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Major Storms and Community Resilience
https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/storm_resilience/unit1.html

Lisa Doner, Lorraine Motola, Patricia Stapleton, Science Education Research Center at Carleton College

This is Unit 1 of a larger module and centers on the fundamental concepts of major storms and community resilience. In this unit, students acquire a vocabulary related to storm systems and risk, engage in practical exercises on event probability and frequency, and complete written activities and oral presentations that reinforce these concepts, using two case studies as examples.

This learning activity takes two or three 90 minute class periods.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»


Grade Level

Regional Focus

Topics

Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • Teaching tips and suggested resources for more information are provided throughout unit.
  • The instructor should test all links and request limited-access materials well in advance of teaching this unit, as there may be a time-lag in receiving those materials.
  • The instructor can modify the activities for use in a variety of courses.

About the Science

  • This unit is designed to help students calculate frequency and probability of natural hazards using data from the New Hampshire Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (2013) as a case study. It also helps students analyze risk associated with natural hazards using a Hazards Vulnerability Analysis (HVA), and then critique a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) using New Orleans as a case study.
  • There is opportunity for the instructor to bring in local data instead of using the prescribed case studies.
  • Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.

About the Pedagogy

  • The unit provides clear learning goals, materials to achieve those goals, and assessments to evaluate if the learning goals were met.
  • Both required and supplemental readings (e.g., government reports) are provided to support the learning activities. The materials and activities can be adapted and modified as necessary for geoscience courses, as well as use in non-science courses such as emergency management or urban planning.
  • Students without background knowledge or familiarity with the relevant vocabulary, HVAs, and HMPs would benefit from additional instruction to introduce these concepts.
  • Instructors should be familiar with systems thinking and using concept maps. Additional resources for these topics are suggested.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Instructors should be aware that there are currently several broken links (e.g., Hazard Mitigation Plan for the City of New Orleans, Word version of some documents) and that some materials (e.g., pre-survey, rubric) are only available by request.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

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