grade 6 package - quinte conservationquinteconservation.ca/.../swap/docs/grade6.pdf · grade 6...

Quinte Conservation Spring Water Awareness Program Teacher’s Guide & notes

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Grade 6 Cross-Curriculum Links & Suggested Activities

Health & Physical Education: Healthy Living

GR6. Apply strategies to deal with threats to personal safety and to prevent injury. The Arts: Visual Arts

GR6. Produce two – and three- dimensional works of art that communicate ideas (thought, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes.

The Arts: Drama and Dance GR6. Interpret and communicate the meaning of stories, poems, plays and other materials drawn from a

variety of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques. Communicate, orally and in writing, their response to their own and others’ work in drama and

dance. Language: Speaking

GR6. Use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Language: Writing GR6. Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience. Language: Media Literacy

GR6. Create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques.

SUGGESTED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Understanding Flooding Hazards in Your Community Discuss and list safety risks and safe practices around water. Watch the Child in the Water video.

Design a poster that makes others aware of Spring Water Dangers. Use the schools public address system to give a daily spring water safety message.

River Watch in Your Community See CLASSROOM EXCERCISE #1

Caught in the Current Experiment - See CLASSROOM EXCERCISE #2 How Cold is Cold Experiment- See CLASSROOM EXCERCISE # 3 Flood Damage Reduction – See CLASSROOM EXERCISE #6 Getting To Know Your Area

What are the lakes, rivers, creeks, streams and ponds in your area? Will they be safe places to play? Where do you like to go sliding? Make sure it is not down to the frozen surface of a lake or river.

Mark on a map any areas that are susceptible to flooding and spring flood danger areas. Have the student do Classroom Exercise #6 – Flood Damage Reduction

Quinte Conservation – Spring Water Awareness Program

Grade 6 Curriculum Links & Suggested Classroom Activities


Weather in Your Own Words

Ask the students to describe weather in their own words. How cold is it? Do they need mitts and hats today? Is it raining? Will they go out for recess? Is it warm enough to put away winter boots and bring out rubber boots? Is winter over? Is spring on its way?

Have the students collect temperature data and record it on a chart/calendar/journal. What Happens When Winter Turns to Spring? See CLASSROOM EXCERCISE #4

Talk about the freezing and warming cycles. “The melting snow and ice in the Spring are part of the changing seasons. When snow and ice are melting, creeks, rivers and lakes become full of ice and cold water, making them very unsafe. Ice that was safe enough to walk on yesterday may not be today.”

Have students identify areas in their community that are of most concern, streams, rivers, creeks and identify them on a map. Have a discussion around unsafe practices.

Have the class look at daily average temperatures at various times throughout the year. Have student plot temperature data from the winter and spring seasons and have them identify

when rivers are of greatest danger and why. Compose a series of poems that will make others aware of the dangers of spring water runoff. Have students graph the weather data from the previous year and identify trends.

Identifying Unsafe Situations

Have a classroom discussion around whether there are any unsafe places to play in their neighbourhood or near the school? What about open water, thin ice, cold fast flowing water, ditches and culverts, dams and bridges. Children should always let an adult know where they will be playing.

Map their community. Mark on the map any areas that are susceptible to flooding and spring flood danger areas.

Identify emergency contacts and how to contact them. Have the students create a school spring water awareness school announcement about the

dangers of ice over waterways tell fellow students through the morning announcements. Have students create a news article about the dangers of spring waters.

Wacky Weather Weather is unpredictable! It is important to be aware of weather conditions and prepared. We as humans are not well adapted to deal with cold water conditions but do have an ability to adapt ourselves through layering with appropriate and warm clothing and acting appropriately.

What animals are well adapted to deal with cold waters. Create creature adapted for cold fast flowing water. How and why are humans not well adapted to deal with cold waters?

Investigate and research climate change and how it affects weather patterns & our safety

Safety First Children should always play with a buddy when they are outside in the springtime. Children should never play on the banks (side slopes) of a river or stream. They can be slippery and can even collapse or break away sending whoever is standing on top into the cold water. Children should never be on the ice unless it has been checked by an adult for safety.

Watch the Child in the Water Video Have a discussion about Hypothermia – see hypothermia activity sheets and talk about self-

rescue tips.


Grade 6 Curriculum Links & Suggested Classroom Activities


CLASSROOM EXERCISE #1

River Watch in your Community Curriculum Subject Fit: Language Arts, Science & Technology ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: You can set up a river watch in your school.

1. Draw a large map of the area around your school, identifying creeks, ditches culverts and bridges. In another colour note the streets used by most of the students on their way to and from school. Do any of these two areas intersect? Identify possible danger areas.

