Naturalist & Spatial
40
Evacuation Exercise
Applying
Kinaesthetic
40
Spread The Word
Remembering
Interpersonal & Word
41
What Would You Do?
Understanding
Intrapersonal
41
Surviving A Cyclone
Understanding
Intrapersonal & Spatial
42
Human Causes
Remembering
Naturalist
42
Soundscape
Applying
Music
43
Emergency Kit Song
Analysing
Music
43
Feelings!
Creating
Music & Intrapersonal
44
Rescue Plan
Creating
Naturalist
44
Indigenous Australians
Understanding
Naturalist
45
Your Own Task
45
Blank sheet
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 31
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
A Disaster Play
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a short play
based on a picture
story book about a
disaster. (e.g.
Smudge by
Jacqueline French)
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Word
Interview
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Interview people
about their disaster
experiences. Present
the information in a
class talk.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
32 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Interpersonal & Word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Local Disasters
Task
Resources
Presentation
List disasters that
have affected your
community in recent
years.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Word
Evacuation Plan
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create a new school
evacuation plan.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Word
P a g e | 33
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Disaster Graph
Task
Resources
Presentation
Get data about an
Australian disaster
and construct a
graph which will
educate people
about those type
of disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Maths
Local Emergency Manager
Task
Resources
Presentation
Describe what you
would do if you
were in charge of
a local emergency
service.
List the resources
you will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
34 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
A Map of Local Hazards
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create a map of the List the resources you
school or local area will need:
and note the
potential sources of
risk/hazard for the
school.
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Maths & Spatial




Next time I would:
A Timeline
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a timeline of
Australian
disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Maths & Spatial
P a g e | 35
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
The Speed of Disasters
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Find out the ‘speed’
of various disasters
– see if you can
outrun them –
record your results.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Maths & Kinaesthetic
Cartoon Strip
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a cartoon
strip showing
people how to
respond to a
particular
emergency.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
36 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Spatial
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Good Disasters?
Task
Resources
Presentation
Organise and
participate in a
debate on the value
of bushfires and/or
floods.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Interpersonal &
Word




Next time I would:
Disaster Performance
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a play about
how to prepare for
a particular
disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Kinaesthetic &
Word
P a g e | 37
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Disaster Buster
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create
plans/diagrams of a
new product that will
assist in preventing
disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:




Next time I would:
Spatial
A New Flood Vehicle
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a newspaper
article about a new
(fictitious) flood
rescue vehicle.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
38 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Construct a Disaster
Task
Resources
List the resources you
Make a diorama or
model of a particular will need:
disaster.
Presentation
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Spatial
A Water Game.
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a game to
teach people about
water conservation.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Naturalist & Spatial
P a g e | 39
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Evacuation Exercise.
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Organise and
supervise a school
evacuation exercise.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Kinaesthetic
Spread the Word
Task
Resources
List the resources you
Tell your family or a
younger grade about will need:
an Australian hazard.
Notes/Ideas/Group
Presentation
Members
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
(Design an
evaluation form for
your audience to
complete).
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
40 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Interpersonal & word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
What Would You Do?
Task
Resources
Presentation
Describe what you
would do in a flood
situation.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal
Surviving a Cyclone
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a recording or
a brochure about
what you think are
the main ‘rules’ for
surviving a cyclone.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal & Spatial
P a g e | 41
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Human Causes
Task
Resources
Presentation
List ways in which
humans cause/
contribute to natural
disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Naturalist
Soundscape
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a soundscape
that represents a
particular disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
42 | P a g e
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Music
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Emergency Kit Song
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a song or
jingle to sell an
emergency kit.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Music
Feelings!
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a song that
describes how
people might feel
after a disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Music & Intrapersonal
P a g e | 43
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Task
Develop a plan to
rescue an
endangered animal
in your State or
Territory from a
potential hazard.
Rescue Plan

Resources
Presentation
List the resources you
will need:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Naturalist




