Flood-Proofing Our City

Teacher:
Monica Colbert

Grade Level:
Grade 6-8

Objective:
Students will be able to analyze and interpret data on flooding to inform the
development of regional construction to mitigate their effects.

Students will be able to collaboratively design models of flood-proof buildings.

Overview of plans:
● Research causes, effects, and the prevention of regional flooding
● Investigate ways to make a flood-proof home, neighborhood, and/or city.
● Find ways to request necessary resources
● Have students construct models of homes, schools, neighborhoods, etc. with
varying roles such as cost estimators, architects, engineers, etc.

Standards:

Maryland State STEM Standard:

Engage in logical reasoning to answer complex questions, to investigate global
issues, and to develop solutions for challenges and real world problems.

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS-ESS3-2 Earth and Human Activity
Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events
and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

English Language Arts Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or
paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.
Engagement:
Students will be posed with the prompting questions listed below to initiate the
creation of ideas, activate background knowledge, engage in small group discussions,
then compile ideas on a large poster to present to the whole class.

● What structurally caused the flooding in our region?

● What needs to be done to ensure cities and towns in the area can withstand
extreme amounts of rainfall?

Exploration:
Have students watch the 2 videos, read the article, and individually complete the
capture sheet​. The videos and article can be shared digitally with students to allow
independent and uninterrupted watching, reading, thinking, and responding.

“Heavy Flooding Ravages Baltimore-Metro City”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKJQ5J1jXFw

“A Look at Historic Ellicott City After Flooding”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFhkjkr7I0Y

“After huge hail and flooding in Frederick, storms to let up across region overnight”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/05/15/heavy-st
orms-threaten-tuesday-evening-and-may-cause-flash-flooding/?noredirect=on&utm_te
rm=.a432edd92df7

Then have them revisit the posters in small groups to add to it and brainstorm next
steps for constructing flood-proof homes, schools, and/or cities. Students should then
begin conducting research on the cause, effect, and prevention of flooding.

Explanation/Extension/Evaluation:
Present students with this hypothetical notice:

“Government officials and construction companies are surveying the area and plan to
hold a town hall meeting where our class/school has been asked to attend. We will
present at the townhall meeting in various forms. Our collective job is to do the
following…
● Present the issues around flooding in our region on a poster, PowerPoint,
Google Slide, or any electronic presentation creator.
 ● Show a virtual or handheld model of a flood-proof home, school, and/or
community.
● Propose ways to improve the city’s infrastructure.”

Allow time for students to give immediate feedback, share questions, comments, and
concerns regarding the presented challenge.

Introduce students to the Engineering Design Process by showing this image and
briefly discussing each part.

Next distribute and thoroughly review the ​engineering write-up​ requirements with
students to communicate clear expectations and provide clarity.

Set due dates for small groups to complete project components as outlined in
write-up:
● Request for all necessary materials to construct models, and present at the
town hall meeting
● Present blueprints with rationale of structure/materials for model (include actual
material and the model version of that material in descriptions) to the teacher
and to the class to receive feedback
● Rough draft of informational and proposal presentation presented to the
teacher and to the class for feedback

End of lesson sequence suggestions:

Coordinate a culminating event for students to showcase their learnings,
understandings, presentations, and models to peers outside of the class, other
teachers, family, and friends.