2. Have the class look at weather maps in the newspapers and record temperatures at

morning, noon and afternoon dismissal. a. Is the temperature likely to rise overnight and make ice conditions dangerous by

morning? b. Is rain expected? c. When will the stream flows increase and be dangerous?

3. Use the school’s public address system to give a daily spring water safety message.

Example announcements can be found on the Quinte Conservation SWAP webpage. 4. Watch the newspaper for news items about floods in Ontario and elsewhere, or tragic

reports of people who did not pay attention to poor ice conditions. a. Does your school have a good safety record?

River Watch in your Community All winter long across Ontario, the snow cover has been checked in many places. People working for Conservation Authorities measure the depth and weight of snow every two weeks. The weight of the snow tells us how much water is in the snow, or its water content. This information is used to predict stream flows.

1. Why would more than one location have to be monitored? 2. Why is it necessary to determine the water content of the snow? 3. Why is spring runoff so important? 4. Why would a government agency be concerned about floods? 5. How much damage could a flood do? 6. What factors affect the level of spring runoff? 7. What can you check to determine when the flood will start and when it will reach its peak? 8. Why are floods dangerous? 9. What can we do to protect roads from flood damage? 10. Is the construction of dams an easy solution to flood problems?


Classroom Exercise #1 River Watch in Your Community




Answers

1. Why would more than one location have to be monitored? a. The topography of the province is diverse b. Weather patterns change, some areas receive more precipitation c. Even within a watershed, the topography changes affecting the potential for

flooding

2. Why is it necessary to determine the water content of snow?

a. We need to know how much water will run off when the snow melts. b. We need to make accurate predictions

3. Why is spring runoff so important? a. potential danger to people and their property b. water storage for the summer months c. potential for erosion problems

4. Why would a government agency be concerned about floods? a. concern for potential loss of life b. government may need to fund disaster relief efforts c. loss of agricultural land d. damage to communications infrastructure: roads, bridges, phone lines, power lines

5. How much damage could a flood do? a. loss of life, loss of property b. erosion, loss of agricultural land c. damage to communications infrastructure d. examine newspapers, historical accounts – houses washed away etc.

6. What factors affect the level of spring runoff? a. accumulated snow fall and its water content b. rate of thaw c. ground frost, is the ground still impermeable? d. expected precipitation and temperatures e. ice thickness and ice jamming




7. What can you check to determine when the flood will start and when it will reach its

peak? a. weather forecasts, including expected precipitation and temperature b. snow pack, is the water content very high? c. historical stream flow data d. stream gradient or how quickly the stream falls over a given distance e. the latest information on the water levels in tributary streams

8. Why are floods dangerous?

a. could cause loss of life and property b. speed of water and the strength of the current c. damage to natural and man made structures d. havoc caused by ice jams

9. What can we do to protect roads from flood damage? a. make sure that culverts and bridges are large enough to allow peak water flows to

pass

10. What can we do to protect homes from flood damage? a. enforce regulations and by-laws that restrict development in the floodplain b. improve stream and creek channels by removal of debris that inhibits flow c. flood proof existing homes where required

11. Is the construction of dams an easy solution to flood problems? a. no, dams may fail and dams are expensive to build and maintain b. the installation of a dam often affects the area immediately upstream c. in some areas, where there is already extensive development in the floodplain, the

construction of a dam may be a logical choice




REGIONAL NEWS ARTICLES (download individual articles online)

OTTAWA MAN FEARED DEAD AFTER TRYING TO SAVE DOG CBC.CA News Thu 30 Mar 2006 Section: Canada Byline: Source: Time: Wed March 29 A 46-year-old man is missing and presumed drowned after he was swept away in the icy Ottawa River while trying to rescue his dog. Peter Borodchuk and his wife Olivia were walking their black Labrador retriever in a conservation area in West Carleton at lunchtime Tuesday when the dog went into the water. Borodchuk walked onto the ice to try to rescue the animal, but the ice broke beneath him. The man then tried to swim to the dog, but was carried away by the strong current. The dog managed to swim to the shore on its own. Borodchuk's wife last saw her husband clinging to an ice floe before she ran to get help. It took her more than 30 minutes to locate someone. When rescue workers arrived on the scene, they couldn't find any sign of her husband. Rescue teams scoured the river late into the evening using rubber dinghies as a police airplane scanned the shoreline. They planned to continue searching the river Wednesday morning. © 2006 CBC. All Rights Reserved.

