Writer: Craig Blacklock.
Time Frame: Five to six lessons.
Important: Teachers should check the NZQA website for the current Assessment Specifications at each year level.
Released May 2007
Links to Social Studies
The footage in Disasters makes a number of links to the New Zealand Social Studies Curriculum at Level 5 (Years 9 & 10). The following areas are suggested links:
Strands
Place & Environment
Why particular places and environments are significant for people.
Time, Continuity & Change
How past events have influenced relationships within and between groups of people and continue to influence them.
How the ideas and actions of individuals and groups that have shaped the lives and experiences of people are viewed through time.
Processes
Inquiry
Social Decision Making
Settings
New Zealand
The Pacific
Perspectives
Current Issues
The Future
Essential Learning About New Zealand Society
Major events in New Zealand’s History.
The location and significance of important natural and cultural features of the landscape.
The physical environment of New Zealand and how people interact with the landscape.
Current events and issues within New Zealand.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to…
Outline a range of natural and human made disasters that have occurred in New Zealand.
Explain some of the contributing factors that caused the disasters.
Discuss the impact that the disaster has had on people.
Discuss the impact that the disaster has had on the land.
Suggest ways that people could have prevented the disaster or lessened the disaster’s impact.
Links to Geography
This DVD can also be used in teaching for the following Geography achievement standards:
NCEA Level 1 - AS 1.1 Examine Extreme Natural Events & the Human Response (90202-2)
This achievement standard involves the examination of an extreme natural event, from the development through to the completion of the human response. A study of a natural hazard in New Zealand, selected from earthquakes, landslips, volcanic eruptions, coastal erosion or floods.
Focusing Questions
- What is a natural hazard?
- What processes produce the natural hazard? How often does the hazard occur?
- What sequence of events occurs in the natural hazard?
- What physical changes to the land does the hazard produce?
- How does the hazard affect people?
- How can people increase or decrease the likelihood or effects of the hazard?
NCEA Level 2 - AS 2.1 Explain a Natural Landscape (90331-2)
This achievement standard involves the explanation of a natural landscape. This topic draws attention to variations in natural processes and landscapes, and involves a general treatment of landform development and evolution.
Focusing Questions
- What are the elements that make up a natural landscape?
- Why do natural landscapes vary from place to place?
- In what ways do particular processes give rise to particular landforms?
- In what ways do particular climates give rise to particular natural landscapes?
- How do natural landscapes evolve through time?
- In what ways does human activity affect natural landscapes?
Outline
This unit has been developed with the purpose of providing a suggested framework for covering course content with particular emphasis on using the New Zealand Film Archive’s DVDs. The lesson structure is intended as a guideline only. Teachers should tailor their lessons to their students and use their own established resources in conjunction with this DVD during these lessons.
- Lesson 1: Earthquakes
- Lesson 2: New Zealand - A Dynamic Landscape
- Lesson 3: Volcanoes
- Lesson 4: Shipwrecks
- Lesson 5: Mining Disasters, Disease & Fire
- Lesson 6: Landslides, Plane Crashes, Structural Collapse & Flooding.
Resources
Themes
While teachers will be tailoring their lessons around their chosen achievement standard, there are four broad geographic themes common to all levels that can be studied in greater or lesser depth:
- What are the natural and cultural processes that cause the disaster?
- What are the sequence of events in a disaster?
- Are there patterns that can be seen in the type of disaster around New Zealand?
- How have people increased or decreased the effects of the disaster?
- What impact does the disaster have on the land and on people?
Key Content
This unit was devised to offer teachers a framework for using the New Zealand Film Archive’s DVDs. It also assumes the teacher will have access to supporting materials and other resources such as text books, the internet or guest speakers for example. Ideally, a field work component would also support student learning in this unit.
Relevant Film Archive Footage
This is really the heart of the unit. It is intended to act as a guide for the classroom teacher, indicating relevant footage on the DVDs that could be used in the classroom to illustrate a point or create a discussion or debate. There are a number of suggested discussion starters for teachers to use.
Assessment Options
A formative assessment task suitable for Year 9 and 10 Social Studies and one for NCEA Levels 1 & 2 are attached to this unit (see Resources above).
Useful Links
GNS (Geological and Nuclear Sciences)
Quake Trackers
Geo Net
Te Ara - The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
Any Questions
New Zealand's History On Line
Sources of Information
Ministry of Education 1990 Syllabus for Schools: Geography Forms 5-7.
Learning Media: Wellington.
Ministry of Education 1997 Social Studies in the New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media: Wellington.
NZQA Website
