Danger in the Desert Classroom Companion

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Danger in the DesertClassroom Companion
Information and activities to accompany the book

• Linda D. Alkove
• MEd

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Information and Activities to Accompany Danger in
the Desert

• Neighborhood survival
• Neighborhood Emergency Plan
• Knowing where you are cardinal directions
• Know Where You Are Activity
• Neighborhood Map
• Make Your Own Survival Guide
• Walkabout activity
• Survival Inventory Preparation
• Survival Inventory Group Activity
• Survival Inventory (Car)
• Survival kit for traveling
• Field Trips
• Class field trip
• What ifs
• Things you need to know about water
• Desert Pictograph Activities
• Recommendations to Teachers

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Neighborhood/City Survival

• Compile questions in a pretest for students (see
  activity handouts for a sample) to find out how
  many really know how to describe where they are
  in their neighborhood.
• Ask students what if
• You get locked out of the house accidentally on a
  hot day.
• You miss the bus and have to walk home from
  school on a hot day.
• You feel threatened or intimidated by anyone.
• Your car breaks down on a hot day and you are not
  near any convenience stores.
• Your prearranged ride fails to show at the
  planned time and place.
• Have students brainstorm. Then collect the ideas
  and discuss them.

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Emergency Plan (while in your neighborhood)

• Sit down with your family and agree on places to
  meet if you should encounter an inconvenient,
  suspicious, or life-threatening situation and
  cannot go home or get in the house, even if you
  have cell phones.
• If you carry a cell phone, make sure you have
  phone numbers you need to help in sticky
  situations parents work number, parents cell
  phone number, close relative or trusted adult
  numbers, 911, etc.
• Whether you carry a cell phone or not, you should
  keep a list of these numbers on a card in your
  wallet or purse. YOU CANNOT COUNT ON THE CELL
  PHONE WORKING FOR YOU IN AN EMERGENCY. HAVE A
  BACK UP PLAN.

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Emergency Plan (while in your neighborhood)
continued

• Know where working public phones are in your
  area.
• Arrange emergency use of home telephones with
  trusted adults.
• If you live in an apartment, remember there are
  usually offices open during the day where you may
  use a phone in an emergency.
• Businesses nearby will let you use their own
  phones if they know you have an emergency.

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Emergency Plan (while in your neighborhood)
continued

• Here are some things you need to know and be
  aware of all the time
• Cardinal directions (North, South, East, West)
• Major streets, plus cross streets (intersections)
  where you are at any time.
• Cardinal directions in relation to your location
  or any other given location.
• Your house number and street number
• Your phone number or that of a trusted adult

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YOU DONT ALWAYS NEED A COMPASS TO KNOW THE
CARDINAL DIRECTIONS,
BUT YOU DO NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHERE YOU ARE AT
ALL TIMES.
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IF NOT EXACTLY, THEN AT LEAST IN RELATION TO
CITIES, TOWNS, HIGHWAYS, AND LANDMARKS.
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But what do I need to know this for?
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So when you are faced with a situation in which
you must accurately describe where you are or
where someone else may be, you can!
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IF YOU DONT ALREADY KNOW, HERE ARE SOME TOOLS TO
HELP YOU GET STARTED.
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North
To the left of the sunrise.
To the right of the sunset.
Northwest
Northeast
Direction the sun sets.
Direction the sun rises.
East
West
Southeast
Southwest
South
To the right of the sunrise.
To the left of the sunset.
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North
To Utah
Northwest
Northeast
t Los Angeles, CA
Albuquerque, NM u
East
West
Southeast
Southwest
South
To Mexico
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Other easy cardinal direction mnemonics (memory
aids) for Arizona residents
The City of Flagstaff is in the northern part of
Arizona The City of Tucson is in the southern
part of Arizona. The City of Yuma is in the
western part of Arizona. The City of
Springerville is in the eastern part of
Arizona.
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Main Arizona Highways.
I-17 runs north/south between the cities of
Phoenix and Flagstaff. I-8 runs from I-10
(cutting the state in half between Phoenix and
Tucson) east to California. I-10 enters the
state on the east side, then cuts the state in
half between Tucson and Phoenix, and then turns
west to California.
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Know Where You Are Activity 1The Neighborhood
Maop
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Neighborhood Map