Next time I would:
Indigenous Australians
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Find some
Indigenous
Australian
dreamtime stories
that mention
disasters. Explain
the stories in your
own words.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
44 | P a g e
Members
Level:
MP
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Naturalist
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney General’s Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Your Own Task.
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create your own
task – it must be
negotiated with your
teacher!
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
MI Focus:
Blank
Task
Resources
Presentation
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
MP
Blooms:
MI Focus:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 45
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Disasters and the World around Us
Upper Primary/Lower Secondary Unit of Work
The following Unit of Work is designed to follow the various stages of the Inquiry
Approach.
The work of Lane Clark is acknowledged as the backbone of the Inquiry Approach
advocated here.
The activities suggested in this Unit make use of various ‘Thinking Curriculum’
skills and strategies. The appendix at the end of the document contains detail of
a number of Teaching and Learning tools suggested throughout this Unit of
Work.
Series Line for Disasters and the World Around Us
The following Series Line details a unit of work that might be followed. Each
stage of this Series Line has suggested activities that could be undertaken as a
part of this unit of work or used separately to fit with a unit of work developed
locally.
46 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Free Immersion Activities
Provide students with an opportunity to ‘tune in’ to the topic.
Activities might include one or more of the following examples that could be
used as whole class activities, or provided as ‘stations’ that the students circulate
through.

Organise a talk/presentation by the local fire services, State Emergency
Service, Red Cross Branch, Ambulance Service

Watch a suitable video, movie or cartoon about disasters e.g. ‘Hazards
Disasters and Survival’, ‘Great Australian Disasters of the 20th Century’,
or ‘Nature’s Fury – Natural Disasters’ (available for loan from the
Australian Emergency Management Library. You can contact the library
directly by email: em.library@ag.gov.au).

Collect newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and internet
images of disasters and make a wall montage

Listen to music from various disaster movies

Read stories about disasters
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 47
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
What?
1. What do they know?
Find out what the children know about disasters using one or more of the
following activities:
Brainstorm as a class (or in small groups and then as a class).

Remember - all contributions are accepted in a brainstorm.

Consider recording the information as pictures rather than words or in
a simple web format
.

In groups children create a simple song, poem, play, poster, or story
about disasters or particular disasters

Use the wall montage, created in the immersion stage, to attach
brainstormed information to.
2. Investigate the types of disasters that might affect our community!
a.
Each Jigsaw ‘home’ group (see below) finds out about different
types of disasters
b.
Using the chart below students visit various ‘Expert groups’ to
collect information
c.
Individuals then return to their home group where the information
is collated on a group chart.
48 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Possible Expert groups:

Locate your region in Australia in Disaster Mapper –see Home page
www.em.gov.au/schools

Non-fiction texts with information about a range of disasters

Internet search

Simple survey of students from older grades

Fiction texts
Student might use an Organiser, such as the example below, to record their
findings:
Disaster
Type
Volcano
Landslide
What
Happens?
Where can it
happen?
Who might
be involved?
Wonderings?
Hot rock
and gas
escapes the
earth’s crust
All around the
world
Local people
None on the
Australian
mainland
Medical
people
When was the
last one on
the Australian
mainland?
Doesn’t
happen much
in Australia
SES
Rocks and
soil slide
down a
hillside
Fire fighters
vulcanologists
Ambulance
Residents
Police
Do they
happen under
the sea?
How can you
stop them?
Why do they
happen?
Fire brigade
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 49
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Jigsaw Example (Types of Disasters)
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways; the
suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being undertaken. In this
example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home
groups). One person from each of the ‘home’ groups then joins one of the
‘expert’ groups. The ‘expert’ groups work together to find and share information
on their ‘topic’. Students then return to their ‘home’ group and share the
information learnt.
50 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Check various events, including each of the types of disasters, to see if they fit
the definition of a disaster.
One definition: A disaster is something that causes a lot of destruction,
disruption and/or distress to a community.

Use the table below for ‘home’ groups to discuss what a disaster is. A
class discussion could then follow.

Students could also use this information to construct flow charts e.g. 1.
a flow chart for a fire related to destruction and/or disruption and/or
distress; 2. a flow chart on responding to a fire; and 3. a flow chart
related to what could be done to prevent or prepare for a similar event
in the future.
What is a Disaster?
Event
A lot of
Destruction
A lot of Disruption
A lot of Distress
Car crash
Bushfire
Flood
Drought
Earthquake/Tsunami
Storm Surge
Heatwave
Bike accident
Cyclone
Landslide
Tornado
Volcano
Large toxic chemical spill
Bridge collapse
Major animal disease
Severe Storm and
Lightning
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 51
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Find out
The Who? Where? When? Why? & How? of various emergencies.
1. Place students into mixed ability home groups – see Jigsaw Approach below.
2. Using the chart below students visit the various Research Stations to collect
information on the emergency they are finding out about. Note that
‘wonderings’ from the previous activity could be added to the chart.
3. Individuals then return to their home group where the information is
collated on a group chart.
Research Stations could include:
Disaster Mapper – An interactive resource for schools (Disaster Mapper
is an interactive curriculum resource that have over fifty disaster events
that have occurred in Australia since 1890.It has facts and images of
each event and has the ability to identify where disasters occur
throughout Australia. Disaster Mapper can be found on the Home page
at www.em.gov.au/schools.)