RESIDENTS OF QUEBEC TOWN FORCED FROM HOMES BY SPRING FLOODING Broadcast News Sun 02 Apr 2006 Section: General and national news BEAUCEVILLE, Que. - Spring flooding has forced dozens of residents of the Quebec town of Beauceville from their homes. More than 60 residents left their homes Saturday night after an ice jam caused the Chaudiere river to break its banks. News reports show a kayak navigating the streets of the town south of Quebec City on Sunday as cars sit buried in water up to the windows. But the water levels are going down and many residents have returned to their homes. Crews are working to break up an ice jam that caused the flooding but Beauceville Mayor Jean-Guy Bolduc sys work has been slow. The area floods nearly every spring but some residents say this is the worst in several years. (BN)

RESIDENTS EVACUATED AS OTONABEE RIVER FLOODS NEAR PETERBOROUGH Wed 23 Jan 2008 Section: Quebec-Ontario Regional General News

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. _ Firefighters evacuated people from homes surrounded by icy flood water Wednesday along the Otonabee River south of Peterborough. The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority upgraded a flood advisory for the river to a flood warning as colder weather aggravated rising water levels. Gordon Earle, natural hazards technician with Otonabee Conservation, says flooding is ``imminent'' in the area. And Earle says he doesn't expect conditions to change for the next five days. The Peterborough County-City Health Unit is advising residents not to drink water from submerged wells unless treated accordingly. It is also recommending residents use septic and waste water systems as little as possible. ``Water levels have risen to 30 centimetres on access roads to numerous small communities along the river,'' Earle said. ``That's the critical point for emergency services, having access to residents in distress.'' (Peterborough Examiner)Copyright © 2008 The Canadian Press

CAR DRIVING ON LAKE SIMCOE PLUNGES THROUGH ICE CBC.CA News Mon 19 Mar 2007 Fri March 16 Network: CBC

York Region police were warning people to stay away from rivers and lakes after a man trying to drive across the frozen Lake Simcoe plunged through thin ice. The man broke through the ice near Virginia Beach. Luckily, he was able to climb out of the vehicle and was not injured, police say. There are fishing huts set up on the lake, but police say all should have been removed by the deadline late Thursday night. Police say there are now areas of open water along Lake Simcoe's shore. They warn that the recent bout of warm weather has thinned the ice on lakes, rivers and streams throughout the area, even though it feels like winter again with Friday's frigid temperatures. Parents were also being asked to keep their children away from lakeshores, riverbanks, creeks or ponds because melting ice is causing rising water levels and fast-moving waters. © 2007 CBC. All Rights Reserved.


Regional News Articles


WARM AIR, HIGH WATER; COPS WARN OF SPRING DANGER The Toronto Sun Wed 14 Mar 2007 The weather may be unseasonably warm, but the water in Toronto's streams and rivers remains ice cold. That's why the city's police marine unit is warning Toronto residents not to go anywhere near rising streams and rivers. "The problem is the temperature because as it becomes more mild, the snow and ice starts to melt and rivers and streams start to flood," Const. Gary Gibson said. "The water is still a very cold temperature and that poses a big problem. It can cause hypothermia." As tempting as it is for kids to approach the water, this is also the most risky time. Gibson said the marine unit received several calls from residents in the past two days worried about kids playing near waterways. "I think people point out to their kids the dangers of busy streets but they tend to forget streams and rivers pose just as much of a threat and can be more dangerous," he said. "If you go in the water, the current can catch you and knock you down." Areas near the Don and Humber rivers are being monitored hourly by the marine unit. Officers are checking water levels to determine if warnings need to be issued. "The Don starts up in Stouffville and comes all the way down," Gibson said. "It's got a lot of time to build up water." The York Regional marine unit issued a warning yesterday about deteriorating ice on Lake Simcoe Fish huts must be removed off Lake Simcoe by midnight tomorrow. © 2007 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

AS SNOW, ICE THAW, QUINTE CONSERVATION ISSUES WATERWAY WARNING Belleville Intelligencer (ON) Wed 14 Mar 2007 Byline: Samantha Craggs

As temperatures creep upward, local conservation authorities hope the snow melts slowly.

The slower the leftover winter snow disappears, the more it can be absorbed into the ground rather than flooding into rivers. The ideal for this is warm days and cold nights, said Lucille Fragomeni, spokeswoman for Quinte Conservation. "It is the time of the year when we want there to be some melt, but we don't want it all at once," she said. "It's very good if it freezes at night. If it freezes at night, that's when it happens more gradually. When it doesn't, that's when there's an issue on the river system."

Water levels are currently below normal for this time of the year, but will increase over the next few days because of ice and snow melt, she said. Staff continue to monitor water levels, particularly to watch for jamming as the ice melts.

Lower Trent Conservation Authority issued a water bulletin Tuesday saying flows could be higher with a forecast of 20 millimetres of rain over the next two days. "There are no water level concerns anticipated along the Trent River, although flows may increase slightly as a result of snow melt and rainfall," the bulletin said.

