Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

05 minutes	Part A: Demonstrate models
10 minutes	Part B: How floods impact communities
40 minutes	Part C: Independent modelling by students
05 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Demonstrate models

It might be best to conduct this part outside.

Teacher Preparation:

Before you begin, you will need to prepare three floodplain models.

Fill the inside of your pan with soil or sand.

You’ll need something underneath the top edge of the pan to make a slight incline. A few books or a rock would do, or you could just rest it on the edge of a garden bed.

Create a river by running your finger through the clay. The size and type of river can be up to you, but each river should have different variables to test. You can create a meandering river, a straight one, one with a wide mouth and narrow body, a shallow one etc.

Step 1.

Show students the rivers. Pour a cup full of water down one of the rivers so that students can see how a river ‘usually’ flows down it to the mouth of the river at the bottom.

Step 2.

Briefly explain that climate change is linked to an increased likelihood of extreme flooding events. The Climate Council explains, in detail, about the links between climate change and floods. “Climate change…means all today’s weather is occurring in an atmosphere that’s been made warmer, wetter and more energetic. Think of heating water in a pan: as it warms, it starts to bubble (more energy) and steam (more moisture in the air).”

Step 3.

Pour an extreme amount of water down the rivers. Students should be observing the results. They may need to take notes on:

Which areas of the rivers were more likely to flood and burst their banks
How the topsoil around these locations was affected.
How far the flooding spread, and in what direction.

Part B: How floods impact communities

Step 1.

Return to the classroom.

Ask the students if they know anybody who has been affected by flooding, or whether they know of any flooding events in Australia.

Step 2.

Watch:

Understanding Floods (youtube.com/watch?v=ivUKLr8q4sE)

Step 3.

Discuss the causes of floods and how they are linked to increased human development. Initiate discussion amongst classmates by asking open-ended questions such as:

How do you think climate change is linked to increased flooding events? Australia’s natural rainfall patterns are highly variable. However, the impact of climate change is likely to make weather events more severe and more frequent. The Climate Council planet warns that the water-holding capacity of the lower atmosphere increases by around 7% for every 1℃ of warming. This can cause heavier rainfall, which in turn increases flood risk. The oceans are also warming, especially at the surface. This drives up both evaporation rates and the transport of moisture into weather systems. This makes wet seasons and wet events wetter than usual. So while Australia has always experienced floods, disasters like the Floods of 2022 in NSW and QLD are likely to become more frequent and intense as climate change continues. Source: Climate Council
How do you think deforestation is linked to flooding? When there are trees, the soil has strong water-retention capacity, and it prevents the danger of floods in the heavy rainfall during rainy seasons. However, there is nothing to check the heavy flow of water in the absence of trees, which leads to floods. Source: Earth Reminder
How do floods impact us and the wider community? The immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases. As communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and bridges are damaged and disrupted, some economic activities may come to a standstill, people are forced to leave their homes and normal life is disrupted. Source: Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist
What can be done to limit the effects of flooding? Some methods of flood control have been practised since ancient times. These methods include planting vegetation to retain extra water, terracing hillsides to slow flow downhill, and the construction of floodways (man-made channels to divert floodwater). Other techniques include the construction of levees, lakes, dams, reservoirs, and retention ponds to hold extra water during times of flooding. Source: Kiddle
Which communities are most at risk from floods? Why? While countries at all levels of development face flood risk, the vast majority of the world’s flood exposed people – 89% – live in low- and middle- income countries. The most devastating long-term consequences of floods are often experienced by the poorest households – those who have next to no savings and limited access to support systems. Globally, 587 million poor people are exposed to flood risk, 132 million of which live in extreme poverty. However, Australia is not immune to flooding, with the floods of Lismore and Hawkesbury-Nepean River the most recent examples. Source: Worldbank
How can we support those at risk? Making donations, volunteering to clean up houses and communities, and supplying items to families who have lost everything. Source: Globalcitizen

Part C: Independent modelling by students

Step 1.

In small groups, students plan their flood mitigation strategy.

Students will need to answer the following questions:

Where will the flood mitigation strategies need to be targeted? e.g: Are bends in the river more prone to flooding, from what you’ve observed?
How will the flood mitigation strategies work? Try to think beyond just building blockades along the banks of the river. For example: Diverting flood waters into wetlands, floodplains, or reservoirs helps mitigate flooding by allowing for a controlled release of water outside of residential areas.

The AIDR has a number of resources which will be useful for students to investigate, including this one.

Step 2.

In their groups, students make a micro-community by using cardstock to build houses. They will cut their cardstock into strips and fold them into four equal lengths to make the walls of a house. They will take another strip and fold it in half to make the roof. They can tape the pieces together and decorate their houses using colour pencils. Make sure not to make the houses too big as they have to fit several inside their aluminium pan.

Step 3.

Cut one of the short sides of the aluminium baking pan off. This will allow the water to run off from their model flood plain. Fill the inside of their pan with the modelling clay. If the pan begins to flex due to the weight of the clay, reinforce it with some sturdy cardboard.

Step 4.

Once they have filled in their pan with the modelling clay, they can create a river by running their finger along the clay. The size and type of river can be up to them. They can create a meandering river, a straight one, one with a wide mouth and narrow body, a shallow one etc. Those struggling can use the template for ideas.

Step 5.

Place their houses on their floodplain model. Then, place the entire model inside the plastic tub (ensure that the tub is bigger than the aluminium pan). Once they have completed this step, raise one side of the tub by placing a book or other prop underneath it.

Step 6.

Slowly, begin pouring the water from the cup to the source of the river (the very top). Observe how the water flows down it and into the mouth (bottom of the pan). Observe the results and discuss if any of their houses suffered from floodwater.

Step 7.

Scoop the water from the tub back into the cup. Change the variables by increasing the amount of water or the speed at which the water flows down the river (this will mimic a flash flood or the effects of deforestation). See how the riverbanks burst as they cannot cope with the volume of water and the houses begin to flood.

Step 8.

Repeat the experiment from Part A. Observe whether students’ mitigation strategies worked. If they didn’t, ask students to reflect on why they failed, and try to improve on their original design.

For those groups who succeeded, encourage them to increase the speed of their water to further challenge their flood defences.

Reflection

Groups will report back to the class and discuss the results of their experiment. They can talk about the community they created, the type of river they carved, and the effects when they poured the water down their river. They can then talk about the flood defences they made and how well they worked. The teacher can ask questions such as:

Was your river able to transport all the water when it was poured slowly? What happened when you poured the water at a quicker rate?
How well did your flood defences work?
What else could we have done to improve our flood defences?
Could we have done something to the houses to better protect them from floodwater?

If there is time, conclude the lesson by asking questions about what humans can do to reduce the chances of floods and how we can limit the damage they cause. Encourage students to conduct some independent research. There are several resources out there that can provide facts to kids about floods and how to prepare for them:

Differentiated learning

Extension

Provisions for learning support

For younger learners who may not be able to build their own houses, consider allowing them to use wooden blocks or something similar to simulate the houses. The teacher may also want to keep the experiment relatively simple with younger groups.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Resilient Australia - Floodplain Modelling

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