HEART Force Flood Response Game
https://cires.colorado.edu/outreach/resources/game/heart-force-flood-response-game
https://cires.colorado.edu/outreach/resources/game/heart-force-flood-response-game
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
This activity takes one 60 minute class period.
Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
See how this Activity supports the Next Generation Science Standards»
Grade Level
Online Readiness
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.
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- This game is designed to be played in a classroom setting after completion of an introductory unit on floods.
- The game is moderately complex due to the number and types of resources and responses which players can choose. It is recommended that the facilitator and/or students watch the introductory video to become familiar with the structure of the game.
- This game is played in teams of 4-5 and takes 50-60 minutes to play, but play can be split across multiple class periods.
- Once materials and teams are introduced, play progresses through a series of three rounds in which a flood event occurs and worsens. As the flooding moves through the community, teams are required to complete tasks to respond using the resources and skills they have available.
- In each round, each team must determine which resource cards to play with for that round and then are given tasks to complete that do not necessarily match the resources they have chosen. Teams must use creativity and skill to solve as many tasks as they can.
- Play can end after any round, but it is recommended to leave time for a brief reflection and discussion session at the end.
- Teachers may need to be sensitive to students' experiences with similar disasters in their lives.
About the Content
- This resource provides an activity to explore how people can prepare for and mitigate the effects of flood events on their community.
- The game emphasizes the impacts of natural hazards, such as floods, on human communities and the role of youth in an effective flood response.
- The game helps students understand the steps and resources necessary to respond to a flood, and how community members can decrease their vulnerability to future flood events.
- Resource developed in collaboration with expert scientists - no CLEAN expert science review was needed.
About the Pedagogy
- The activity is a game in which players take on roles of community members and make decisions about which resources and skills they will use to respond to a flood event.
- This game helps students understand how individual community members can contribute to flood response efforts.
- Students develop reasoning and negotiating skills as they decide which resources and skills to apply to the completion of tasks and challenges.
- This game encourages cooperation and collaboration between community members through the sharing of skills and resources to solve challenges.
- This game is part of a larger curricula around floods and can be combined with case-study examples that prepare students to imagine what a flood in their community might look like, as well as providing activities to engage with flood data.
Technical Details/Ease of Use
- A script is provided to guide the facilitator through the steps of the game.
- Teachers may want to watch the online video tutorial on how to run the game.
