LESSON PLAN 8: Protection Against Natural And Other Disasters


Lesson:  Social Emotional Learning

Subject: Protection Against Natural And Other Disasters

Grade: Secondary level

Duration: 90 minutes

1. Target Outcomes:

1.1 Cognitive Process Outcomes:

 The outcomes of the center discipline:

- recognizing concepts of climate change, man-made or natural disasters and  solutions how to lessen impacts of floods. Recent floods in Slovenia at the beginning of August 2023 were the worst natural catastrophe in Slovenia since independence in 1991 resulting in six deaths and damage and destruction of houses, communities and environment worth few billion EUR.

1.2. Social Product Outcomes:

●      Students will understand the importance of  the concepts of climate change which are both caused naturally and by humankind, develop critical thinking and critical media literacy as well as empathy and activism .

●      Students will identify challenges of climate change, negative results of it such as floods and will contrast them with their own experiences .

●      Students will develop strategies to advocate for climate change mitigation and natural disasters’ prevention .

2. Materials Used:

1. Whiteboard

2.  Internet access for research activities

 

3. Resources

- human resources: students, teachers

- informational resources: internet

-forms of organizing the activity: frontal, individual, in groups

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fBr2S93rw

 

4. Learning Methods and Techniques

 

-conversation,  critical thinking and critical media literacy, brainstorming

 

5. Groups Considered to be Formed During the Activity:

 

-students are divided into heterogeneous groups - girls and boys

depending on the tasks received


6. Implementation Phase;

6.1 Preparation Phase:

 

- for some activities, students are divided into four work groups, 5 students/group

- each group chooses a group leader who will present the solutions/solving tasks to the class

- at the level of each group, an editor is selected who will mark the completion of all tasks.

 

6.2: Presenting the problem situation to the students:

Introduction (10 minutes):

  1. The lesson is started by asking students about their personal experience with floods in Slovenia in August 2023 and what they think about them. Their answers are written on the whiteboard.
  2. The importance of  natural disaster prevention is discussed and students’ ideas are written down.
  3.  The issue of global climate change is explained to them. Various causes are taken into account such as transport, livestock, industry, clearing of forests etc.  Cases for Earth life cycles of  warm periods and ice age periods are presented as well as the negative use of modern technology dealing with weather phenomena such as cloud seeding, geoengineering, etc.  The urgent need for climate change mitigation is explained to student in order to help them find empathy and activism.

Activity 1: Climate Change Challenges (20 minutes):

  1. Most pressing climate change issues are discussed with students after watching short video clips about them on the internet. The Sustainable Development Goal connected with the climate change topic is presented to students. 
  2. In small groups, students try to find additional data on the internet about the possible causes for floods in Slovenia and then brainstorm their own potential solutions.  They also discuss the geographical extend of the floods and why some areas don’t have much floods and others do..
  3.  The whole-class discussion follows in order to enable students share their opinion or experience about the issue.

Activity 2: Climate Changes Solutions (20 minutes):

  1. Students are divided into pairs..
  2.  Each pair chooses a specific solution to climate change challenge.  Then each pair is asked to brainstorm additional solutions they find feasible.
  3. Findings/opinions are presented by each pair, followed by a class discussion on recent floods in Slovenia.

Activity 3:  Critical Thinking and Critical Media Literacy (30  minutes):

  1. Students look for articles or video clips on the internet about the impact of floods and why floods were not prevented.
  2. This is followed by brainstorming findings resulted from the activity of critical thinking and critical media literacy. All viewpoints are taken into account, such as government’s position, environmental activism, climate sceptical viewpoints, etc.   Students are asked if all proposed solutions are really good for climate change mitigation or not.
  3. Students  present their opinion, experiences and out-of-the box ideas for activities and action how to build back communities better in the aftermath of recent floods in Slovenia.

Conclusion (10 minutes):

  1. The key points  are discussed in the classroom focusing on the need of empathy and activism in helping victims of floods on one hand but on the other hand critical thinking and critical media literacy employed when dealing with solution and activities for prevention or mitigation of potential future floods.
  2. Students are encouraged to take action as individuals, to change their daily habits to be aligned with climate change mitigation practices and to influence their parents, friends and local communities.

 

6.3 Evaluation:

  1. Students’ participation during lesson is observed. .
  2. Their solutions and out-of-the box ideas for prevention of floods in future are evaluated.quality and depth of student presentations on education disparities and advocacy ideas.
  3.  Each of students takes a certain task to do for climate change mitigation in future.