Severe Weather and Emergency Preparedness

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Established Goal(s)

Prepared Graduates: Evaluate evidence that Earths geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere interact as a complex system.

Understandings Essential Questions

Relevance and Application: Inquiry Questions:

Some cities have emergency plans for earthquakes, How do changes on Earths surface impact
flooding, eruptions, and tornadoes. humans?

Students will know Students will be able to

The types of severe weather.
The items needed to develop an emergency
preparedness kit in the event of severe weather.
The locations of evacuation centers in their
neighborhoods.
Identify the types of severe weather including
hurricanes, tornadoes, heavy rains, and blizzards.
Develop a list of appropriate items to be
prepared in advance of an emergency.
Construct home based emergency response
plans and included an actual identified
evacuation location near their home.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

Formative (What evidence will show that students understand each step toward desired results?)

Students graphic comics will serve as the summative assessment and will indicate an understanding of
the following components:
- Types of severe weather
- Appropriate action to be taken in an emergency
- Appropriate preparedness actions to be taken in response to an order to evacuate (specifically
items to be packaged)

Comics will be assessed against the rubric. Students will not receive a grade on the summative
assessment, instead missing information or apparent gaps in knowledge will be catalogued and
addressed though manipulation of lesson delivery.
Summative (What evidence will show that students understand the desired results?)
The students final presentation and content of the home-based emergency plans will serve as the
formative assessment to this unit. Students will be required to include the lesson vocabulary, identify
the specific severe weather threats in Colorado, and identify appropriate items to include in a disaster
preparedness kit. The Formative Assessment will be graded against the rubric and students will receive
a formal grade; students are expected to be at the Proficient (4) Level. See below for rubric criteria.

Proficient (4) Developed (3) Emerging (2) Basic (1)

Without teacher assistance,
student can clearly define the
lesson vocabulary, has a
working understanding and can
easily identify the specific types
of severe weather we face in
Colorado, and with 100%
accuracy identify appropriate
items to package in a disaster
preparation kit.
In concert with teacher
With some prompting
With significant prompting student can list types of
student can list at least
student can identify at severe weather, with
four types of severe
least two types of severe significant prompting student
weather, can identify at
weather, can identify at can identify at least one
least three specific weather
least two weather threats weather threat dealt with in
threats in Colorado, and
in Colorado, and with 50% Colorado, student cannot
with 75% accuracy list
accuracy list appropriate reach 25% accuracy OR name
appropriate items to
items to be package in a three or more appropriate
package in a disaster
disaster preparation kit. items to package in a
preparation kit.
disaster preparation kit.

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

5E Inquiry Instructional Model
Engage

Students will be greeted with a pre-recorded emergency announcement including tornado sirens stating
the following, Attention! At 9:05am the National Weather Service has issued a severe weather alert, a
tornado has touched down 3 blocks west from Adventure Elementary School. Civilians in the vicinity are
advised to seek shelter away from windows and outer facing walls.
Students will be directed to take shelter and report to their pre-identified tornado muster location (the
same location used in the event of an actual tornado touchdown). After five minutes the students will
be given the all clear and directed to return to class. Upon returning to class each student will be given a
Disaster Journal for the duration of the unit to record their insights, new ideas, track and record their
ideas, and respond to classroom discussions. Students will have 15 minutes to reflect on and record
their responses to the following questions:

1. How did you feel about the exercise? Were you nervous, scared, or worried?
2. What would you do if you were not at school when you heard the sirens? What if you were at
home?
3. Do you think the city has plans for severe weather? What do you think the city plans entail?
4. Do you have a plan in your home for severe weather? What if you had to evacuate or leave
your home, are you ready to go?
5. What if you had to stay in your home for several days without electricity or you could not go to
the grocery store, what would you do?

After 15 minutes students will take part in a small group discussion of groups of no more than (4)
students and share the thoughts they recorded and discuss them amongst the small group for an
additional 15 minutes.

The class will come back together and groups will share out. The teacher will keep a running chart of the
ideas in response to questions 3, 4, and 5. The responses to question 4 can be listed as yes or no. Ideas
from questions 3 and 5 should be recorded in list format under What We Currently Know About
Disaster Plans and What I Would Do If I Could Not Leave My House. This charts should remain posted
around the room for the duration of the lesson.

Explore

In coordination with the Adams County Department of Emergency Management, students will visit and
tour the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) wherein they will explore the technology behind disaster
response at the county level. This visit will also include a description of the county level plans in place to
respond to a disaster. Students will be instructed on the differences between plans for snow, heavy
rains, and tornadoes. Lastly, students will explore pre-identified county evacuation centers in the local
community and locate the facility closest to their home on a county map recording the address. Prior to
departing the EOC students will record their reactions to the information in their disaster journals.
Information should include the following:
1. How they felt during the discussion and exploration
2. New things they have learned
3. Ideas that will help them in the construction of their home-based emergency response plan
4. Questions that still remain
5. Any concerns they have about the information

Explain

After watching the short film Nat Geo Kids Video: Kids Wonder About Weather
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nat+geo+kids+weather+videos&FORM=VIRE5#view=detail&mid
=13E29EA0B33058DF065413E29EA0B33058DF0654

Students will break into partners and explore the Ready.gov website at the following link
http://www.ready.gov/kids/games. Partners will participate in both games including, Disaster Master,
and Build A Kit. Disaster Master is a game in which students move through eight levels entailing
different disasters including the following:

Level 1 Wildfire
Level 2 Tornado
Level 3 Hurricane/Blackout
Level 4 Home Fire
Level 5 Winter Storm/Extreme Cold
Level 6 Tsunami/Earthquake
Level 7 Thunderstorm/Lightning
Level 8 The Hot Seat
As students move through the levels they will become more familiar with the various types of severe
weather and appropriate responses to each of the situations. The second game Build A Kit, will enable
students to move through different rooms in a house and collecting necessary supplies in response to a
blackout and evacuation. At the end of the game each student will print out a checklist of items to be
included in a preparedness kit to insert into their disaster journal and use for the development of their
home-based emergency response plan.

Lastly, students will produce a graphic comic setting the scene and characters and depicting the
following elements: a type of severe weather, items to be included in an emergency
preparedness/evacuation kit, and a location to which the character will evacuate. Students can access
the printed list of emergency supplies and recall information provided during the Disaster Master
game. Each student will be responsible for developing their own graphic comic. Graphic comics will be
generated on the following website: http://www.scholastic.com/Graphix/createcomic.htm

Elaborate

Students will devise a home-based emergency response plan. Their plan must include the development
of an emergency preparedness kit, evacuation location information, and a list of emergency numbers,
including phone numbers for their family members. In developing the plan students must take into
account the individualities of themselves and their family members, including required medications,
infants and seniors, disabilities, and dietary restrictions. Students will interview their families to glean
this type of information, take into account their families transportation capabilities, and Students will
have available to them the following resources:

- Ready.gov website
- Access to their Disaster Journal
- Access to the Adams County Department of Emergency Management website
- Build A Kit Checklist from Ready.gov website

The plan can be presented in any medium the student selects such as video, written submission,
pictures with captions, or PowerPoint presentation so long as it includes the required components
mentioned above. During the final week of the unit, students will present their plans to their classmates
and school administration. Families and members of the County Department of Emergency
Management will be invited to watch the presentations and participate in a potluck.
Attachments:

Disaster Master Homepage

Build A Kit Homepage
Kit Building Checklist
Lesson Outcomes Stages 1 and 2

Figure 1: Brainstorming Outcome

Story Map
Figure 2: Graphic Comic: Formative Assessment