How scary!

The teacher shows the class the painting "Rebirth after Disaster" (see attached "How Scary - Painting" below) that depicts the earthquakes that struck eastern Sicily in 1693 and asks the class to analyze the following points:

• the elements that most catch the eye
• the emotions represented (if any)
• the feelings each image suggests

After a brief discussion, the teacher introduces the definition of fear found in the Glossary.

Fear: emotion that informs us of dangers, warns us and allows us to react in time in case of emergency.

The teacher makes the class reflect that we cannot always define what kind of reaction we would have in case of danger, however, we can imagine strategies to optimize our resources and those of people near us to cope with an event that frightens us.

In an emergency, fear can become an ally rather than an enemy, but it is necessary to learn how to manage it so that it can protect us and not block us. This emotion, furthermore, is usually spread very quickly. Everyone is afraid, people and even animals! It is therefore essential to understand how to control fear and "use" it for both our own benefit and that of those around us.

The teacher asks the class to imagine and share some scenarios or moments in which fear becomes an ally, either for humans or animals.

When an earthquake Sudden ground shaking resulting from movements of the earth’s crust occurs, each individual's reaction is different; this also depends on the magnitude of the event, individual factors and many other variables that cannot be defined in the same way for all and sundry. What is certain is that keeping calm allows one to face the danger with greater clarity.

At this point, the teacher proposes to the class a step-by-step work to become aware of fear and come up with strategies to limit it. First, the teacher writes the word EARTHQUAKE on a sheet of paper and asks the class to write around all the fears associated with this event. For example: 

• fear of the house collapsing
• fear of being crushed
• fear of losing loved ones

Once the fears have been written down, reflect on the physical sensation that the thought of the earthquake provokes and write these on the board as well, noting the individual sensations around the fears already present: 

• If I think about the earthquake I feel.... 

In the final phase of the activity, strategies are sought for allaying fear and increasing awareness of one's own potential. Working in a circle, each fear is taken up again and possible 'solutions' to limit its effects are written next to it on another sheet of paper: 

- I am afraid that the house will collapse BUT I know what to do in case of an earthquake and which parts of my house are the safest. 

At the end of the activity, the two sheets containing fears and strategies can be hung up in the classroom. 

Fear is an emotion that can arise in any dangerous situation, but it is not the only one. The teacher can propose this model of visualizing emotions to increase awareness of the effects of fear in other contexts (e.g., flood, fire, etc.) or learn about the effects of other emotions in earthquakes (e.g., anger, anticipation, joy, etc.) to understand how these can be our allies in emergency contexts.