Activity

Don’t Panic

Key Learning

Students will describe and illustrate the geographical features of their local environment and develop an emergency plan for their school.

The Australian Curriculum

Geography / Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The impact of bushfires or floods on environments and communities, and how people can respond(ACHGK030)

Geography / Geographical Inquiry and Skills / Reflecting and responding
Reflect on their learning to propose individual and collective action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge and describe the expected effects of their proposal on different groups of people(ACHGS046)
/ Science / Science Understanding / Earth and space sciences
Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect Earth’s surface(ACSSU096)

Discussion Questions

1.  Explain how you might react in a natural disaster. Discuss as a class.

2.  Brainstorm a list of natural disasters.

3.  Name the ABC science show that tested families in an emergency.

4.  What does the Matthews’s family fill up with water to prepare their house for a bushfire?

a.  Bath

b.  Kitchen sink

c.  Water tank

5.  Why is it important to look online or check the radio during a natural disaster?

6.  Why might kids be better at coping with a cyclone emergency than adults?

7.  It is safe to drive through flood water. True or false?

8.  Why is it important to have an emergency plan and be prepared for a disaster?

9.  Make a list of items that you would put in an emergency survival kit. Compare it to your school’s survival kit.

10.  List your school evacuation areas.

Activities

Mind Map

Brainstorm a list of natural disasters. As a class students will share what they know about these events. Consider working on a class mind map to visually outline information – the words ‘natural disaster’ will be placed in the centre, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added.

Ask students if these disasters happen in Australia, and if so, where? Students will locate using Google Maps.

Mind mapping tools – http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/mind.aspx

Bubbl: brainstorming made simple – https://bubbl.us/

http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/teaching-activity/disasters-preparedness.html

Your environment – geographical features

Students will describe and illustrate the geographical features of their local environment. Students will then investigate the types of disasters that might occur in their community and whether they are in a high-risk area.

For example if you live in one of these environments, you are considered as being in a high-risk bushfire area.

A.  Close to or among grass or paddocks

B.  Close to or among dense open bush

C.  Near coastal scrub

D.  Where suburbs meet the bush or grasslands

Your school emergency plan

Find out if your school already has an emergency plan in place. Read through the plan with your students and answer the following questions.

If your school does not have its own emergency plan work with your class to prepare an emergency plan and survival kit. Consider working alongside the principal and school representative council (SRC) during the planning stage.

Refer to the ABC’s checklists and survival kits for more information on what to include in your emergency plan.

ABC News – Plan for an emergency http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/plan-for-an-emergency/

Students will share what they have learnt about disasters with other classes and the broader school community. For example, students could prepare an article for the school newsletter, a speech, a play or a web-based presentation.

Bushfire Plan

Watch the BtN Bushfire Plan story to find out how one primary school has prepared for the bushfire season. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3880224.htm

After watching the story, hold a class discussion.

1.  Why is it important for schools in high risk areas to have a bushfire plan?

2.  Where were the recent bushfires in Australia? Locate using Google Maps.

3.  Describe the environment surrounding the school in the Bushfire Plan story.

4.  What do you think makes a place more prone to bushfires?

5.  What is the most vital part of any bushfire plan?

a.  Water

b.  Fire blankets

c.  Controlled burning

6.  What alerts the students that there is a bushfire near their school?

7.  Once the alert sounds what do the students have to do?

8.  What is a refuge? Illustrate.

9.  List some of the items that are in the school’s bushfire supply kit.

10.  Is your school in a high risk bushfire zone? Find out if your school has a bushfire plan.

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the BtN Bushfire Plan story page. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3880224.htm

8 Related Research Links

ABC Catalyst – Home

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/default.htm

ABC Emergency – Current ABC Emergency Coverage

http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/

ABC Emergency – Get Ready & Survive: Plan for an Emergency

http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/plan-for-an-emergency/

Government of South Australia – Emergency plans and kits

http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/Emergency,+safety+and+infrastructure/Emergency/Earthquakes/Before+an+earthquake/Emergency+plans+and+kits

NSW Government – Emergency survival Kit

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/dsp_content.cfm?cat_id=2732

Behind the News – Bushfire Plan

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3880224.htm

Behind the News – Spring Fires

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3875965.htm

Behind the News – Bushfire Disaster

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2488554.htm

Behind the News – Disaster Response

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s1655134.htm

©ABC 2013