Internet Source for Students
Ready.gov is a “national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation” (Official website of the Department of Homeland Security).
This website, published by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, has many great resources, activities, and games to help educate children about natural disasters that may occur, and how to prepare for them. The two main games are “Disaster Master”, where students help the 5 Heroes make decisions in the case of natural disasters, and “Build a Kit”, where students help decide what to pack in an emergency kit. There are also resources that describe all of the different natural disasters, how to build an emergency kit, and how to make a family plan. Each resource and game are highly engaging, easy to read, and contain a diverse cast of characters. I learned a lot from clicking through this website, and think kids would too!
National Health Education Standards
- NHES1: Core concepts Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health
- S1.5.5 Identify ways to reduce risk of injuries in case of a fire (HBO 3, 4, 5, 6)
- HBO 3. Use safety equipment appropriately and correctly
- HBO 4. Apply safety rules and procedures to avoid risky behaviors and injury
- HBO 5. Avoid safety hazards in the home and community
- HBO 6. Recognize and avoid dangerous surroundings
- HBO 8. Support others to avoid risky behaviors and be safe
Washington State Health Standards
- Standard- Create emergency, fire, and safety plans for home. H1.Sa1.3b
- Standard- Describe safety rules to follow in a disaster. H1.Sa2.3a
Core Integration:
In my classroom, I would use this website during science class while studying weather and natural disasters- part of the 3rd grade science curriculum. Students would first study the different natural disasters on the “Know the Facts, Be Empowered” site. While studying the natural disasters, they would specifically looking for which natural disasters are likely to happen in their area, and also looking for the scientific process of how the natural disasters occur. Once they have researched the natural disasters (you could choose to have each student read about each disaster, or have them jigsaw the readings), the students could then complete the games to demonstrate what they learned about how to be prepared for natural disasters. If there is limited computer access, you could print out the fact sheets for the students and then have them play the games during computer lab time or at their house.
Content Standards
Next Generation Science Standards Grade 3
ESS3.B: Natural Hazards A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. (3-ESS3-1)
Internet Source for Teachers
Ready.gov is also a fantastic resource for educators. It has curricula full of lesson plans, activities, and ready made handouts so a teacher could easily implement it. There is separate curriculum provided for grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. All curricula can be found at here. The curriculum for grade 3-5 is directly linked here Along with the lesson plans, it also has a wealth of resources to prepare you for any kind of disaster- from biological threats to wildfires. Each page describes what the disaster is, what warnings you might receive, how you can be prepared in the case of that disaster, and what to do if that disaster occurs.
- NHES1: Core concepts Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health
- S1.5.5 Identify ways to reduce risk of injuries in case of a fire (HBO 3, 4, 5, 6)
- HBO 3. Use safety equipment appropriately and correctly
- HBO 4. Apply safety rules and procedures to avoid risky behaviors and injury
- HBO 5. Avoid safety hazards in the home and community
- HBO 6. Recognize and avoid dangerous surroundings
- HBO 8. Support others to avoid risky behaviors and be safe
Internet Source for Parents: informational, resourceful
I chose the Red Cross website as my resource for parents, to help them be prepared in the case of a disaster. To introduce this resource to parents, I would add the link to my classroom website and include a blurb in my monthly newsletter introducing the idea of disaster preparedness. I understand that parents are very busy nowadays, and won’t have the time to click through a busy website with too much information, which is why I chose the Red Cross website instead of ready.gov. While Ready.gov, in my opinion, has more information, it’s also a lot busier, harder to navigate, and may be overwhelming with all the information it has! Red Cross is more straightforward, with all the important information right there on one page for parents to easily access. It lays out simple steps for making an emergency preparedness plan, and it also has a worksheet in Spanish and English that parents can print to make a Family Disaster Plan. It also provides links and resources for more information if a parent is interested in learning more.