• Should include anywhere a student might go on a
  hot summer day, such as
• Friends houses
• Convenience stores
• Fast food stores
• The mall
• The library

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Neighborhood Map (continued)

• Should important transportation items, such as
• Streets (where you live and close by)
• Bus stops
• Homes of trusted adults who might get you where
  you need to go in an emergency

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Neighborhood Map (continued)

• Should safe meeting areas
• Public places where you can meet a trusted adult
  indoors, such as libraries, fast food
  restaurants, coffee shops, the mall (make sure
  you have identified the exact place in the mall)
• Homes of trusted adults
• School office (many do not close until at least
  one hour after students leave)
• Police substations, fire stations

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Making your own survival guide

• What do you need to know if you get lost, locked
  out, or stranded in..
• Your neighborhood
• Your town or city
• The region where you live
• Other places in your state

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Surviving your neighborhood Its all in what
you know

• At the least, you need to know the following
• Where you can get water (besides your own house)
• Where you can get food
• Where you can be safe from dangerous situations
  or people.
• Where you can safely wait for trusted adults to
  pick you up (friends houses, churches,
  libraries, etc.)
• Who to call when you need help
• When your nearest neighborhood school closes
  (often if there is a problem, just go to the
  school and explain the situation to the office
  and they will make sure you are safe)

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Surviving your neighborhood

• Make a map of your neighborhood, including
• The location of your house
• The locations of essential services (stores, gas
  stations, etc.)
• The locations of public phones
• Safe houseswhere trusted adults live and may
  be available if needed.
• Places to avoid

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Survival Situations in your Neighborhood

• Getting locked out/forgetting or losing your key
• Stranger danger
• House fire
• Neighborhood lock down
• Communication problems between adults and kids

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What you need with you at all times

• Bottled water
• House key
• List of phone numbers of trusted people
• Neighborhood map
• Weather appropriate clothing (this is the most
  difficult for some middle school kids)
• Identification (school or state ID)

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About Your Town or City

• You at least need to know the following
• Your home phone number or the phone number of a
  trusted adult who can help you
• What part of the city you live in (most
  metropolitan areas have official and unofficial
  districts, for example Willow district,
  Sunnyslope, South Phoenix)
• At least one unique landmark near where you live
• Your homes relative direction to the landmark
  (example I live just west of MetroCenter)
• Major cross streets (example I live near the
  intersection of 35th Ave. and Peoria)
• How to get to any of your designated safe
  locations from the major cross streets.

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Surviving your town/city

• Here is a list of items you should have with you
  at all times
• Water
• Your house key
• Your neighborhood map
• Coins for phones (check to see how much a call
  costs) Dont assume that your cell phone will be
  working when you need it most!
• A list of phone numbers, including people you can
  count on to help you.
• Weather appropriate clothing.
• Identification (school or state ID)

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Surviving your town/city

• Here is a list of items that are helpful,
  especially if you must find your own way home.
• For most large cities, bus fare (right now in
  Phoenix, its 1.25 per ride. If you know you
  need to change buses, you will need 1.25 for
  each bus)
• Bus scheduleand make sure before you go anywhere
  that you can find a way back home on the bus.
• City map

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Know Where You Are Activity 2The Walkabout
Students should already have finished their
neighborhood maps before you attempt the
Walkabout.
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Walkabout

• For this activity, the teacher needs to get the
  usual field trip permissions, but does not need
  to get a bus.
• Essentially, you will be taking your students for
  a walk around the neighborhood of your school.
• Students either individually or in groups will
  carry clipboards with questions on them designed
  to test whether or not they can describe their
  location in terms of cardinal directions, and in
  terms of cardinal directions in relation to
  streets, houses, businesses, etc.

