Lights, camera, action!

The teacher starts the activity by showing the class a selection of newspaper articles, images, and videos that illustrate floods and landslides, both in Italy and around the world. Using a presentation, the teacher provides examples that cover all phases of an emergency event: before, during, and after. The images should include general situations, such as heavy rainfall, as well as positive examples, like the "young mud angels" or emergency response teams in action. The teacher can choose the images from newspapers, magazines, or websites, or use the ones provided below.

To make the activity more interactive, the teacher invites students to express one positive and one negative thought that each image evokes in them. This stimulates a discussion about risk The possibility that a phenomenon may cause harm to people, settlements and the environment in a given period of time and in a given area perception and the importance of preparedness.

The teacher divides the class into groups and assigns each one a photo or multiple images from those previously shown. Each group is tasked with discussing how the situations depicted could have been avoided, writing down the correct behaviors on the back of the photo. For example, for an image of a car trapped in water, the group might write, "Avoid using the car in underpasses during heavy rain."

To stimulate creativity, the teacher encourages the groups to connect their ideas to animated films or real stories that deal with the theme of water, such as Moana or Atlantis. Each group can reflect on how the characters in these films handle water-related danger and apply those lessons to real-life behaviors.

At the end of the discussion, each group presents their conclusions to the class, sharing both the correct behaviors and the film references they thought of, thus creating a connection between theory and the stories they know.

The teacher can share with the students the correct behaviors to adopt in case of floods and landslides, consulting resources from Io Non Rischio, available in English (link).

At this point, the teacher collects all the images and behaviors identified during the activity and invites the class to collaborate on creating a video that promotes good practices to follow before, during, and after a hydrogeological emergency. The video should also emphasize the positive role of nature and how respecting the environment can help prevent disasters.

Each student will have a specific role in the project, allowing them to showcase their different skills and passions. Example roles could include:

• Director and Screenwriter: They will write the script and organize the scenes, incorporating elements from films and/or animated movies (like Moana), where scenes of heavy rain and floods show the importance of facing adversity with courage.

• Actors: Classmates will act out scenes that illustrate correct behaviors, such as helping each other or seeking shelter in dangerous situations.

• Technicians: Some students will handle the filming (using a tablet with a camera), creating creative and original shots, while others will edit the video, adding special effects and music.

• Musicians: They can select songs inspired by the films, such as “Tulou Tagaloa” or “Logo Te Pate” from Moana, to give the video an engaging soundtrack.

To further enrich the project, the teacher encourages students to include:

• Images: They can use the photos previously shown during the activity, drawings made by the students, or representative images of their territory, showcasing the beauty and vulnerability Propensity to suffer damages from an event of the environment.

• Scenes: Children can film sequences where they display posters with key messages about the behaviors to adopt, or narrate a story that illustrates the journey of a character overcoming water-related challenges, like in Finding Nemo or Atlantis.

The teacher closely supervises each phase of the video creation, serving as a guide and facilitating the creative process. It’s essential to encourage students to reflect on how to communicate the message clearly and effectively, ensuring that information about safe behaviors during a hydrogeological emergency is easily understandable for everyone.

Finally, the video can be presented not only to the class but also to other classes and shared on the school’s social media A freely accessible online platform that allows people to create, share and exchange ideas and text, image, audio and video content quickly on message boards read by people who follow the updates , thus spreading the importance of hydrogeological safety A condition that makes one feel that one is not in danger or that a risk can be prevented or reduced within the community.

The teacher concludes the activity by encouraging students to reflect on the importance of preparedness and safety A condition that makes one feel that one is not in danger or that a risk can be prevented or reduced , both crucial elements of the collective responsibility that can make a difference in their community.

The teacher can use the following guiding questions to foster the exchange of opinions:

• What have you learned about how to deal with water-related emergencies?
• How can our video help others feel more secure?
• What other actions can we take to promote safety in our community?