InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Map your Hazards! > Student Materials
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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For the Instructor

These student materials complement the Map your Hazards! Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.
Initial Publication Date: October 20, 2014

Student Materials

Welcome Students!

There is no such thing as a "natural" disaster, only natural hazards. Disasters often follow natural hazards, and a disaster's severity depends on how much impact a hazard has on society and the environment. The scale of the impact in turn depends on the choices we make for our lives and for our environment. These choices relate to how we grow our food, where and how we build our homes, what kind of government we have, how our financial system works and even what we teach in schools. Each decision and action makes us more vulnerable to disasters — or more resilient to them. Therefore, individuals, communities, and societies need to become more empowered and take action to prepare for natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts and tornadoes. Preparedness will reduce the damage and impact caused by natural hazards.

So, prepare yourself for some intense learning! As your instructor integrates the Map Your Hazards! Module into your course you will:

  1. Discover and map areas of local natural hazards, social vulnerabilities, and evaluate overlapping risks (Unit 1).
  2. Determine risk perception, levels of preparedness, and knowledge of natural hazards in your community (city or town in which you currently live) through survey data analysis (Unit 2).
  3. Synthesize and present your results from Units 1 and 2, and use them to make preparedness recommendations for specific community groups about local natural hazards and risks (Unit 3).

Overview

The following files are designed to successfully guide you through the module activities:

  • Student Road Map and Grading Scheme for Module (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 19kB Oct19 14) This document breaks down the learning goals, expectations, and grading scheme for each part of the module.
  • Introduction to the Module (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 909kB Oct28 14) This PowerPoint provides (1) lists of files for each unit and (2) tasks required to complete each unit of the module.

Unit 1

In Unit 1, students will explore local natural hazards and the level of risk that are related to these hazards. In groups, you will begin to identify and map areas within your region that are prone to natural hazards and in this you will also identify and map social vulnerability. You will then overlap these maps to determine levels of risk for various parts of your community. The instructions and grading rubric are provided below; please use the rubric as a guide to complete your maps.

  • Unit 1 Student Instructions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 23kB Oct19 14) This document breaks down the learning goals and tasks for Unit 1.
  • Unit 1 Rubric (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 19kB Oct19 14) This document contains the grading rubric for Unit 1.
  • Hazard Map Template (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 60kB Oct19 14) This presentation contains the template that should be followed for creating the group hazard, vulnerability and risk maps.
  • Powerpoint Tutorial for Unit 1 (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 16kB Oct28 14) This document provides instruction for using PowerPoint to create maps.

Optional: These files may be useful as your group works through this unit (your instructor will indicate which files that you may need to read in advance or to focus on in completing the exercise):

Unit 2

In Unit 2, students will explore the state of knowledge, accuracy of risk perception, and level of preparedness for hazards in your community. You will collect data by disseminating an online survey to your local social network. In groups, you will analyze this social data and develop research questions about individual and community knowledge, risk perception and preparedness. The instructions and grading rubric are provided below. Please use the rubric to ensure you are meeting the guidelines of the assignment as you work through analyzing the survey data.

  • Unit 2 Student Instructions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 28kB Oct19 14) This document breaks down the learning goals and tasks for Unit 2, and contains the worksheets for Part A and B.
  • Unit 2 Part A Rubric (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 20kB Oct19 14) This document contains the grading scheme for Unit 2 Part A.
  • Unit 2 Part B Rubric (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 22kB Oct19 14) This document contains the grading scheme for Unit 2 Part B.

Optional: These files may be useful as your group works through this unit (your instructor will indicate which files that you may need to read in advance or to focus on in completing the exercise):

  • Help for Excel (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 926kB Oct19 14) This is a tutorial on how to create tables and graphs in Excel.
  • Introduction to Social Survey Methodology (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 63kB Oct19 14) An optional tutorial on the methodology behind creating survey research questions.
  • Coding for Excel (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 69kB Oct19 14) An optional tutorial on an alternative way to code and create graphs in Excel.

Unit 3

In Unit 3, students will identify potential stakeholders in your community and assess the importance of communication and interaction among social groups. Using the results of Units 1 and 2, you will make recommendations to a specific stakeholder (e.g., public official, emergency manager, general public) on how to define mitigation strategies and develop a prepared and resilient community. The instructions and grading rubric are provided below. Please use the rubric to ensure you are meeting the guidelines of the assignment as you assemble your group presentations.

Here is an example of a group presentation:

Presentation for Student Stakeholders
Click to view

  • Unit 3 Student Instructions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 27kB Oct19 14) This document breaks down the learning goals and tasks for Unit 3.
  • Unit 3 Rubric (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 23kB Oct19 14) This Word document contains the grading scheme for Unit 3.
  • Introduction to Stakeholders (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 417kB Oct28 14) Learn about what stakeholders are and why their input is valuable.

Additional Materials

These reading and viewing materials will be helpful in learning more about disasters and resilience strategies, synthesizing the mapping and survey information that you have gathered in Units 1 and 2, and preparing your presentations in Unit 3:

An agency of the United Nations produced a video ("Act Now, Save Later") to demonstrate that, when it comes to planning for resilience to natural hazards and their potential disasters, we need to think globally and act locally:

FEMA video: The Federal Emergency Management Agency created a series of YouTube videos to show individuals and communities how to get and be more prepared.

Ready.Gov: This is the FEMA website for preparedness.

There's no such thing as a "natural" disaster - This is a rather interesting blog on why there is no such thing as a natural disaster, when we consider the intersection of human impacts with natural hazards.

CDC Preparedness 101 - The Centers for Disease Control published a pandemic guide, which has facilitated a different type of conversation about preparedness . . . Why do you think zombies are more likely to get people's attention than a guide about preparing for a real potential hazard?


     

These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »