Jillian Kistler and Kristina Grogan
7th Grade Gifted World Geography
Hurricanes and their Impact on the Caribbean
Essential Guiding Question:
How do hurricanes affect specific groups of people in the Caribbean?
Sunshine State Standards:
 SC.6.E.7.8: Describe ways human beings protect themselves from hazardous weather and sun
exposure.
 SS.7.G.6: Understand how to apply geography to interpret the past and present and plan for the
future.
Learning Objectives:
 Students will identify specific ways hurricanes affect specific groups of people in the
Caribbean.
 Students will be able to act out preparation procedures or post hurricane procedures
carried out by Caribbean peoples.
Time Requirement:
The lesson will require one fifty minute class period to complete.
Lesson Content:
Hurricanes are one type of natural disaster that negatively affects groups of people, especially
those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Peoples of the Caribbean provide a prime
example of how devastating a hurricane can be when there is poor government infrastructure.
When this is the case, it is imperative for citizens of any country to prepare for the worst and
gather as many resources as possible to wait out a storm. After a storm has hit, the focus turns to
cleaning up and rebuilding. This can be especially difficult in poorer regions of the world, such
as the Caribbean, as they lack the resources to take the necessary steps to restore life as they
know it on the islands.
Student Grouping:
Students will be a handed a notecard with a designated group assignment as they walk in
the door to the classroom. Each of the 21 students will be given a 3x5 notecard with a number on
it, between one and seven, written in black permanent marker. For this lesson plan there will be a
total of 7 groups, with 3 students per group. Groups of three students were chosen to facilitate
discussion amongst group members. Smaller groups also help students’ better focus on their
activity by eliminating the possibility of off-task behavior and distractions caused by having too
many group members.
Methods:
Teacher based lecture: The teacher will lecture for a small portion of the beginning of class.
Through this lecture the basic themes and fundamental details that have been studied during this
unit can be recalled and reestablished for use in the main activity.
Student Act-It-Out: The students will serve as the teacher during this portion of the lesson. They
will use their own knowledge and the section reading designated for their group to teach the
other students about the effects of extreme weather on people in low socio-economic countries.
Activities:
Opening Activity: As the students come into the classroom they will be handed a notecard. On
the notecard there will be a number between one and seven. These numbers will indicate which
group each student will be assigned to for the main activity. The teacher will lecture for the first
five minutes of class. The economic factors as well as the social and governmental factors that
are affected by hurricanes in low socio-economic countries will be addressed.
The students will then be instructed to read a specific section in the designated chapter
that corresponds to their card number. The students will then have five minutes to read their
specific section.
Main Activity: After completing the required reading for their groups the students will then have
two minutes to transition into their small groups. During the planning time the students will have
their Action Guide (see attached copy) to help guide their group’s final product. There will be
seven different groups. Each group will be assigned a different role to act out. The groups will be
as follows:
o Acting out prevention and precautions prior to the hurricane’s arrival:
 Meteorologists
 Government officials
 Mother of six
o Acting out the process of rebuilding after the hurricane’s arrival:
 Fisherman
 Tobacco plantation workers
 Doctors
 Reporters
Each group will have a maximum of fifteen minutes to prepare a skit that acts out how each of
these groups are affect by the incoming hurricane. The skits should be no longer than three
minutes
The students will have the final 25 minutes of class to present each of their skits. Each group is
required to have all members participate in the planning and actions. During each performance
the observing groups will fill in the answers on their action guide to the corresponding actors and
their specific set of questions. This will be handed in upon exiting the classroom at the end of the
presentations.
The teacher in the last four minutes of class will explain the homework assignment. While
explaining pass out the handout that the students will take home to guide them through their
homework assignment (see attachment). The students will have to go home and speak with their
parents and create an action plan in the case that their home or city were to be affected by a
hurricane detailing procedures for before, during, and after the storm. This action plan will be
handed in at the beginning of the next class.
