UNIT LESSON PLAN
Unit Title:
Emergency Preparedness
Pacing: 1 weeks
Grade:10
Standards of Learning
Healthy Decisions
10.2 v) Identify life-threatening situations that may result from emergencies and natural disasters and community resources for
emergency preparedness.
Advocacy and Health Promotion
10.3 The student will advocate for personal health and well-being and promote health-enhancing behaviors for others.
x) Design crisis-management strategies for natural disasters and emergency situations.
Revised Bloom’s Level
Identify (Retrieving, recalling or recognizing knowledge from memory. Remembering is when memory is used to produce definitions,
facts or lists, or recite or retrieve material.)
Design (Putting the elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure
through generating, planning or producing.)
What do students need to know? (facts)
Natural Disasters
Organizations associated with Natural Disasters
Crisis Planning
Community Resources
Emergency Preparedness
What is the big take away? (understanding)
Preparation and planning can help protect you during a natural disaster or emergency situation.
What skills do students need to learn to be able to master the standard? (do)
Research and cite reliable sources
Lesson Plan 1
Learning Objective: (I can statement, main objective only)
I can research a variety of natural disasters and determine those most likely to
affect my community.
SOL: Healthy Decisions
10.2 The student will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the protective factors
needed to make healthy decisions throughout life.
v) Identify life-threatening situations that may result from emergencies and natural
disasters and community resources for emergency preparedness.
Lesson Notes/materials:
(Student Reproducible 1: Natural
Disasters in Your Community: Are You
at Risk?
( Access to online reference materials or
newspapers, magazines, almanacs, and
an encyclopedia)
Link to Background Knowledge (Review or previous lesson)
What is the background knowledge that students need to meet the learning objective? May include pre-assessment or review of previous
instruction.
Strategy: Take a side. Ask students to move to the side of the room that has their answer. After students move to the side
of the room as them to justify their answer.
Which is more common in our country—a hurricane or a tsunami? (Answer: Hurricane. On average, approximately five
hurricanes strike the United States coastline each year from Texas to Maine. Alaska, Hawaii, and the coasts of Washington,
Oregon, and California are most at risk for tsunamis. Tsunamis hit Hawaii about once a year and damaging tsunamis hit about
once every seven years. Alaska is at high risk too, but California, Oregon, and Washington experience a damaging tsunami
about every 18 years.)
Which has a higher fatal accident rate: driving a car or taking an airplane trip? (Answer: Over a lifetime, the risk of dying in a
passenger car is 1 in 228; over a lifetime, the risk of dying in an airplane is 1 in 5,704. In effect, riding in a car is about 25 times
more deadly than riding in a plane.) c. What are the odds of being struck by lightning in any given year? (Answer: Not very
likely—1 in 700,000.)
Ask students if any of these answers surprised them. Why? What have they seen or heard that would make them think
differently?
Engage and Explain (Present New Information)
What is the knowledge or skill that students will need to be successful in meeting the learning objective?
Engagement (10 minutes)
1. Ask students to list natural disasters and emergency situations they have heard about in their community. Make a list of
natural disasters and emergency situations on the board.
2. Ask students to share their own personal stories of natural disasters they, or someone they know, have experienced. What
types of worries, problems, or stress did they (or the people they know) experience as a result of these natural disasters—either
before the disaster occurred, during the disaster, or afterward?
3. How have news stories affected their view of the frequency of natural disasters? (Extensive news coverage of disasters, local
and worldwide, makes people think this disaster might happen to them, even though that might not be likely.) After news reports
about natural disasters, do you feel more or less vulnerable? Why? For more information on this topic visit the “News You Can
Use” article on the BAM! Site. http://www.cdc.gov/bam/life/news.html
Active Learning (Guided Practice, Application)
How will students apply the new knowledge?
What will you do for students who have early success?
Exploration (30 minutes over two class periods plus homework)
1. Divide students into groups. Distribute Student Reproducible 1: Natural
Disasters in Your Community: Are You at Risk?
2. Using reference materials (Internet search engines, local newspapers, news
magazines) have students research the occurrence of natural disasters in their
community.
3. Have students predict what places are most at risk for each natural disaster.
Use the U.S. Geological Survey to determine if your predictions are correct.
Complete the last column on the chart (What kinds of places are most at risk for
this type of natural disaster?). One excellent resource on earthquakes is the U.S.
Geological Survey,
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/?old=states.html . You may want
to tell students that “geology” is the study of the origin, history, and structure of the
earth, and that “geography” is the study of the earth and its features, and of the
distribution of life on the earth.
Explanation (20 minutes)
1. After students have completed the chart, compare their answers with a partner.
Reach consensus on answers and ask for clarification, if necessary.
2. Discuss with students: Has our community experienced any of the natural
disasters listed? When? What are the geographic and/or geological factors that
put our community at risk for this kind of natural disaster? What about the other
natural disasters listed on the chart? Is the risk for each of these natural disasters
high or low for our community? Why?
*Alternate activity-
Reflect (Closure, Review)
What will you do for students who need
additional support (special needs, EL, or more
time/practice)? (Intervention)
How will students connect new learning to previous learning? How will students make
connections?
Assessment: How will students know if they
got it? How will teacher know if students got it?
Formative Assessment: 4 corners-Ask students to move to the corner that
represents the natural disaster they believe is most likely to impact their
community. Ask students in each corner of the room to justify their response with
evidence from their research. Allow students to change their answer based on
justifications.