Lower Trent includes most of Stirling-Rawdon Township and parts of Centre Hastings, as well as the City of Quinte West starting just west of Walbridge-Loyalist Road. Quinte Conservation's watershed includes the Moira, Salmon and Napanee rivers, and all of Prince Edward County.

Fragomeni's bulletin includes a warning for children on March break to not be lured by the melting snow and fast-flowing water. With more daylight and warmer temperatures, more kids will probably be playing outdoors, she said.

Parents and care givers should keep children away from the river, she said. Stream and river banks are slippery, and dams and other water control structures should be avoided. "Kids are just naturally attracted to flowing water, and it's not a good place to play," she said.

Lower Trent also warned of possible ice jamming on small watercourses and urged caution. Local water conditions bulletins can be found at www.quinteconservation.ca. © 2007 Osprey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved.




2 BOYS FALL THROUGH ICE; 11-YEAR-OLD DIES LATER IN HOSPITAL; HIS FRIEND CLINGS TO LIFE AFTER MISADVENTURE The Toronto Sun Mon 11 Dec 2006 Byline: BY ALAN CAIRNS, TORONTO SUN

A heroic 11-year-old boy who bravely tried to pull a teenage pal from the icy drainage pond died last night in hospital. Brunthan Muraledaran, a Grade 6 student at Thomas L. Wells public school, had walked onto the pond's thin ice after it had broken under the weight of his 15-year-old pal, Kishoban Alakeswaran. Brunthan was on his knees and held Kishoban's hand in his own when the ice broke again.

Both boys slipped under the water as their friends and then four cops crashed through the ice and had to swim for their own lives after they and a civilian had made a gallant yet vain attempt to save them. Kishoban, a Grade 10 student at Woburn Collegiate, and Brunthan were located beneath the murky waters of the Morningside and Finch Ave. pond some time later by firefighters using life jackets and inflatable dinghies.

Some onlookers estimate up to 45 minutes passed before the younger boy was found. The stricken boys were rushed to Sick Kids hospital by ambulance and helicopter last night.

Brunthan was pronounced dead last night. Kishoban is in critical condition. The four cops who fell through the ice were taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia. An ambulance official was treated for hypothermia at the scene. Shocked locals looked on in horror from arena-like perches yesterday as four cops crashed through the ice and had to swim for their lives during a desperate bid to reach 11-year-old Brunthan Muraledaran and his 15-year-old pal Kishoban Alaekeswaran.

"It was really tragic. I felt helpless," said Imraan Sherman, an 18-year-old University of Toronto student who watched the drama unfold through binoculars from the balcony of his home, which backs onto the pond.

Sherman said at one point he looked for a safety ring which had sat atop a sign that warns locals water levels can fluctuate in the pond, there is "thin ice" and "skating and swimming are prohibited." "But it was gone. Somebody had apparently stolen it, or the wind had blown it off." Among those who watched the boys sink under the water was Kishoban's younger brother, Vigithan, 13.

The brothers and three friends were on their way to play soccer at a nearby field just before tragedy struck. Vigithan told reporters outside the family's semi-detached home last night the boys had been throwing rocks on the ice-covered south end of the pond. The ice did not break so Kishoban thought it was safe to walk on. "He was not, like, scared of really anything ... he's really fearless," Vigithan said.

"Even if he went in there, he thought it wasn't that deep and he could swim out easily," Vigithan said. Their cousin, Sinthiyan Balasulramaniam, 14, said everyone begged Kishoban not to go out on the ice. "We told him not to ... he said, 'Don't worry, nothing will happen,' " Sinthiyan said. Then the ice began cracking around Kishoban. As Kishoban turned around to come back to the shore, the ice broke beneath him and he fell into the icy water.

His brother, Vigithan, said it was "just a tragedy ... it was just like unexpected ... he was just like, walking, and all of a sudden he fell." "First he was joking. He thought he could come out ... but then he started getting serious. He started crying. His face started turning red and stuff," Sinthiyan said. "When he first fell in, I said, 'Can I go call my uncle,' and he said, 'No, I'm all right.' And he was laughing. And I thought he was okay. He was going to come ...and suddenly he started sinking," Sinthiyan said.

Brunthan then stepped out on the ice and walked towards the struggling teen, scolding him as went down on his knees and held out a hand. "We told Brunthan not to go out ... we can just go and call our uncles. Brunthan didn't listen to us ... when he went in, he was like, 'Why did you come in here? Didn't I tell you not to come in here? He started yelling at Kishoban."




As the two pals clasped hands, more ice broke away and they were both in water. Sinthiyan ran off to get help. A woman gave him her cellphone and he called 911. Out of nowhere, a truck sped to the scene and a man with a rope appeared. "He handed me the rope, he wanted me to go out myself. I felt if I go out I'll be a victim too," Vigithan said.