Important Questions to Ask:
 How does living in a poor Caribbean country affect a person of the upper class, middle
class, and low income level during extreme weather such as a hurricane?
 What are the precautions that people of all income levels should plan to execute prior to a
major hurricane hitting?
 What can people do to rebuild after a hurricane hits?
Materials:
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Textbooks for reading and reference
Notecards (for group Assignments)
Action Guide
Writing Utensils
Evaluation:
The students will be completing their Action Guides during the presentations and turning
them in at the end of the class period. The Action Guides will be graded out of fifteen points.
The completion of the Action Guide will provide a foundation for the students’ homework
assignment. For homework the students will use what they have learned in class and return home
to interview their parents. The students will ask what kind of precautions before and during a
hurricane, as well as steps to rebuilding they take in case their home is hit. From this interview
the students will create a hurricane action plan that they can use with their family in cases of
emergencies. This action plan should be no more than one page long. It should include but is not
limited to supplies the family will need and evacuation plans if possible. This assignment will be
due upon the next class meeting.
HOMEWORK GUIDE
PERSONAL HURRICANE ACTION PLAN
In the event of extreme weather you and your family will need to plan for different things.
Interview your parents and ask them what they do to keep the family safe during
hurricanes. On the back of this paper create an Action Plan for your family. Use the things
that your family already does and make changes to things that are not helpful and add
procedures that will maximize you and your home’s safety. Below are a few questions to
help you get your interview started. Be creative and use the information in class to help you
if you get stuck. Good Luck!
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What supplies do you use during a hurricane?
Where do you go during the hurricane?
How do you protect your home?
Are there things that could be done to prevent destruction that you do not do?
How would you rebuild in case your home were damaged or destroyed? Would you fix
your home or move to a new home?
NAME ____________________ ACTION GROUP _____________________
Action Guide
Use this Action Guide to help with the creation and action of your skit. Make sure that each
question is answered from your group’s assigned section below in your skit. During the
other group’s performances pay attention to the specific group’s questions. You will be
required to fill in the blanks and turn in this Action Guide at the end of class.
Meteorologist:
 How long have you tracked this storm? _______________________________________
 What category hurricane is this storm? ________________________________________
 What suggestions are giving to the people watching or listening to your broadcast to help
survive the storm? ________________________________________________________
Government Officials:
 Did you put into place any temporary laws like a curfew for the residents of your country
to help keep them safe? If so what did you do? __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
 Do you have any relief units ready to assist the public after the storm (ex. Red Cross)? If
so who and what will they do?_______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
 How does the government lose money because of a hurricane? _____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
 In what ways that the government can profit from a hurricane?
________________________________________________________________________
Woman with six children:
 Does your family have a place to escape the storm? If so where? ___________________
 What supplies will your family need to survive the storm? _________________________
 What precautions have you taken to protect your home? __________________________
Fishermen:
 What kind of precautions did you take to avoid damage to your boat and supplies during
the storm? ______________________________________________________________
 How much damage did you prepare to fix and how long do you think it will take you to
rebuild? ________________________________________________________________
 What is one thing you could have planned better in order to make rebuilding your
business easier? __________________________________________________________
Tobacco plantation workers:
 What damage was done to your work fields and how much time will it take to rebuild?
_____________________________________________________________________
 Will your employer be able to pay you for the time you are out of work because of the
storm? ________________________________________________________________
 What kind of work will you look for in order to supplement your income while you are
out of work? ____________________________________________________________
Doctors:
 What kind of preparations did you take before the storm?
____________________________________________________________________
 Did you set aside enough food, medical supplies, and staff to help with the aftermath of
the storm? If not what could you have planned better for? _____________________
____________________________________________________________________
 What is the one thing that is highest demand after the storm? ___________________
Reporters:
 What places were affected by the storm the most?________________________________
 Who is getting relief aid and who is not? (poor, rich, middle class) __________________
 What kinds of relief efforts are underway to help the victims of the storm? ____________
_______________________________________________________________________