TEACHING CLUES AND CUES
If your community is in
one of the parts of the
country where earth-
quakes have not been
recorded, students can learn about
preparations for other kinds of
natural hazards, such as floods,
hurricanes, and tornadoes. In many
cases the same systems would be
affected and the some kinds of
preparations will have been made.
Fire departments will be an excellent
source of emergency information.
TEACHING CLUES AND CUES
Emphasize that every
student is to make at
least one phone call.
Calling several people in
P ROC E DUR E
Teacher Preparation
Read Master 5.5a, Lifelines and Critical Emergency Facilities. Decide
how you will group students for this activity. If necessary, combine
categories, such as natural gas and petroleum fuels, so that together the
groups cover all the areas. For each group, make one copy of the local
map(s) with locations of major emergency facilities and lifeline
systems. Also make one copy of a local map showing geological haz-
ards, if your classroom map does not already have this information.
A. Introduction
Display the list of necessities for survival that students developed in
Unit 1, Lesson 1. Review the list with the class and ask if they have
anything to add, or if anything they included at that time now seems
less than essential. When the class has reached consensus, display
Master 5.5a or distribute copies. Does the list include anything
students have omitted? To reinforce the connections among the many
kinds of damage earthquakes can cause, display Master 5.5b, A Chain
of Disasters. Have students revise their list of necessities again to
incorporate anything they may have missed. Emphasize the
importance of emergency facilities—such as hospitals, fire stations,
and police departments—and of public utilities—such as telephone
lines, electric power systems, water supply systems, and transportation
into and out of the affected area.
B. Lesson Development
1. Divide the class into small groups and assign one or more of the 10
systems listed on Master 5.5a to each group. Individual student’s
responsibilities will reflect their mentor’s areas.
2. Distribute one set of maps to each group. Instruct students to
compare the lifeline maps to the classroom local map and note any
geological features in their service area that might constitute a hazard.
Invite them to develop their own system for indicating relative degrees
of risk on the lifeline maps: coding by color, by number, or by
different kinds of symbols, for example. When they have worked out a
system that satisfies everyone, students can transfer this information to
the classroom map.
3. Instruct students in each group to plan reports on the community’s
plans for surviving the first 72 hours after an earthquake. They may
need to renew their contacts with key people in their assigned service
areas and schedule phone interviews. Give students class time to
prepare lists of questions for their interviews. Then ask each group to
exchange its list with another group and critique the questions.
4. When every group’s questions have been reviewed and students are
satisfied that they will elicit the necessary information, ask students to
make the phone calls outside of class and take notes on what they
learn.
5. The next time the class meets, allow 10 minutes for students in each
group to pool their information. Then invite a representative
each system will increase the
amount and quality of information
students receive. Students are also
likely to find what they learn
reassuring—for example, that local
hospitals have emergency backup
generators.
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