Vigithan said he plucked up enough courage to walk out on the ice and try to throw the rope to Brunthan. He walked out to halfway between the shore and where his friend was struggling. "My brother was under ... I couldn't see him," Vigithan said. "Brunthan was gasping (to) breathe. (The rope) was right there beside him, like an inch away. He was trying to get on top of the ice and have some deep breaths ... he wasn't thinking about the rope." "Brunthan was, like, save me, save me. I can't really breathe," he said.

The man in the truck then came out onto the ice and lay down to spread out his weight. He, too, tried to get the rope into Brunthan's hand, the boys said. After sobbing a few times, Brunthan tried to float and then slipped under the water. © 2006 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

QUEBEC RESIDENTS CLEAN UP AFTER FLOODING FORCES 300 FROM HOMES CBC.CA News Wed 25 Oct 2006 Network: CBC People in Quebec's Beauce region, southeast of the capital, continued to return to their homes Monday as officials clean up damage caused by flooding that overwhelmed several municipalities on the weekend. About 300 people were forced to abandon their homes when a heavy downpour overnight Friday dumped as much as 70 millimetres of rain in some areas and caused water levels to rise on the Chaudière River.

The river spilled its banks and inundated buildings in the municipalities of Beauceville, Saint-Joseph, Sainte-Marie, Saint-Georges and Notre-Dame-des-Pins. The communities of Disraéli, Cookshire-Eaton and Weedon, in the Eastern Townships, were also affected.

The flooding shut down rural roads and highways 204 and 276 for about 36 hours, said officials with Quebec's Transport department.

Residents forced out of their homes went to houses on higher ground or emergency shelters set up by public security officials.

More than 100 people were allowed to return home on Sunday, while others had to wait until Monday, when water levels receded to normal levels after a sunny day.

Premier Jean Charest said on the weekend that his government will help flood victims, but the province has not yet estimated the damages.

Public security officials say they'll keep a close eye on the river because of rain and snow forecasts for this week.

People in Beauceville often have to contend with an overflowing Chaudière River during the spring thaw. Some of the worst such flooding was reported last April, when an ice jam caused the river to burst its banks, forcing more than 60 residents out of their homes. With files from the Canadian Press © 2006 CBC. All Rights Reserved.




2 RAFTERS FEARED DEAD AFTER GOING OVER BOW RIVER WEIR Wed 13 Jun 2007 Time: Tue June 12 Network: CBC Calgary emergency crews searched the Bow River Monday for two missing rafters who are feared dead after their rafts went over a weir known as "the drowning machine." The missing men were among a group of nine friends who were floating down the river Sunday when they ran into trouble. Three rafts holding five people went over the weir. Of those five, emergency crews were able to pull three to safety, but two others vanished. None of the rafters was wearing a life-jacket. Claudie Tremblay, one of five friends on the trip who had recently moved to Calgary from Quebec, said the group had been on the river about two hours when they suddenly came upon the small dam. When asked by CBC News what he was thinking, he said: "I don't know ... I am going to die." One of the other rafters, Carl Langlais, said he'd been down the river before but this time he couldn't get to shore. "We can't exit the river because the river is so high," he told CBC News. Safety boom broken Langlais said he was surprised to see that the boom -a gate that normally crosses the Bow River before the weir - was broken. Jeff Budai of the Calgary fire department said a safety boom is usually in place to prevent anyone on the river from entering the dangerous area, but the boom was washed away last week during localized flooding. The river is still too high to put the boom back in place. "They do call this the drowning machine," Budai said of the weir. "We urge our citizens to stay away from the water. We are having record-high water flow right now. With that safety boom being washed away, you have no way out." The last time the other rafters saw their two missing friends, they were waving their arms for help and couldn't break free from the powerful churning of the weir. Calgary fire Capt. Dave Clark says he can't believe anyone survived. "Nobody really gets out of there alive at all and these people were lucky they did get out - lucky with how the water affected them and how they got pushed out," he said. Budai said rescuers' greatest fear is that the rafters were pinned under the weir. While there's a chance they found their way to the river bank, if they've been in the river all night "things are looking pretty grim," he said. The fire department's aquatic team was dispatched to take a closer look Sunday but couldn't find anything. The search was called off at sunset and was to resume Monday. The weir - or low head dam - was built slightly downstream of the Calgary Zoo in 1904 to divert water from the Bow River into an irrigation canal. It creates an impassable, recirculating wave for canoeists and kayakers. A dozen people have died at the weir over the past 30 years. The Parks Foundation Calgary wants to raise the water level over the weir so it's no longer a problem. Kayakers and canoeists would then be able to travel safely along that section of the river, where rocks will be placed to create navigable rapids and calm pools. Work on the $6.4-million project will start later this year and should be complete in a year or two,depending on river conditions. The cost is being covered by the province, the city and the Calgary With files from the Canadian Press © 2007 CBC. All Rights Reserved.




