Use the topics in the Disasters category of NZHistory.net.nz for the following activity ideas.
1. Key vocab
Learning and reinforcing understanding of key words associated with a particular piece of content can be very important especially to younger students. There are several ways of doing this.
- As you read through the content with your class you can write up the unfamiliar or new words on the board and find out the meanings together
- Or you can decide what are the important words you want them to be familiar with. For instance if you were studying the Tangiwai disaster one key word might be lahar, for the sinking of the Wahine it might be starboard or for Erebus it could be co-ordinate.
- Vocab Bingo
- However you develop your list aim for at least 12 words or terms and then get each pupil to write down six of them on a piece of paper. This is their bingo card.
- You can now read out meanings and your students can either cover the word on their sheet with another piece of paper or cross it out when they think their word matches your definition.
- The first pupil to get all six of their words called out and marked off calls out ‘bingo’ and is declared the winner. If there is a tie you can read out other words until a winner is found. You can challenge older children by making the definition you read more cryptic.