Wrap-Up: Put statistics in perspective. Although news coverage of natural
disasters is pervasive, the leading cause of death for American children and
young adults— traffic crashes—is covered less often. Hurricanes claim an
average of 162 lives in the United States each year. In 2004, there were 42,800
highway deaths in the United States. (That’s why it’s so important to wear
seatbelts. People who are wearing them in a crash are less likely to get injured or
killed.)
Homework: Brainstorm a list of materials you think your family/guardians need to
have to be prepared to respond to a natural disaster in your community.
Next Steps (Extension, Next Lesson)
What is the real world application for this new learning? How does it connect to future learning?
Lesson Plan 2
Assessments may occur at any time during the lesson and should be noted in the appropriate section of the lesson; supporting assessment or
lesson documents may be attached as a separate page.
Learning Objective (Target): I can create an
Lesson Notes/materials:
emergency preparedness kit and plan for natural
disasters that may occur where I live.
∙ Student Reproducible 1: Natural Disasters in Your Community: Are You at
SOL:
Healthy Decisions
10.2 The student will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the
protective factors needed to make healthy decisions
throughout life.
v) Identify life-threatening situations that may result from
emergencies and natural disasters and community resources
for emergency preparedness.
Risk?
∙ Student Reproducible 2: Planning for an Emergency
∙ Access to online reference materials or newspapers, magazines, almanacs,
and an encyclopedia
-Access to formative assessment on-line tools like kahoot or Socrative or
blended tools like Plickers or traditional tools like signal cards and pencil paper.
Advocacy and Health Promotion
10.3 The student will advocate for personal health and wellbeing and promote health-enhancing behaviors for others.
x) Design crisis-management strategies for natural disasters
and emergency situations.
Link to Background Knowledge (Review or previous lesson)
What is the background knowledge that students need to meet the learning objective? May include pre-assessment or review of previous instruction.
Pre-assess students’ preparedness for a natural disaster. (Students can be pre-assessed using electronic methods such as Plickers, kahoot, or
Socrative or traditional methods such as a quiz, signal cards.)
*This can be used to determine a percentage of students who believe they are prepared for a natural disaster
Find a partner. Share your list of materials with a partner and discuss similarities and differences. Add or subtract information based on your small
group discussion.
Engage and Explain (Present New Information)
What is the knowledge or skill that students will need to be successful in meeting the learning objective?
Show a news clip or article of a recent natural disaster. (Sample news article about a tornado and hurricane https://newsela.com/articles/hurricanetornado/id/196/print/ ) Do you think the community was prepared? Discuss as a class how the community responded. Analyze the response to the
emergency. What resources were used? What organizations responded to the disaster? What could have been done differently?
Look at your list. Do you think your list would have helped keep your family safe during either disaster? Since the recent occurrence of natural
disasters and emergency situations, federal, state, and local agencies have created resources to help individuals and communities become more
prepared.
With your partner, review at least one local and state/national resource from the research list. Compare your list to the recommended lists on the site
you are reviewing. Adjust your list as necessary.
Emergency Preparedness Learning Research:
Local Resources
State and National Resources
City/County Government website
Local Health Department
MRC (Medical Reserve Corp)
Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/prepare
VA Fire and Rescue: http://www.vaemergency.gov/ (Look at your local fire
department for additional resources)
FEMA
Ready.gov http://www.ready.gov/business/implementation/emergency
Active Learning (Guided Practice, Application)
How will students apply the new knowledge?
Students will be responsible for creating a personalized crisis management plan for natural disasters and emergency situations based on their current
location and resources.
Before students create their own personalized kit, students will practice assembling kits for a natural disaster or emergency situation. Students will
pick up a note card with a natural disaster and emergency situation and a large envelope with pictures of emergency preparedness materials.
Students will select 5 items from their folder that they believe are most essential for their selected natural disaster or emergency situation. Students
will justify their selection to a partner group. Select groups will share their kits and justification with the class.
What will you do for students who have early success?
What will you do for students who need additional support (special needs, EL,
Students may choose two cities (domestic or international) to
or more time/practice)? (Intervention)
research their emergency plans. Compare and contrast the plans. Support via heterogeneous peer grouping
Reduced options in natural disaster or emergency situation sort folder
Sentence or paragraph frame for students who need additional writing support.
(sort activity)
Graphic organizer for students to record notes during new learning.
Reflect (Closure, Review)
How will students connect new learning to previous learning?
How will students make connections?
Discuss with students the questions on Student Reproducible 2:
Planning for an Emergency. Given what they have learned about
the risk of a natural disaster in their community, what are some
things families should do to prepare for an emergency? List them
on the board, for example:
a. Know which disasters could occur in your area and how to
prepare for each
b. Have a disaster supply kit at home—water, non-perishable food,
first aid supplies, tools and supplies, clothes, and bedding
c. Choose emergency meeting places
Assessment: How will students know if they got it? How will teacher know if
students got it?
Students’ plans will be compared to a rubric based on lists from aforementioned
emergency organizations.
d. Have an evacuation plan
e. Learn first aid and CPR
f. Keep family records in a water- and fire-proof container
Next Steps (Extension, Next Lesson)
What is the real world application for this new learning? How does it connect to future learning?
Students will share their plans with their families and ask for feedback. Students and families will complete a checklist to examine what materials they
already possess or have prepared for their plan and what materials they need to purchase or prepare. Students will submit their checklist and a brief
reflection paragraph for a participation grade. The paragraph should include a short analysis of possible challenges the community might need to
overcome in order to implement the crisis plans.