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Walkabout

• BEFORE THE WALKABOUT
• Plan your route, draw your own map, and plan
  where you will ask the questions.
• Plan questions for 5-10 stopping points where the
  students will be required to answer the questions
  on the clipboard.
• Once you return, compare student answers to a
  neighborhood map you have made to go along with
  the Walkabout.

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Walkabout

• Sample Questions
• Teacher Sheet Stop at the corner of Elm and
  Maple.
• Student Sheet
• Describe where you are in relation to home or
  school, using cardinal directions.
• If you had to go to _________ from here, which
  cardinal direction would you take?

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Desert Survival Inventory (Group activity)

• A DAY OR TWO BEFORE THE ACTIVITY
• 1.Have students read the desert survival
  pamphlets provided as website links at the end of
  this portfolio.
• 2. Have students take the survival quiz after
  reading the desert survival pamphlets and before
  starting this activity.

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Survival Inventory (Group activity)

• You will be dividing your class into groups of
  4/5 students for this activity.
• You will need a paper grocery bag or plastic
  kitchen garbage bag for each group.
• Each bag must contain a representative collection
  of items that may be contained in a car
  (preferable before the interior is cleaned out)

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Survival Inventory (Group activity) continued

• Bag materials may include but not be limited to
• Towel (such as a driver might use to wipe wet
  windows)
• Paper or plastic cups
• Pencils, papers
• Newspaper
• Blanket
• Pillow
• Childrens toys
• Books
• Trash container

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Survival Inventory (Group activity) continued

• You may also simulate items often carried on
  someones person, but which are not necessarily
  allowed at school. Use index cards to simulate
• iPods or MP3 players
• Cell phones
• Water bottles (filled or unfilled)
• Nintendo or Sega personal game players

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Survival Inventory (Group activity) continued

• You may also include items carried in student
  purses, backpacks, or notebooksthese the
  students can provide themselves and may include
• Make-up, make-up mirrors
• Paper, pencil
• Clothing
• Books
• Etc.

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Survival Inventory (Group activity) On the day

• Assign student groups.
• Tell them each group is representative of driver
  and passengers in a car
• Distribute on bag with items to each group.
• Tell them they are stranded in the desert.
• They are to inventory all items in the bag
  (representative of items in a car) along with all
  items on their persons (simulate items forbidden
  at school)

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Survival Inventory (Group activity) On the day
continued

• Students are to examine the inventory and, on a
  sheet of paper, write an explanation of what the
  item could be used for in the desert.
• This can be a journal activity or a presentation
  activity.

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Survival Inventory (Car)

• This is an individual assignment!
• Using what they have learned, and what they
  practiced in the group activity, students will
  take an inventory of objects found in their cars.
• You may use the activity handouts on the main
  website to print and give to your students so
  they can record their inventory.

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Survival Kit for Traveling

• Have each student make a list of things they
  think they would need for a survival kit, now
  that they know the essentials.

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Field Trips

• Learning about your environment

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Independent or assigned Field Trips for Students

• Your city, county, or state
• In Arizona, many cities and counties have their
  own regional parks. These parks are often kept
  in native condition, and have many of the
  plants and animals that were abundant in the area
  before development.
• Arizona also has a lot of federal lands. These
  include national parks and monuments, national
  forests, and designated wilderness areas. Make
  your next camping trip or picnic into a field
  trip by looking for animals or plants and keeping
  a record of what you find.

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Field Trips for School

• You might not need to travel if your school has a
  native garden, as many do here in Arizona.
  Make the same observations and keep the same
  records you might keep if you were on your own.
• If you do have the opportunity to travel, any
  community in Arizona has quick access to public
  lands and wilderness areas.
• Remember if you live in the Phoenix area, you
  have access to the largest regional park system
  in the U.S. All of the regional parks are kept
  in native condition and many have great
  interpretive programs where students can learn
  how to observe and record information.

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What if.

• Problem Solving Before You Encounter the Problem

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What if.

