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F E M A
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E I S M I C
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L E U T H S
TEACHING CLUES AND CUES
This activity can be as
elaborate as you choose
to make it. You may
want to set aside a half
day, or even a full day.
The appendix that fol-
lows this unit is a report
of an actual teacher-
planned community
beginning. Arrange to have at least one emergency preparedness
official in attendance for this exercise and the debriefing that follows.
If your class has developed the community map they began in Unit 1,
they will have a strong sense of their own community’s physical and
social arrangements. If not, you may want to work with the class to
prepare a community profile similar to the Edenton Profile in Lesson 1 of
this unit.
A. Introduction
Tell students that in this last unit of the Seismic Sleuths curriculum
they will have a chance to draw on all that they have learned. Agree
on a place to serve as the emergency command center. This may be a
room at city hall, if you have made previous arrangements; your
school auditorium, or a circle of chairs in the front of your own
classroom. The community map will be the focal point of this area.
B. Lesson Development
1. Have the student who is playing the role of mayor or city manager
convene a meeting of the preparedness council established in the last
lesson. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the budget of each
department and clarify each administrator’s role in an emergency.
Focus on the lines of communication and each person’s response to
specific emergency situations (major fire, tornado, flood, earthquake,
chemical plant disaster, etc.—focus on those most likely in your
community). Whoever conducts the meeting will use the large
community map to plot where each person’s main area of interest lies
and what geographic areas are essential to maintaining the continuity
of essential services, such as water treatment, sewage treatment, and
electrical power.
2. After 10 minutes or more, when the main points have been
reviewed, but without warning, tell the students that an earthquake is
occurring. Conduct a drop, cover, and hold drill, following the
instructions in Unit 5, Lesson 2. Immediately after the drill, begin
reading the script. Explain the time frame of the exercise. Students
should then begin to take control of the situation and implement their
emergency plans.
C. Conclusion
At the next class meeting, set aside some time for a debriefing and
evaluation. Give students class time to write thank-you letters to their
mentors and other members of the community who participated in this
exercise and/or in earlier lessons. Mail the letters from school.
earthquake preparedness drill. This
is incorporated as a framework to
use in constructing such an activity
for your community.
ADA P T A T I ON S AND E X T E N S I ON S
1. Encourage students who have shown particular interest to maintain
contact with their mentors, perhaps through volunteer work, a part-
time job, or a request for career information. This association may
inspire some students’ choice of a career.
2. Write your own letters of appreciation to any community helpers
who have not worked directly with individual students. With
encouragement, some of these individuals may maintain an interest in
the school and become valuable resources for students and faculty.
V