Non-fiction texts with information about a range of disasters

Internet search

Simple survey of students from other or older grades

Fiction texts
Who is
Where do
When do they
Why do they
How do they
involved?
they happen?
happen?
happen?
happen?
?
52 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Wondering?
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Jigsaw Approach (Learning about Particular Disasters)
This is a cooperative group strategy that can work in a variety of ways. The
suggestion below can be modified to suit the activity being undertaken. In this
example a class of 24 students are divided into four mixed ability groups (home
groups). Students from each of the ‘home’ groups visit the various Research
Stations to learn about one or two particular disasters. Students then return to
their ‘home’ group and share the information learnt.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 53
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Internalise the information
1. The groups select a method to present their information to the class and
prepare their presentation. Methods for presentation could include: an
audio presentation , a play, a dance, a story, a picture, an advertisement,
a chart, a book
2. Students present their information to the class
3. As a class combine the information from the group charts on a class chart
54 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Learning Centre Tasks
Blooms
Rememberi
ng
Understanding
Applying
List disasters
that have
affected your
community in
recent years
Write a short play
based on a
particular disaster.
Write a story
about a
volcano that
erupts in
Western
Victoria
Make a timeline
of Australian
disasters
Create a
spreadsheet
detailing
information from
three different
cyclones.
Analysing
Evaluating
Creating
Create a new
school
evacuation
plan
Write a
newspaper
article about
a new
(fictitious)
flood rescue
vehicle
Create a map
of the local
area and note
the potential
sources of
risk/hazards
to the school
Develop a
flow chart of
potential
Preparation,
Preparednes
s, Response
and
Recovery for
a Tsunami
(Revised)
Multiple
Intelligences
Word
(Linguistic)
Maths
(Logical/
Mathematical
)
Picture
(Spatial)
Body
(Bodily/
Kinaesthetic)
Get data from
various
Australian
disasters and
construct a
graph that
shows their
potential
impact on the
Economy
Make a
cartoon strip
showing
people how to
respond to a
particular
disaster.
Make a
diorama
or model
of a
particular
disaster.
Find out the
‘speed’ of a
variety of
disasters – see
if you can
outrun them –
record your
results.
Organise
and
supervise
a school
evacuatio
n
exercise.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Create
plans/dia
grams of
a new
product
that will
assist in
preventi
ng
disasters
Create and
perform a
play about
how to
prepare
for a
particular
disaster.
P a g e | 55
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Construct
a music
film clip
that
explains
the
concept of
PPRR.
Musical
People
(Interpers
onal)
Tell your
family or a
younger
grade
about an
Australian
Hazard
(design an
evaluation
form for
your
audience
to
complete)
Describe
what you
would do
in a flood
situation.
Self
(Intrapers
onal)
Nature
(Naturalist
)
Write a
soundscap
e that
represents
a
particular
disaster.
List ways
in which
humans
contribute
to Natural
Disasters
56 | P a g e
Examine a
number of
Indigenous
Australian
dreamtime
stories –
what
references
do they
make to
disasters.
Make a
game to
teach
people
water
conservati
on.
Write a
song or
jingle to
sell an
emergenc
y kit.
Write a song
that describes
how people
might feel after
a disaster
Interview
people
about
their
disaster
experienc
es,
present
the
informati
on in a
class talk.
Organise
and
participate
in a debate
on the
value of
bushfires/
flooding.
Describe
how you
would
use
technolog
y to
manage
an
emergenc
y
Make a
recording
or
brochure
about
what you
think are
the main
‘rules’ for
surviving a
cyclone
Describe what
you would do if
you were in
charge of a
local
Emergency
Service
Organise a
panel
discussion
about the
effects of
human
made
disasters
on the
environme
nt.
Develop a plan
to rescue an
endangered
animal from a
flood or
bushfire
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Other tasks could include:

activities based on the ‘wonderings’ developed so far

historical events in local, Australian or World History

activities which develop a greater understanding of particular
emergencies

communications used in Emergency Management (EM)

describe and then modify an EM product

data gathering, interpretation and presentation activities

disasters in the media – books, stories, film, magazines, music

on the concept of Preparation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery

speculating on the future

literature and disasters

detail a particular event in history

detail on responders (Fire services, Ambulance, SES, Red Cross,
Salvation Army)