GLOBAL NEWS ARTICLES

FLOODWATERS RISE IN CENTRAL EUROPE The Toronto Sun Tue 04 Apr 2006 Page: 23 Czech Republic officials declared a state of emergency in seven flood-hit regions while rivers continued to rise in neighbouring European countries yesterday, leading to evacuations in some areas. The northern city of Hrensko, on the border with Germany, was immersed in water and sealed off by police as the Elbe River continued to rise. Officials expected it to peak at nine metres above the usual level by nightfall. EVACUATION Czech officials were deciding whether to remove about 1,000 people from Novosedly, 200 km southeast of Prague, as the Dyje and Jevisovka rivers continued to swell, authorities said. The flooding, which started last week, was caused by quickly melting snow in the Czech mountains and rain in most of the country. In 2002, floods devastated a large part of the country, killed at least 16 people and caused more than $3 billion in damage. More than 1,000 people along the Elbe in Germany have had to leave their homes, including several hundred in the historic city of Dresden. In Austria, a river dam burst yesterday, forcing the partial evacuation of the village of Duernkrut northeast of Vienna. The state of emergency, affecting seven of 14 regions, is intended to speed decision-making. The government has already released about $16 million in emergency funding to assist the flood-affected areas. © 2006 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

THAI DAM BREAK WORSENS MALAYSIA'S FLOODS - REPORT Mon 17 Dec 2007 Floods in Malaysia's northeastern Kelantan state worsened after a dam burst in southern Thailand as the nationwide death toll rose to 23, reports said Monday. Deputy prime minister Najib Razak said water levels at the Golok river, which marks the boundary between Malaysia and Thailand, rose above the danger level of nine meters (29.53 feet) to 10.51 meters. 'I was told the broken dam has caused a higher volume of water to enter Golok river and move towards Rantau Panjang and other adjacent areas,' Najib was quoted saying on The Star newspaper's website. The official Bernama news agency reported that the number of flood evacuees in Kelantan rose sharply to 6,039 on Monday from 3,772 the previous day, while in central Pahang state 21,699 were being housed in relief centres. Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.


Global News Articles


THOUSANDS REMAIN STRANDED BY MEXICO FLOODWATERS Mon 05 Nov 2007 Network: CBC Severe floods in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco were continuing to cause havoc and devastation on Saturday. Officials estimate as many as 800,000 people are homeless after a week of heavy rain swamped the Gulf Coast state. Rivers burst their banks late Thursday, submerging about 70 per cent of the low-lying state and 80 per cent of the capital, Villahermosa. Thousands of people remained stranded on rooftops Saturday, awaiting rescue by army boats and helicopters, officials said. At least one death was reported on Friday and nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, were shut down after the state's worst flooding in 50 years. The flood has affected almost half of the roughly two million people who live in Tabasco, their homes flooded, damaged or cut off by high water. "We had floods before but less big than this one. This is super big, enormous, we lost everything, everything," said one woman in Villahermosa, home to 750,000 people. Thousands have fled to the neighboring states of Chiapas and Veracruz seeking refuge, but many others have stayed in their neighbourhoods to prevent looting. On Saturday, some people received what they thought was the best news in days as waters in the overflowing rivers finally began to recede a bit for the first time. However, although the water levels have dropped, forecasters have predicted more rain in the coming days. With files from the Associated Press © 2007 CBC. All Rights Reserved.

FLOODING LEAVES TENS OF THOUSANDS HOMELESS IN INDONESIA CBC.CA News Mon 05 Feb 2007 Section: World Network: CBC At least 20 people have been killed and 340,000 forced from their homes in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after rivers swollen by four days of torrential rain broke through barriers and inundated the city. Parts of Jakarta are under three metres of water in the worst flooding the city has seen in five years, and more than 670,000 people have been left without electricity. Many residents have taken refuge in five-star hotels, schools and mosques, according to the BBC. Hospital staff have moved patients to upper floors and television footage shows people being rescued from the rooftops of their homes. The government, concerned about an outbreak of dengue fever, has dispatched medical teams on rubber rafts into the worst-hit districts. Many residents have refused to leave their flooded homes or aren't able to do so and continue to live in squalid conditions made worse by the heavily polluted flood waters. "Jakarta is now on the highest alert level," said Sihar Simanjuntak, an official monitoring the water levels of the many rivers that crisscross the city of 12 million people. Officials are bracing for more of the same next week, as the downpour is predicted to continue for the next several days, according to the Associated Press. With files from the Associated Press © 2007 CBC. All Rights Reserved.