• My friends and I go on an outing and no one shows
  up to pick us up
• Before you go
• work out a safe location where you and your
  friends can wait to be picked up if your trusted
  adult ride is delayed and the place you are
  visiting closes.
• Be prepared to take the bus or a taxi home. This
  means know the routes or know how much the fare
  might be and make sure you do not spend the money
  that you might need later.
• At the location Identify managers, supervisors,
  security guards, or anyone who might be able to
  help you in a pinch.
• Make sure you know where the pay phones arethe
  cell phone is nice to have but dont count on it.
  Use it if you have it, but be prepared in case
  it does not work.
• Call a back-up safe adult if you cannot get in
  contact with your original pick up adult.

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What if.

• We go on an outing with a trusted adult, and we
  are separated from the trusted adult.
• Before you go
• work out a place at your outing location where
  you can meet if anyone in your group gets
  separated.
• It is helpful to bring cell phones or
  walkie-talkies, but remember these might not be
  available when you need them most.
• Make sure everyone knows to stay with at least
  one other person.
• At the location
• Identify managers, supervisors, security guards,
  or anyone who might be able to help you in a
  pinch.
• Identify first-aid stations. If you cannot find
  your trusted adult or people you are travelling
  with, this might be the first place to check.
• Make sure you know where the phones are. Often,
  people will allow you to use a store phone if you
  are in trouble and need help.
• Call a back-up safe adult if you cannot get in
  contact with your original pick up adult.

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Water

• Things you should know about carrying,
  collecting, and cleaning water

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Water

• If you always carry water, you will be ahead of
  the survival game
• Encourage your parents to keep at least 1-2
  gallons of drinking water in the car at all time.
• When you hike, carry enough water to last the
  day. This will depend on a) temperature, and b)
  hiking conditions.

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Water

• Before you go, study ways to find water
• Before you go, study ways to capture water
• Before you go, study ways to make water
  drinkable.
• Bring enough!!! Survival experts strongly
  suggest that you drink all the water you need if
  you are lost or stranded. Do not plan to ration
  water.

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Water

• Beware of bad water
• Radiator water is not safe to drink, as it most
  likely contains antifreeze, which is poisonous.
  Even if you KNOW there is no antifreeze in the
  water, it has been exposed to rust, oil, and
  other agents which make the water unsafe to
  drink.
• Most water in streams and rivers will contain
  bacteria which can cause diarrhea.

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Water

• Know how to make water safe
• Boiling water for 10 minutes kills most bacteria.
• If you are putting a survival kit together, it is
  not a bad idea to carry iodine tablets made
  especially for killing bacteria in drinking
  water.
• You cant make radiator water safe by boiling it
  or putting iodine tablets in it. Radiator water
  is NEVER safe to drink.

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Water

• Know how to collect water
• In the desert, it rains during monsoon seasons.
  Rains usually last a few minutes and can be
  heavy.
• Carry a tarp or clean garbage bag with you and
  make a water collection device.
• Know how to store water
• It is wise to keep a clean, empty gallon
  container in your car so you can store any water
  you collect.
• If you dont have a bottle available, search your
  area for potential storage items, such as cans,
  cups, water bottles, etc.

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Water

• Simple water collection device
• You will need
• A plastic tarp or clean (unused) plastic garbage
  bag--a contractors garbage bag 3 ml. Thick is
  the best, but use what you can.
• Something to dig with (rock, stick, tire iron,
  hubcap)
• 1 fist sized rock (as clean as you can find)
• 4-12 fist-to-head sized rocks

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Water

• Tarp/Bag rain collector
• 1. Dig a hole about 18 inches wide by 6 inches
  deep (depending on the bag)
• 2. Spread the tarp/bag out, centered over the
  hole.
• 3. Place a fist-sized rock in the center of the
  tarp/bag and press gently down until you feel the
  bottom of the hole.
• 4. Place the rest of the rocks around the edge
  of the tarp/bag to keep it from blowing away
  (wind usually comes with rain)

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Water

• Special note A clean garbage bag can be easily
  folded and placed in a backpack when you are
  hiking in the desert. Pack 2 or three--youll
  see why in a bit.

