Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Part A: Why do you live where you live?
20 minutes	Part B: Why do people live in areas prone to natural hazards
25 minutes	Part C: Should you live where you live?
05 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Why do you live where you live?

Step 1.

Ask students to identify benefits or things they like about the area they live in. These can include personal reasons but encourage students to think broadly as well.

Some things to consider might be:

Natural beauty and appreciation for the aesthetics
Places or buildings with historical or cultural significance
Access to resources
Spiritual connectedness to a significant place or building in the area
Opportunities for work or education
Their friends and family are close by
Local creek, beach or river
The climate
The local football team and the pride and sense of community that comes with feeling part of a collective.

You could keep a record of these reasons on the board.

Step 2.

Now ask students to consider some of the things they might like to improve.

This might be the opposite of the list above. There might be low work opportunities, schools, no skatepark, cold climate.

Ask students to also consider the risk of natural hazards, especially bushfires and floods, occurring in their area.

Step 3.

Return to the first list. How flexible are some of these things? That is, would you be able to take them with you, or find replacements easily, if you were to move?

For example, your nana might not be able to move if you move away. Therefore, your nana is quite a permanent and important part of where you currently live.

On the other hand, you would probably be able to find a new football team or a new school.

Some people might have a particularly deep connection to this specific place that has nothing to do with the superficial elements that exist there. For example, farmers who have been on the same land for generations probably wouldn’t find the same satisfaction or connection even if they started a new farm somewhere else.

Step 4.

Ask students to consider (privately) how important the things on this list are to them. Whether a new school is better or worse, or how deeply you love your old football team. Now, ask them to discuss whether there are some things that they value, enjoy or are connected to very deeply that might be difficult to replace?

Step 5.

After you have discussed the value. As students to give you a number from 1- 10 on how much they value where they live through a show of hands.

Step 6.

Ask students to also put a value on how hard it would be to leave where they live. A score of one or two might mean you’d take any excuse and can’t wait to get out! A score of ten would mean you’re pretty immovable, even despite all the areas for improvement that you’ve identified.

Part B: Why do people live in areas prone to natural hazards?

Step 1.

Show students this video:
Video - Kingsley Dixon has built infrastructure to protect his home from bushfires (abc.net.au/news/2021-12-21/kingsley-dixon-has-built-infrastructure-to-protect/).

Step 2.

Ask students to undertake a Think, Pair, Share activity to read and answer the following prompt:

In the video, Kingsley Dixon says he has lived through multiple bushfires. Why do you think he stays in the area instead of rebuilding in another location?

Students can record their thoughts on the Student Worksheet and talk about their experiences with a partner before they share their ideas with the whole class.

Step 3.

As a class, read the story: Why are communities in disaster-prone areas reluctant to relocate to safe havens? - Habitat for Humanity GB (habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2021/03/disater-prone-areas/).

Recently, Australia has experienced extreme flooding and disasters. If you do find an article that reflects the current climate, you may wish to explore that article or report instead.

Ask students to record some reasons as dot points.

Step 4.

Ask students to undertake a Think, Pair, Share activity to answer the following question:

What goes into the decision making process of many people in the Chickwawa District in Malawi when they are considering staying in the area instead of rebuilding in another location?

Part C: Should you live where you live?

Step 1.

Independently, students will now examine data to learn about economic resilience, the risk of natural hazards, and the lack of insurance of their local area. They will then compare this to two other areas.
(These links and instructions also appear on the Student Worksheet). Direct students to the website: Insurance Australia Group: mapping natural perils across Australia | SGS Economics & Planning (sgsep.com.au/projects/insurance-australia-group-mapping-natural-perils-across-australia).

Step 2.

Select the natural disaster type, zoom in to the map to hover over a local government area (LGA). Students should record the Disaster type risk on the Student Worksheet.

Step 3.

Direct students to the article: Is your neighbourhood underinsured? Search our map to find out. (https:/theconversation.com/is-your-neighbourhood-underinsured-search-our-map-to-find-out-168836).
Ask students to zoom in on the map or enter a suburb/postcode to find an area. Click on the area. The colour code of the area indicates the percentage of people that are underinsured in the area. This information also pops up on a panel. Students should record this on the Student Worksheet.

Step 4.

Ask students to reflect on the list of benefits and areas for improvement of where they live from Part A, and combine this with this data. As a class, answer the following questions.

How much of an impact does the risk of a natural disaster occurring in your area have on your willingness to live there? Does it make you more or less willing? Explain your reasoning.
Considering the percentage of uninsured people in your area, do you think your community would rebuild to almost identical if they experienced a natural disaster?
Consider the balance of paying insurance (so that you can rebuild/recover after a hazard). If you love the place where you live, would you pay a higher amount of insurance because of that. Alternatively, if you don't really love the place you live would you prefer to move and pay lower insurance?
If your community experienced a natural disaster, would you rebuild? Explain your answer. Consider the reasons you like living where you live, whether those things are replaceable or able to be found elsewhere, and how strong an influence they have on your connection to where you live.

Explain to students that many people are unaware of the risks of natural hazards in their area. They don’t have enough insurance to repair or rebuild their homes following a disaster, which adds to their distress. See the following resources for more information:

Moneysmart website: Storm, flood and fire insurance (Moneysmart.gov.au)

ABC article: What the Barefoot Investor wants you to know about preparing for fires and floods (abc.net.au/everyday/insurance-how-to-prepare-for-floods-fires-and-other-disasters/100581978).

Reflection

Ask students to undertake a 3-2-1 activity to record their thoughts and questions about the interviews they undertook with family. Students can record their responses on the worksheet:
3 ideas or thoughts they gained from this lesson
2 further questions they still have after this lesson
1 piece of information that surprised them that they learnt from this lesson

Differentiated learning

Provisions for learning support

Part C: If students cannot identify regions, ensure you have prepared an example of areas that students can investigate.

Extension

Ask students to research various regions that have resilient community plans in place and write about some of the aspects that could be implemented in their community to enhance connectedness, resilience or sustainability.

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 - Why Do People Live In Areas Prone To Natural Hazards?

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