Global News Articles


CLASSROOM EXERCISE #2 Caught in the Current Experiment Curriculum Subject Fit: Mathematics, Science & Technology, Health & Safety Purpose: The purpose is to demonstrate that an object tends to stay in the centre of the

current in a fast moving stream of water. Equipment: Tap with running water Plastic spoon Ribbon Tape Method:

1. Tape a 20 cm piece of ribbon to a spoon 2. Turn the tap on to provide a steady stream of water 3. Place a plastic spoon in the stream of water and hold onto the ribbon. 4. Observe how the plastic spoon remains in the centre of the current. 5. Pull on the ribbon to show how much force is necessary to pull the spoon free.

Discussion: Relate this experiment to a situation in which a child falls into a river and

how hard it will be to swim free of the current.

Extension: Take the class to a stream or river and perform the experiment again with something larger to again demonstrate the effect.


Classroom Exercise #2 Caught in the Current Experiment


CLASSROOM EXERCISE # 3 How Cold is Cold Experiment Curriculum Subject Fit: Mathematics, Science & Technology, Health & Safety MATERIALS:

1. A large plastic bowl 2. Ice chunk with snow

METHOD: 1. Allow cold tap water to run for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, break up the ice to fit into the

bowl. 2. Fill the remaining space of the bowl with cold water

DATA: STEP 1: Estimate how long you think you can hold one hand under the water and ice.

STEP 2: Now, to complete the experiment, place on hand in the ice water while timing it with a wrist-watch. When you can’t hold your hand in the bowl any longer, Take your hand out and write down the ACTUAL TIME you held your hand in the water.

How close were the two times? _______________________________________

Now – imagine your entire body in that experimental bowl. The ice water in this experiment is no different than spring melt waters in our rivers, lakes, ponds, creeks and streams.

_____________ minutes _______________ seconds

_____________ minutes _______________ seconds


Classroom Exercise #3 How Cold is Cold Experiment


CLASSROOM EXERCISE #4

What Happens When Winter Turns to Spring? Curriculum Subject Fit: Language Arts, Health & Safety Children should play with a buddy and never go near thin ice, cold fast flowing water, and slippery slopes of streams. Children should let an adult know where they will be playing at all times. Activity Extensions:

1. Have the children complete the following activity sheets. Use one or all of the illustrations of outdoor activities to have the children express what is wrong or right with the pictures.

2. Have the students identify those area in their community that are of most

concern. Streams, rivers, creeks. Have a discussion around unsafe practices they may have seen occur. Topographic maps and/or aerial photos can be used. Students can locate where they are on the map. For older class it’s a good time to also talk about land features, slopes, watersheds, etc. Where does all the snowmelt go in the winter? This is a great opportunity to talk about how watersheds work as it often becomes quite visible on a map/aerial photos how the contours of the land work and how the little waterways all run into the one big waterway.

3. Have the student create awareness posters to be put up around the

classroom and/or in their community to make others aware of the dangers of spring ice

Write a story about the children in this picture. Write in the empty space under the picture if you wish you may colour the picture.


Classroom Exercise #4 What Happens When Winter Turns to Spring



Classroom Exercise #4 What Happens When Winter Turns to Spring


CLASSROOM EXERCISE #5 Johnny Thinks SWAP is a Joke Curriculum Subject Fit: The Arts, Language Arts, Health & Safety Cast of Characters Victim – Johnny Reporter 1 Reporter 2 Reporter 3 Teacher Police Officer Ambulance Attendant Friend 1 Friend 2 Friend 3 Friend 4 Camera Person Script Card Holder (Act 1) Script Card Holder (Act 2) PROPS

- Sign saying “Thin Ice” - Hockey Sticks for friends - Microphone for reporters - Yard stick or pointer for teacher - Mat and pillow for Johnny’s bedroom - Sign saying Act 1 and Act 2 - Video camera