Internet resources evaluation

Art works about disasters
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 57
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Internalise and reflect
In groups, or individually, students Mind Map their knowledge of disasters
Mind Mapping
Developed by Tony Buzan Mind Mapping, in its simplest form, is a tool that can
be used to graphically record information and ideas.
So what? Action Plan
Students develop a personal action plan using the new information they have
learned. Plans could include:
Developing a household emergency plan.

Reviewing the school’s Emergency Plans.

Sharing their Learning Centre tasks with other grades, or the school
community – through the school newsletter, or the wider community –
on the school web site.
58 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work

Writing to the newspaper about the necessity for people to be
prepared for disasters.

Creating a household emergency kit.

Organising and/or undertaking a child’s first-aid course.

Organise an Evacuation Drill at school or home, analyse how it went,
suggest improvements and test again.
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 59
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Appendixes
Teaching and Learning Tools & Strategies
Detailed below are a number of teaching and learning tools & strategies
suggested for use in this Unit of Work.
Graphic Organisers.

Graphic organisers are charts that can be used to assist students to
record, organise, evaluate and analyse, information. Examples include:simple webs, concepts maps, Venn diagrams, Mindmaps, flow charts,
matrices.
Wonderings (Lane Clark)
As students gather information and research particular topics questions may
arise regarding that topic or related ideas. Providing opportunities and
encouraging students to record their ‘wonderings’ will assist framing future
directions for their own, and potentially the group or class, inquiry learning.
Multiple Intelligences
Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University suggests that there are at least
eight different kinds of human intelligence, including 1. The Linguistic (Word) Intelligence;
2. The Mathematical/Logical Intelligence;
3. The Spatial (Picture) Intelligence;
4. The Bodily/Kinaesthetic Intelligence;
5. The Musical Intelligence;
6. The Intrapersonal (Self) Intelligence;
7. The Interpersonal Intelligence; and
8. The Naturalist (Nature) Intelligence.
60 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Blooms Taxonomy
Physical Behavioural Environmental Think–chart. A useful organiser for giving
more detailed analysis of a topic or issue (in this case we have also included a
column for students to record their wonderings) .
Disaster
Physical
Behavioural
Environmental
Type
What does it
look like?
Cause
Where & when
do you find it?
(sound, smell etc
– it is the taking
in of stimuli from
the five senses).
Swollen rivers
Flood
How does it
happen?
Wonderings?
Effect
What does it do?
Lots of water
Land covered
with water
Heavy rain
Houses flooded
Big lake
Crops destroyed
Flash floods
Bridges washed
away
People can be
killed or injured
Heavy or
prolonged rain
Winter or
summer in the
tropics
How often do
they happen in
Australia?
Sometimes with
storms or from a
Tsunami
What is the
biggest one
ever?
Rivers
Could it happen
to my house?
Lakes
coast
What do you do
in an emergency
like this?
Rivers break
banks
Flash floods
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 61
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Think it - Venn Diagrams
Taking the information from a series of Thinkcharts and comparing and
contrasting that information within a Venn or tri-Venn diagram is known as the
Think it process and is an organiser sequence developed by Lane Clark. It is a
powerful process that when used correctly allows learners to discover the
characteristics of anything being examined. Venn diagrams are a useful tool for
grouping and comparing information.
In this example three different sources provide the following information about
severe storms. Using the diagram helps us to see that severe storms have:

High winds
But can also include:

