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Using floods in the past to understand floods in the present. |
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| | | Author | Poppy Simpson, BFI | | | | Topic | Floods | | | | Key Words | Rainfall, saturation, infiltration, deforestation, run-off, drainage basin, flood plain, embankments | |
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A series of Topical Budget newsreels dealing with the subject of flooding.
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A few useful short films to get students thinking about and discussing flooding - its causes and effects. In this lesson the newsreels provide the stimulus for a discussion about flooding before small groups plan their own short informational films dealing with either the reasons behind flooding, methods of preventing flooding or how to manage flooding.
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Lesson Objective - To understand the causes and effects of flooding.
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Trailer Begin the lesson by watching a selection or all of the first three Topical Budgets listed under Video Clips - (The Fearful Flood (1913), Floods in the Valley (1916) and Mississippi Floods (1927). Ask students to note down anything they can learn or infer from the newsreels about the causes and effects of flooding. This can be followed with a quick brainstormaround the following questions: - What are some of the main causes of floods?
- What are the potential consequences of floods?
- What areas tend to be vulnerable to flooding?
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Main Attraction Next, watch the short newsreel Fighting the Flood (1927), which shows some of the ways in which the inhabitants of Mississippi sought to cope with the floods in 1927. Ask students to note down what they see in the film (ie. sandbags etc.). This can lead to a discussion about the different ways in which we can manage flooding as well as pre-emptive measures we can take to reduce the impact of floods. Divide the class into groups and challenge them to plan a short one minute information film that will appear in the Floods section of the Environment Agency's website. They can choose to make one of the following films: - A film explaining which areas are vulnerable to flooding - when and why - and some of the key terms and key facts associated with flooding in general.
- A film explaining what measures people can take to ensure that their home is protected from flooding as well as tips on managing the effects of flooding.
- A film explaining what measures the government can take to try and minimise the risk of flooding and the ways in which it can support victims of flooding in the UK.
Each group should prepare: - A voiceover script
- A description of the visual images that will accompany the voiceover
- A description of any other sound-effects or graphics that they will use.
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End Credits Ask a selection of groups to present their film ideas to the rest of the class. Based on these presentations and their experience of planning the shorts - how useful do students think film is as a medium to present information and advice? You might wish to end with a discussion about some of the more recent examples of flooding in this country as well as abroad. Students may make the link between the Topical Budget newsreels on Mississippi and Hurricane Katrina and this could provide the ground work for a homework assignment exploring some of the issues surrounding the climate change debate. Alternatively, you could encourage students to think about flooding in a global context - perhaps comparing flooding in the UK with another country, such as Bangladesh. |
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