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Water

• Water distiller
• You can distill water (usually from just under
  the topsoil) if there has been a recent rain.
• You can even distill pure water from your own
  pee--maybe it sounds gross, but the water you
  distill will be purer than Aquafina or Dasani
  water.
• You might not get a whole lot of water, but the
  water you get may mean the difference between
  life and death in the desert.

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Water

• To make a water distiller you will need
• A plastic bag ( a grocery bag would be fine, but
  you can still use part of a clean garbage bag)
• A low container (tin can, paper or styrofoam cup
  torn to about 1/2 size)
• A jawbreaker sized rock
• Several fist sized rocks

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Water

• To make a water distiller
• 1. Find a low place where water may have
  collected and soaked into the ground. This could
  be at the bottom of any wash or dry creek. You
  might also find it underneath a tree or bush.
• 2. Dig until you reach wet dirt or sand.
• 3. Dig until you have at least six inches of wet
  dirt or sand on all sides, and so it is at least
  twice as deep as your container.
• 4. If needed, dig a shelf around your hole for
  the bag.
• 5. Make sure your container is 2-3 inches deep
  (tear it down if you need to) and center it at
  the bottom of the hole.
• 6. Spread the bag out (you might have to tear it
  until it is a single layer) so that it is
  centered on the hole.
• 7. Place your small rock in the center of the
  bag and press gently until you think it is about
  1 inch from the top of the cup. DO NOT LET IT
  TOUCH THE CUP.
• 8. Secure the edges of the bag with the rest of
  the rock.
• 9. Leave it for several hours. The best time to
  dig the distiller is at sunset so you can leave
  it all night.
• 10. Later, when you return to the distiller, tap
  the bag gently so that you do not loosen it from
  the edge rocks. You should be able to see
  droplets on the other side of the bag. Try to
  make as many fall into the cup as you can.
• 11. Carefully remove the bag and the rocks so
  you do not spill the cup. Drink what is in the
  cup or put the water in your storage area.

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Water

• To make a pee distiller
• This is easy. Just follow all the steps you
  would use for the water distiller, but dig a dry
  hole (at sunset, please), pee in it, and then
  build the distiller.

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Water

• Special note about distillers
• If you have enough plastic, make more than one.
• Make as many as you can!
• Dont make them too big! If they are too big,
  the drops wont be able to fall into the
  container. Instead, they will evaporate again or
  fall back into the dirt or sand.
• Dont wait until you are out of your water supply
  to start distilling. Stay ahead of the game.
  Build a distiller as soon as your realize you are
  lost or stranded.
• Remember if you pee all your water out without
  distilling it, it will evaporate before you can
  use it.

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Desert Pictograph Activities

• Two ways to know your environment

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Sonoran Desert Edibles (Pictograph)

• Research edible and nonedible plants that can be
  found in the Sonoran desert.
• Using your research notes, create a pictograph
  indicating the edible and nonedible plants that
  can be found in the Sonoran Desert.
• Upper grades (4-8) Create a reference document
  citing the print and electronic sources you used
  to find your information.
• REMEMBER DO NOT EAT WHEN YOU ARE LOST IN THE
  DESERT UNLESS YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH WATER!

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Sample pictograph
Saguaro
Mesquite tree (beans)
Jojoba
Yucca (agave)
Prickly Pear
http//www.spmesquite.com/articles/ancientfoods.ht
ml
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Desert Cautions (Pictograph)

• Research dangerous animals and plants that can be
  found in the Sonoran desert.
• Using your research notes, create a pictograph
  indicating the edible and nonedible plants that
  can be found in the Sonoran Desert.
• Upper grades (4-8) Create a reference document
  citing the print and electronic sources you used
  to find your information.

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Recommendations to Teachers

• As a companion to DITD, go to the following link
• http//www.maricopa.gov/emerg_mgt/pdf/survival.pdf
  
• This link provides a public domain guide to
  surviving in the desert. It is short and a
  relatively easy read.
• Print enough copies of this guide for you to use
  as a companion to DID.

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More Recommendations To Teachers

• Explore the following link from the National
  Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• http//www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/docs/safety/
• It provides more detailed information, including
  useful charts that can be copied and pasted into
  possible slide shows or pamphlets.