Preparing, Understanding, and Responding to

Floods
About the Unit

Unit description
This unit relates to the Victorian Curriculum Geography domain
Level: 5/6
Strand: Geographical knowledge
Sub strand: Factors that shape places and influence interconnections
Content Description: Impacts of bushfires or floods on environments and
communities, and how people can respond (VCGGK095).

This unit of work aims to develop students knowledge and understanding of the
impact floods have on environments and communities, and how people can
respond. It is important for Primary school students to understand the impact of
floods, as it is one of the costliest and damaging natural disasters in Australia
(Commonwealth of Australia & Geoscience Australia, 2016). In this unit, students
can develop an understanding of floods as a significant disaster event, the
different types, causes and effects, major floods in Australia, the different
hazards associated with floods, action plans and the potential impact floods can
have on the community. This unit will be delivered using an inquiry based
learning approach, whereby students will be investigating, posing questions and
critically reflecting on their learning. An inquiry approach can allow students to
construct their own knowledge and ideas through investigating, questioning and
clarifying, and is important for purposeful learning (Reynolds, 2014). Students
will therefore organise the information they gather and synthesise their findings
in order to build upon their current and prior knowledge. Students will be using
reflecting, analysing, interpreting and representing skills in order to do this.
Erikson (2006) stated that students are able to develop a deeper understanding
and knowledge when they are physically and emotionally involved in the context,
therefore activities use real life stories, images and an incursion.

Knowledge, understandings, skills, values

Mapping and explaining the location, frequency and severity of flooding in
Australia
Explaining the impacts of fire on Australian vegetation and the significance
of flood damage to human communities
Researching how the application of principles of prevention, mitigation and
preparedness minimises the harmful effects of flooding (using ICT)
Suggesting collective action in response to impact of floods on a community
and describing the likely effects of this action on different groups of people
(Victorian Curriculum, 2015)

Focus questions
What do you know about floods?
What causes floods?
What are the impacts floods?
Why are they damaging and
How do floods affect communities?
 What do you do during a flood?
How do you prepare for a flood?
How can we inform others?
How can we minimise potential hazards?
How can we put action plans into place?

Resources
Internet sites
ABC Behind the News, (2012). Summer Floods, 2012 [Video Clip]. ABC BTN.
Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3429411.htm

Australian Government & Attorney Generals Department. (2016). Disaster

Mapper. Retrieved From
https://emknowledge.org.au/disastermapper/#/intro

Commonwealth of Australia. (2011). Real Life Flood Stories. Australian Institute

for Disaster Resilience. Retrieved from https://emschools.org.au/flood/real-
life-stories.

SES. (2016). Types of floods: Victoria State Emergency Service. Retrieved from
http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/floodsafe/types-of-floods

SES. (2016). FloodSafe Game: Victoria State Emergency Service. Retrieved

from http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/at-school/floodsafe-game.

Online Images
Australian Government & Attorney Generals Department. Map of Australia.
Disaster Resilient Australia.Retrieved from
https://emschools.org.au/sites/default/files/Fld-Map%20of%20
Australia-Activity%20Sheet.pdf

Commonwealth of Australia & Geoscience Australia. (2016). Image Gallery:

Floods.
Retrieved from http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/hazards/flood/basics/gallery

SES. (2016). FloodSafe: Teacher Lesson Plan - Stage 3. Retrieved from

http://www.floodsafe.com.au/uploads/104/lp-floodsafe-stage-3-v4.pdf

Software
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Office

Print
Cause effect and result diagram (Appendix 1)
Incursion table (Appendix 5)

Other resources
Interactive Whiteboard
Digital images of floods
iPads
 Computers
A3 Paper
Coloured Pens

Teaching the unit

Setting the scene
Resources
ABC Behind the News, (2012). Summer Floods, 2012 [Video Clip].
ABC BTN.
Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3429411.htm
SES. (2016). Types of floods: Victoria State Emergency Service.
Retrieved from
http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/floodsafe/types-of-floods
Commonwealth of Australia & Geoscience Australia. (2016). Image
Gallery: Floods.
Retrieved from http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/hazards/flood/basics/gallery
Cause, Effect, and Result Diagram. (Appendix One).
Interactive Whiteboard

Teaching & learning activities

Activity 1 - Introduction to floods
The topic of preparing, understanding, and responding to floods
will be introduced with a Chalk Talk to determine students existing
knowledge (Church, Ritchhart, & Morrison, 2011).
They will receive an open-ended question What do you know about
floods? and will have time to discuss in a group of three their prior
knowledge.
Then to engage the students and further develop an understanding
of floods, they will view Summer Floods, 2012 broadcasted by ABC BTN,
2012.
Once the clip has been viewed, students are to create a cause,
effect and result diagram (Appendix 1) focusing on:
What causes floods?
What happen when rivers burst its banks?
Why are they damaging and what are the impacts?
How do floods affect communities?
What happens to families and pets?
 What do you do during a flood?
How do you prepare for a flood?

Activity 2 - Types of floods

To engage the students, six images will be displayed on the IWB
(Appendix 2)
Students will receive a sticky note each. Ask the students to write
down what they can see.
The notes will be placed on the IWB next to the pictures for class
discussion.
Students will then have access to the IPads, and use the SES
Webpage to investigate types of floods. These will include:
Riverine flooding
Flash flooding
Dam failure
Storm surge
Students will record their findings on a concept map and use the
images from the IWB and connect them with the type of flooding.
Assessment
Activity One:
Formative Assessment: Graphic organiser
The teacher will be able to identify areas where the student need
support in their learning, and to alter upcoming tasks.
To identify students strengths in their understanding of floods, and
assess the use of critical thinking.
Activity Two:
Formative Assessment: Matrix (Appendix 3).
The teacher will collect students work and assess against a Matrix,
to monitor the students learning and understanding.