Heavy rain

Flash flooding

Tornados

Thunder & Lightning

Hailstones
Cold
temperatures
Snow
People killed
Hailstones
Text
Crops destroyed
Fires started
Stock killed
People injured
High
winds
Tornados
Lightning &
Thunder
Flash
Flooding
Heavy rain
Buildings damaged
Cars washed away
Internet search
62 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Developing Criteria
Developing criteria regarding the expectations of an activity assists students to
clarify what they are working towards, and provides students with opportunities
to self or peer assess. Criteria should preferably be developed or negotiated with
the students.
An example of Criteria that might have been developed for the Upper
Primary/Lower Secondary Learning Centre tasks might look thus:
Below Expected
At Expected
Above Expected
4 disaster ideas on your
topic included
7 disaster ideas on your
topic included
9 disaster ideas on your topic
included
2 ideas for action
described
4 ideas for action described
6 ideas for action described
3 sources of information
used
4 sources of information
used
5 sources of information
used
Information about local,
or national or
international issues
included
Information about local,
and/or national and/or
international issues
included
Information about local, and
national and international
issues included
2 communication vehicles
used
3 communication vehicles
used
1 communication vehicle
used
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 63
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Topic Wheels
Students complete the following table to assist them with clarifying the direction
and form of their study/research:
Some ideas for finding out:















write a letter
survey people
phone someone
visit somewhere
read a book or books
go to the school or local library
think about it and record your ideas
talk to others
test it
do it
photograph it
film it
search the net
send an email
watch a video.
64 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Disaster Education Learning Centre Tasks
Upper Primary and Lower Secondary Student Activities
The Following set of Learning Centre Tasks are designed to be used in the ‘Going
Further’ stage of an inquiry process.
Students should negotiate with the teacher which of these ‘mini projects’ they
are to undertake.
There are two tasks per page. The page could be cut in half to make a set of
cards.
Each task includes:
A description of the task
An indication of the most likely Blooms level and Multiple Intelligence Domain
focus
A table for students to

consider what resources they will require

consider presentation ideas

space to write brief notes/ideas and to record who they might be
working with

dot points for students to record criteria for assessment

space to record ideas for improvement after completion of the task
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 65
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Index of Learning Centre Tasks
Page
Number
67
67
Title
Blooms level
Panel Discussion
Interview
Evaluating
Analysing
68
68
69
69
70
70
71
71
72
72
73
Local disasters
Evacuation Plan
A Disaster Play
Volcano In Australia
The Cost Of Disasters
Cyclone Spreadsheet
A Map Of Local Hazards
A Timeline
The Speed Of Disasters
Cartoon Strip
Good disasters
Remembering
Evaluating
Understanding
Applying
Analysing
Understanding
Evaluating
Remembering
Understanding
Understanding
Evaluating
73
74
74
75
75
76
76
Disaster Performance
Disaster Buster
A New Flood Vehicle
Construct a Disaster
A Water Game
Evacuation Exercise
Spread The Word
Analysing
Creating
Creating
Applying
Applying
Applying
Remembering
77
77
What would you do?
Surviving A Cyclone
Understanding
Understanding
78
78
79
Local Emergency Manager
PPRR Flow Chart
Music Film Clip
Creating
Creating
Understanding
79
80
80
Soundscape
Emergency Kit Song
Feelings!
Applying
Analysing
Creating
81
81
82
82
83
83
Human Causes
Technology & Emergencies
Rescue Plan
Indigenous Australians
Your own task
Blank sheet
Remembering
Analysing
Creating
Understanding
66 | P a g e
Multiple Intelligence
Domain/s
Naturalist & Word
Interpersonal &
Word
Word
Word
Word
Word
Maths
Maths
Maths & Spatial
Maths & Spatial
Maths & Kinaesthetic
Spatial
Interpersonal &
Word
Kinaesthetic
Spatial
Word
Spatial
Naturalist & Spatial
Kinaesthetic
Interpersonal &
Word
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal &
Spatial
Intrapersonal
Maths
Music &
Interpersonal &
Kinaesthetic
Music
Music
Music &
Intrapersonal
Naturalist
Intrapersonal
Naturalist
Naturalist
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Panel Discussion
Task
Resources
Presentation
Organise a panel
discussion about the
effects of human
made disasters on the
environment.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Naturalist & Word




Next time I would:
Interview
Task
Resources
Presentation
Interview people
about their disaster
experiences, present
the information in a
class talk.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Interpersonal & Word
P a g e | 67
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Local Emergencies
Task
Resources
List disastersthat have List the resources you
will need:
affected your
community in recent
years.
Presentation
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Word
Evacuation Plan
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create a new school
evacuation plan.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
68 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
A Disaster Play!
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a short play
based on a particular
disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Word
Volcano in Australia!
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a short story
about a volcano that
erupts in Western
Victoria?
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
(It is possible you
know!)
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Word
P a g e | 69
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
The Cost of Disasters
Task
Resources
Presentation
Get data from various
Australian disasters
and construct a graph
which shows their
potential impact on
the economy.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Maths




Next time I would:
Cyclone Spreadsheet
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create a spreadsheet
detailing information
from three different
cyclones.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
70 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Maths
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
A Map of Local Hazards
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create a map of the
local area and note
the potential sources
of risk/hazard for the
school. Use proper
mapping conventions.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Maths & Spatial




Next time I would:
A Timeline
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a timeline of
Australian disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Maths & Spatial
P a g e | 71
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
The Speed Of Disasters
Task
Resources
Presentation
Find out the ‘speed’ of
various disasters –
see if you can outrun
them – record your
results.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Maths & Kinaesthetic




Next time I would
Cartoon Strip
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a cartoon strip
showing people how
to respond to a
particular disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
72 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Spatial
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Good Emergencies?
Task
Resources
Presentation
Organise and
participate in a debate
on the value of
bushfires and/or
floods.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Evaluating
MI Focus:
Interpersonal & Word




Next time I would:
Disaster Performance
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create and perform a
play about how to
prepare for a
particular disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Kinaesthetic
P a g e | 73
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Disaster Buster
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create
plans/diagrams of a
new product that will
assist in preventing
disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Spatial
A New Flood Vehicle
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a newspaper
article about a new
(fictitious) flood
rescue vehicle.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
74 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Construct a Disaster
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a diorama or
model of a particular
disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Spatial
A Water Game
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a game to teach
people about water
conservation.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Naturalist & Spatial
P a g e | 75
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Evacuation Exercise
Task
Resources
Presentation
Organise and
supervise a school
evacuation exercise.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Kinaesthetic
Spread the Word
Notes/Ideas/Group
Task
Resources
Presentation
Tell your family or a
younger grade about an
Australian hazard.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Members
(Design an evaluation
form for your audience
to complete).
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
76 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Interpersonal & Word
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
What Would You Do?
Task
Resources
Presentation
Describe what you
would do in a flood
situation.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal
Surviving a Cyclone
Task
Resources
Presentation
Make a recording or a
brochure about what
you think are the main
‘rules’ for surviving a
cyclone
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal & Spatial
P a g e | 77
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Local Emergency Manager
Task
Resources
Presentation
Describe what you
would do if you were
in charge of a local
emergency service.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal
PPRR Flow Chart
Task
Resources
Presentation
Develop a flow chart of
potential Preparation,
Preparedness,
Response and Recovery
for a tsunami.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for
presenting your
findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
78 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Maths
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Music Film Clip
Task
Resources
Presentation
Construct a music film
clip that explains the
concept of
Preparation,
Preparedness,
Response and
Recovery.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Understanding
MI Focus:
Music, Interpersonal &
Kinaesthetic
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Soundscape
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a soundscape
that represents a
particular disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Applying
MI Focus:
Music
P a g e | 79
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Emergency Kit Song
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a song or jingle
to sell an emergency
kit.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Music
Feelings!
Task
Resources
Presentation
Write a song that
describes how people
might feel after a
disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
80 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Music & Intrapersonal
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Human Causes
Task
Resources
Presentation
List ways in which
humans cause/
contribute to natural
disasters.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Remembering
MI Focus:
Naturalist




Next time I would:
Technology and Emergencies
Task
Resources
Presentation
Describe how you
would use technology
to manage an
disaster.
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Analysing
MI Focus:
Intrapersonal
P a g e | 81
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
Rescue Plan
Task
Resources
Presentation
Develop a plan to rescue
an endangered animal in
your State or Territory
from a potential hazard
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
Creating
MI Focus:
Naturalist
Indigenous Australians
Task
Resources
Presentation
Examine a number of
Indigenous Australian
dreamtime stories.
What references are
made to disasters?
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
82 | P a g e
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
MI Focus:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of work
Your Own Task
Task
Resources
Presentation
Create your own
task – it must be
negotiated with your
teacher!
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
MI Focus:
Blank
Task
Resources
Presentation
List the resources you
will need:
List ideas for presenting
your findings:
Notes/Ideas/Group
Members
Assessment:
How will you know you’ve done a good job?




Next time I would:
Level:
UP/LS
Blooms:
MI Focus:
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
P a g e | 83
Disaster Resilience Education
Units of Work
84 | P a g e
AEMI – A Centre of Excellence
Attorney Generals Department
Download