Teaching about Risk and Resilience Activities

These activities have been submitted by faculty from a range of disciplines as part of the 2014 workshop: Teaching about Risk and Resilience. The activities use a wide array of pedagogic approaches to address teaching about risk and resilience.


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Using "Dante's Peak" to Discuss Response to Risk
Michael Phillips, Illinois Valley Community College
In this classroom activity, students watch the movie "Dante's Peak" up to the point where Harry Dalton's supervisor arrives and talks to the town council. Students then compare and contrast Harry's assessment and advice to that of his supervisor, discuss the reaction of the town council members, and develop their own recommendations for how the scientists and town should proceed.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Environmental Science, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Health Sciences
Special Interest: Hazards

Role playing the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake and trial to debate responsibility for communicating and understanding risks and natural hazards
Amber Kumpf, Muskegon Community College
In this activity, students reenact key events leading up to and following the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake and trial. This leads into a debate on responsibility for communicating and understanding risks and natural hazards.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology
Special Interest: Hazards

Developing student literacy on risk, resilience, and strategies for living with disaster uncertainty
Monica Gowan, Central Washington University
In this guided research and critical thinking activity, students prepare a research paper comprised of two parts: 1) a "state-of-the-science" review and synthesis of selected literature from risk and resilience research (provided) and 2) a brief critical appraisal of how current knowledge is (or could be) applied to building disaster resilience in a real-world scenario. Part 2 will be set in a student-selected hazard context (coastal hazards, flooding, or earthquake), employment sector (academia, government, private industry, services, non-profit), and geopolitical sphere of influence (e.g., Resilience to earthquake disaster in the student population at Universidad de Lima, Peru).

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Subject: Geoscience, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Environmental Science, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology
Special Interest: Hazards

Creating a Natural Disaster Blog/VoiceThread to Understand Resilience
Anne Hall, Emory University
Student groups create blogs or VoiceThreads on selected natural disaster events including a description of the event, the cause of the disaster, response & recovery, prediction & prevention and resilience to the event.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology
Special Interest: Student Selected Problem, Hazards

Risk Assessment and Regulation in Christchurch, New Zealand
Patricia Stapleton, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
This activity encourages students to apply public policy and risk regulation concepts to the case of the Canterbury Earthquakes in New Zealand. Students review government websites, media reports, and first-person-narratives, analyze and evaluate policy responses, and consider alternate policy solutions.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Environmental Science:Sustainability, Land Use and Planning, Natural Hazards, Policy, Political Science, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Environmental Science
Special Interest: Sustainability, Hazards

Developing a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Strategy
This page is authored by Rebekah Green, Western Washington University.
As a culminating assignment in Natural Hazards Planning, students work in teams to create 15-year mitigation strategy for a selected jurisdiction using the FEMA 386 methodology for prioritizing mitigation options.

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Subject: Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Environmental Science, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Geography, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards
Special Interest: Student Selected Problem, Hazards

The Science of Disasters eTextbook Activity
Sian Proctor, South Mountain Community College
The Science of Disasters etextbook is a Softchalk activity designed to give students an introduction to disaster terminology including risk and resiliency. It is typically used as a pre-reading assignment for non-science majors in an introductory disasters class.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards
Special Interest: Hazards

Evaluating natural hazards data to assess the risk to your California home
Corrie Neighbors, University of California-Riverside
Students use a series of maps and natural hazard data to evaluate the risk to a building structure of their choice in the state of California. For each hazard, students rate the potential risk in two dimensions: (1) Probability - probability that a hazardous event "may" occur, and (2) Severity of Impact - the size of the impact in terms of cost and impact on human health.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Environmental Science, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology
Special Interest: Data, models, or simulations, GIS, Hazards, Local Issue

The 2014 La Habra earthquake: Teaching Risk and Resilience in Southern California with Citizen Science
Danielle Sumy, EarthScope
This exercise uses the example of the March 28, 2014 M5.1 La Habra earthquake to teach about earthquake risk and resilience in southern California. Students will examine seismic waveforms recording during the earthquake, as well as read reports from scientific agencies and news outlets to answer basic questions regarding earthquake risk and resilience.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14)
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Seismology
Special Interest: Data, models, or simulations, Hazards, Local Issue

Using a Town Meeting Scenario to Explore the Impacts of Hurricane Sandy
Jennifer Haney, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
In this role-playing activity, students are assigned into groups which will explore specific roles related to Hurricane Sandy. A mock town meeting scenario where the community is requesting input for how to address the challenges of rebuilding their homes, businesses, and infrastructure allows for the class to learn more about the multiple perspectives, issues, and interests resulting from this devastating disaster.

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Extreme weather, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Extreme Weather:Hurricanes, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology
Special Interest: Hazards