Investigating
Resources
 iPads
Interactive Whiteboard
Pens and Paper
Real life stories
Commonwealth of Australia. (2011). Real Life Flood Stories. Australian Institute
for Disaster Resilience. Retrieved from
https://emschools.org.au/flood/real-life-stories.
FloodSafe game-
SES. (2016). FloodSafe Game: Victoria State Emergency Service. Retrieved
from http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/at-school/floodsafe-ga me.
Australian flood risk information portal-
Australian Government & GeoScience Australia. (2016). Australian flood risk
information portal. Retrieved from
http://www.ga.gov.au/flood-study-web/#/search.
Disaster mapper-
Australian Government & Attorney Generals Department. (2016). Disaster
Mapper. Retrieved From
https://emknowledge.org.au/disastermapper/#/intro
Map of Australia-
Australian Government & Attorney Generals Department. (2016). Map of
Australia.
Disaster Resilient Australia.Retrieved from
https://emschools.org.au/sites/default/files/Fld-Map%20of%20
Australia-Activity%20Sheet.pdf

Teaching & learning activities

Activity 3 - Impacts of floods
Students will be given one minute to write down any information
about how floods occur and the types of floods there are.
After one minute, the students will compare their answers with a
partner.
Educator will write student responses on the whiteboard using a T
chart.
Task: Partner work
In pairs students, will investigate the damage of flooding to the
community.
Students will work with a partner during the investigation; they will
use the web site Real-Life Flood Stories. Accessed from-
https://emschools.org.au/flood/real-life-stories
They will collect data focusing on;
How many homes were damaged?
How many lives were lost?
How many roads, buildings, livestock, crops were
damaged?
What were the insurance costs?
Students would provide their data in visual representations such as
graphs, charts or diagrams.

Extension activity
Students will play the flood safe game to find out why floodwater is
dangerous.
Accessed from- http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/at-
school/floodsafe-game
Students have 60 seconds to discover as many items as possible.

Activity 4 - Mapping Historical major floods

Small group task: Research major floods in Australia,
Using IPads, students work in small groups to research major flood
events in Australia.
Educator would provide two resources for their study and they could
also use any relevant information from the web.
The interactive resources for their study are Australian flood risk
information portal and Disaster Mapper.
They need to gather information on dates, season, time of day and
location of the flood event took place.
Students are to select major flood event and record important
information, including statistic (deaths, affected, homes lost, cost), the
location, date and year, and rain catchment.
They will use a map of Australia to locate and display tragic flood
events in the country from their research and understandings.
Assessment
Activity 3
Formative Assessment: Collecting work samples.
Students data representations will be collected as work
samples.Teacher will assess students understanding on representing data
based on impacts of floods to the community.
Activity 4
Summative Assessment: Rubric
Group self evaluation along with teacher comments using a rubric.
(appendix 4)

Bringing it all together

Resources
SES volunteer incursion.
SES. (2016). Are your students emergency ready. Retrieved from
http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/get-ready/at-school/SES%20School%20Visits
%20Booking%20Form.pdf
Incursion handout (appendix 5)
Computers
A3 Paper
Coloured pens
Library access
Teaching & learning activities
Activity 5 - FloodSafe Incursion
To begin this activity students will participate in a Think Pair Share
(Visible thinking, n.d), where they will think and reflect on the knowledge
they have gained from the past four sessions/tasks about floods, turn
around and pair up with another peer to share their thoughts.

The students will be visited by a SES volunteer who will present an

engaging, informative presentation entitled FloodSafe (SES, 2016). The
presentation will cover:
Yucky and dangerous things you might find in
floodwater
Important safety informations about floods.
 After listening to the presentation students will fill out a table
(Appendix 5) based off the information gained throughout the
presentation, in order to reflect and analyse what they have learned.
Activity 6 - Warnings Brochure
To bring the students learning about floods together and engage
them in reflection and analysis of their knowledge students will be making
a Warnings Brochure which will be photocopied and handed out to each
student in their office boxes
Students will be working in groups of four and will create a brochure
that includes the following:
The dangers of floods and Flood water
The impacts floods can have on the environment and
wider community
The effects Floods have on families and pets
How to properly prepare for a flood
What to do during a flood
Relevant pictures, slogans and key messages
Bibliography of resources used to get information and
pictures for brochure

Students may choose to create their brochures by hand, computer

or a combination of both and use their knowledge, books or the internet to
help them incorporate factual information and pictures on their brochures.
Assessment
Activity 5
Formative assessment: Work samples
Teacher will collect students tables and answer the following questions based off
students work samples:
Has the student utilised knowledge gained from previous lessons
and the incursion?
Has the student built upon knowledge and thought of new ideas?
Can the student identify how to remain safe in a flood?
Can the student assess the dangers of objects found in flood water?
Has the student provided suggestions on how to prepare for a
flood?
 Can the student identify some essential items for a flood kit.
Activity 6
Summative assessment: Rubric
Teacher will use the warnings brochures students created and
assess them based on the rubric attached in appendix
Teacher will assess brochures based on the rubric attached in
appendix 6.