Classroom Exercise #5 Johnny Thinks SWAP is a Joke


Johnny Thinks SWAP Is A Joke

ACT 1 Opening – Johnny is walking along care-free, whistling, hands in pocket, walking towards the “DANGER THIN ICE” sign. END OF ACT 1 ACT 2 (Enter reporter. Reporter wears a floppy hat with a press card, moustache if desired, and perhaps a trench coat. Reporter is reporting that a student at a particular school in their town had fallen through the ice.) REPORTER – This is reporter’s name, reporting from Town, where earlier today, it was reported that a student of school, fell through the ice at river/lake. It has also been brought to my attention that this particular student had previously taken part in the Spring Water Awareness Program supplied by the local conservation authority, Quinte Conservation. With me now, are a group of the victim’s friends who witnessed the incident. Tell me in your own words what happened here today. (Friends all have the appearance of being excited. They all want to talk first and explain what happened.) FRIEND 1 – Well we were playing hockey over there (point) when we saw Johnny walking over there, (point in opposite direction). I yelled to Johnny that it wasn’t safe out there, but he kept on walking… FRIEND 2 – So we went back to playing our hockey game and when we looked over again, he had fallen through… FRIEND 3 – I saw him fall in, I was watching him the whole time. He was out there walking on the ice and he was acting really cool, like there was no way he would fall through and then he was gone… FRIEND 4 – I don’t understand why he would even be walking out there. Just a few days ago, we were all taught about Spring Water Awareness and thin ice was one of the dangers that Quinte Conservation told us to stay away from. But Johnny has always been like that, he never listens to anything anybody says. REPORTER – reporter’s name, our channel 10 field correspondent is standing by live at school. Over to you reporter 2’s name. REPORTER 2 – I’m talking with teacher’s name, who is Johnny’s teacher here at school. Would you expect this to happen to Johnny especially after just having gone through a Spring Water Awareness Program?




TEACHER – (dressed as old school matron, very high pitched voice, very old). Heh…? (Reporter repeats question a little louder.) TEACHER – You don’t have to yell, Sonny! It’s like I’ve said to my students for the last 50 years, if you don’t listen, you don’t learn. Now Johnny if you’re listening (points her finger at the camera and her voice rises), don’t try to use this little incident to get out of tomorrow’s test because it won’t work, do you hear me… REPORTER 2 – I don’t think he would try to use this to get out of the test teacher’s name TEACHER – If you don’t want a detention, you’ll learn to mind your own business Sonny… REPORTER 2 - … Thank you very much teacher’s name, that’s all the time we have. We now have to break for this important station break and commercial, when we return we’ll be going back live to the scene where our roving reporter is talking to the Police Officer who is investigating the incident. BREAK TO COMMERCIAL REPORTER – As I understand it, you were the first person on the scene besides Johnny’s friends, is that correct Officer? OFFICER – (Detective, very somber), just the facts ma’am, (officer removes his little notebook from a pocket.) That is correct, I arrived at precisely 09:45 hours, (confirms it with his notebook) and when I arrived Johnny was thrashing around like a caged dolphin. At first, I thought it was a fish, but then I saw his hair, fish don’t have hair, you know? …

REPORTER – Yes Detective, I’m aware of that…

OFFICER – Anyway, at exactly 09:52, (again checks his notebook to confirm) we got the boy out of the water, and he was really cold. It’s really hard to think and move in water that cold and he was really scared. I’m sure this little episode shook him up quite a bit. Anyway, I think he’s okay now. The ambulance was here and they were looking after him. I think they are still here… Yes, there they are (points to ambulance attendant).

EPORTER – I’m talking to the ambulance attendant that looked after Johnny. How is he doing now?




AMBULANCE ATTENDANT – Well, he’s still pretty cold, but I think he’s feeling a lot better. I must say that he was very lucky to survive, that water is really cold and it doesn’t take long before something bad could’ve happened. I guess the best thing to do is stay way from these areas in the spring. REPORTER – Well, we’re just about out of time, but our roving reporter is live at Johnny’s house. Over to you reporter 3’s name . REPORTER 3 – Well, you’ve had quite a day today, haven’t you? Do you have anything you’d like to say? JOHNNY – The only thing I want to say is, I’d like to turn back the clock and wish I had remembered what they taught me in Spring Water Awareness so that this never happens again, plus I would have gotten a much better mark on my test! REPORTER – Well as always, you heard it first on Channel 10. To sum up our top story of the day, stay away from danger areas and play safe and have a safe and happy spring!




CLASSROOM EXERCISE #6 ACTIVITY: Flood Damage Reduction Curriculum Subject Links: Mathematics, Language Arts, Health & Safety

Using the diagram above and the information below, calculate the amount of damage that would be caused by a flood. INFORMATION:

1. The house is a three bedroom, frame construction with a finished basement. It was built 30 years ago.

2. The car is 2 years old with low mileage; it is a mid-size domestic make. 3. Don’t forget to calculate costs associated with replacing furniture, carpets and personal

belongings. 4. Other costs will include housing for the family until the flood is over. 5. This is only one house, how many others along the river would also be flooded?

QUESTIONS:

1. Who will pay for the damages and why? 2. How could the damage have been avoided? 3. Whose responsibility is it to see that houses are no longer built in floodplain? 4. What dangers would have been faced by the occupants of the house?


Classroom Exercise #6 Flood Damage Reduction

grade 6 package - quinte conservationquinteconservation.ca/.../swap/docs/grade6.pdf · grade 6...

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