Sequence of Learning Activities

 

Tuning In 

 

Students will brainstorm a list of hazards and resulting disasters in recent times. To demonstrate the difference between a hazard and a disaster, the teacher will specifically group the brainstormed words into the appropriate category and ask students if they can recognise the difference between them. 

 

In groups, using their collective knowledge of the impacts of the brainstormed disasters, students will be asked to rank the disasters from what they believe to be the most devastating to least devastating. Group’s will compare their responses and share what criteria they used to establish their ranked order. This will lead to a discussion of the agreed-upon criteria for determining the damage caused by a disaster. 

 

Finding Out 

 
Activities in this stage will give students the opportunity to find information relating to four main questions: 
  1. Under what conditions do particular hazards occur? (ie. flood, bushfire, cyclone) 
  2. Why do humans choose to live in high-risk areas? 
  3. What structures and/or warning systems can be put in place to prevent/minimise the extent of disasters? 
  4. What role do humans play in the extent of a disaster? 

 

To answer Question 1, students will engage with an interactive game used to demonstrate the conditions that are present when particular hazards occur. For more information about this lesson, see Stage 4a. 

 

In relation to the colour-coded world map created out of the lesson outlined in Stage 4a, students investigate the demography of various world regions. They assess answers for Question 2 by brainstorming ideas using an Interactive Whiteboard. 

 

Students will be given the opportunity to find further information regarding the extent of several of the brainstormed disasters. Using a Slam Dunk Lesson designed to help students examine the history of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the Boxing Day Tsunami and many more. Students will record specifically designed information in a table, to be considered and discussed in the Sorting Out stage. 

 

In groups, students investigate one type of hazard and the systems and/or structures that can be put in place to help minimise the effects of a disaster on the community. Students report their findings to their classmates to create a shared understanding for all hazards. 

 

Students are asked to discuss the ways in which they believe humans are responsible for the extent of the damage caused by disasters. Are there any types of hazards that are caused entirely by humans? Are there any daily activities they do that could contribute to a disastrous event? Can they change their behaviour in any way to ensure they are helping to minimise the risk of disaster? 

 

Sorting Out 

 
Activities in this stage help students to sort through the information gathered in the Finding Out stage to answer the question ‘What does it mean to be prepared for a disaster and what facts do people use to establish their perceptions of risk?’ 

 

Using the information gathered from the Slam Dunk Lesson, reconsider the order in which the groups would rank the disasters, similar to the way they did in the Tuning In stage. Has their order changed? Why or why not?  

 

Going Further 

 
Activities in this stage help students to consider the questions: 
  1. Was the community prepared for this disaster? 
  2. Was the preparedness of the community relational to the perceived risk of the hazard? 
 
Using the information gathered from the Slam Dunk Lesson and the class discussion regarding systems and structures for disaster prevention, students select one disaster for consideration in regards to the above questions. They will be asked to research the structures and systems that were in place when their chosen disaster occurred and use resident’s personal accounts of the perceived risk of disaster at the time. This activity will ultimately give them a ‘trial run’ in collecting the information necessary for the culminating task. 

 

Making Connections 

 
Students will begin their culminating assessment task in the Making Connections stage. The task will ask them to make use of all of their new understandings of hazards and disasters to act as a council advisor for a particular world city that may be vulnerable to hazards. They will suggest strategies for management and prevention of hazards for their assigned city. See Stage 2b for further details. 

 

Taking Action 

 
Students will continue with their culminating assessment task in the Taking Action stage. Students will be asked to create an Ed. Voicethread to share their suggested strategies for management and prevention of hazards for their assigned city. See Stage 2b for further details. 

 

Reflection 

 
Students will reflect on their own and their peers Ed. Voicethreads in a class discussion designed to provide constructive feedback and give an opportunity for students to ask questions about management and prevention strategies for other world cities beyond their assigned city. 

 

Students reflect on their learning by attempting to answer the overarching question ‘Disasters: Are they an inevitable natural process or human-induced? in a formatively assessed oral. 

 

Thinking Tools used throughout the Inquiry Unit
 

KWHL- Prior Knowledge 

Extended Brain Storming 

Bloom’s Taxonomy 

Creative Problem Solving 

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences 

 

eLearning 

 
Links to ISTE Nets and Performance Indicators for Students 

 

Creativity and Innovation 

Students demonstrate creative thinking; construct knowledge and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:  

  

a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes. 

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. 

 

Communication and Collaboration 

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, at a distance to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: 

  

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.  

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. 

c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures. 

d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems. 

  

Research and Information Fluency 

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: 

  

a. plan strategies to guide inquiry 

b. locate, organise, analyse, evaluate, synthesise and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. 

d. process data and report results. 

  

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making 

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tool and resources. Students: 

  

a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigations. 

b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. 

c. collect and analyse data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions. 

  

Digital Citizenship 

Students understand human, cultural and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behaviour. Students: 

  

a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. 

b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. 

 

Technology Operations and Concepts 

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students: 

  

a. understand and use technology systems. 

b. select and use applications effectively and productively. 

c. troubleshoot systems and applications. 

d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. 

 

Statements of Learning for ICT (taken from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/SOL06_ICT.pdf) 

 
As the Statements of Learning for ICT extend only to a Year 9 level, I have used these for this unit. As the students for this unit are working to achieve Standard 5 SACSA Outcomes, this unit could also be taught to Year 9 students and so I believed it was appropriate to include the Statements for this level. 

 

Inquiring with ICT  

Students have opportunities to routinely use ICT to enhance their ability to research and construct new learning through inquiry. They often collaborate and use their ICT capabilities to identify the inquiry requirements, develop detailed plans or research outlines and systematically gather information in different forms from a variety of sources.  

 

Students understand that using ICT can enable broader inquiry and present a wide variety of information, opinions and perspectives. They have the opportunity to develop or use models to inquire, experiment with or gain new understandings of concepts, processes or systems 

 

Creating with ICT 

Students have opportunities to become critical and creative developers of ICT learning solutions. They work collaboratively and independently negotiating the development processes and producing creative ICT learning solutions for identified purposes and audiences. Students use ICT to develop understandings of concepts and perspectives on issues, topics and/or content. 

 

They experiment with ICT and evaluate creative opportunities for learning in curriculum areas. 

 

They use ICT as a tool to develop concepts and creatively demonstrate their understandings. They assess ICT for its potential to produce creative solutions, plans and simple systems. They creatively apply suitable ICT to develop solutions that inform, entertain, move or persuade audiences, or serve a particular function.  

 

Communication with ICT  

Students use ICT to inform, persuade and develop thinking in a range of contexts for learning. They have opportunities to use a range of ICT to distribute information, to collaborate, to exchange ideas, to present critical opinions, and to problem solve with others, locally and globally. They also use ICT to enhance interpersonal relationships, empathise, and develop social and cultural understandings. 

 

Ethics, issues and ICT  

Students have opportunities to consistently apply codes of practice relevant to local and global environments. They identify and discuss the potential and implications of ICT for learning.  

 

Unit Evaluation 

 
To gain an understanding of the unit’s strengths and weaknesses, students will be asked to complete an online survey at the completion of the unit. The teacher will conduct a PMI analysis of the results to consider where to make improvements and adjustments.