Civics and Citizenship

Picture Story Book 'Emergency'

1. What students could learn from this resource (VELS/AusVELslevel & Learning focus statement). 


Learning focus statements from VELS:
Civics and Citizenship - Level 2

They explore the roles, rights and responsibilities of various family and community members.

2. How and why the resource would be used in the classroom for HSE learning (Prep – Year 2).

I would use the picture story book ‘Emergency’ by Margret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe in a grade 1 class as an introduction lesson looking at the roles of different members of the community. This book particularly focuses on those in the community that are involved in emergency services. After reading the picture story book, have the students do an activity that involves students matching a person to a specific emergency. I would first ask the students to match them as a class on the interactive whiteboard and then to go back to their desks to cut a paste the work sheet , for example matching a fire with a firefighter.

In a later lesson we would have an incursion from the local Fire Department for the students to meet a fire fighter and see a fire engine.

3. A brief description of how your resource/activity responds to an aspect or aspects of the readings for that week.

‘Emergency’ provides students with an introduction to various different people in the community that are involved in emergency services. It is important for students to be able to relate what they are learning to their own lives and to teach them ’the things that matter to young people, the things that can help them understand their reality’ (Kennedy, 2000 p. 12). Children need to know what to do in an emergency, and it’s important for them to know that there are people who can help if they have an emergency. ‘Emergency’ gives a broad overview of different types of emergencies the and wide variety of people who can help, this is both relevant and important for young people to learn. ‘Civic education must be engaging, relevant and meaningful for young people’ (Kennedy, 2000 p. 17), so, by introducing this topic the using an engaging picture story book, students will become interested and focused on discussion and worksheets about community members.
Students will be able to further make meaning from the topic when the fire fighter visits the school.