TP UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Office of Curriculum, Instruction & Post-Apocalyptic
Compliance
EMERGENCY CURRICULUM UNIT
SURVIVAL & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
STUDIES
(Formerly: Health, Physical Education & Life Skills)
A Complete Unit of Six Lesson Plans
Grades 6–12 | Interdisciplinary |
Required Filing
|
Teacher Name: _______________________________ |
Date Submitted: ____ / ____ / 2026 (If Still Relevant) |
|
School: _______________________________ |
Principal Signature: _____________ (Ink Only —
Printers Are Down) |
ADMINISTRATOR'S COVER MEMO
Dear Teaching Staff, We recognize that
it may be challenging to submit lesson plans when there is no electricity, no
gasoline, water is being rationed, and civilization as we know it has ended.
Nevertheless, per Board Policy 12.7.3(b), lesson plans are due by Friday at
3:00 PM. Late submissions will result in a note in your personnel file. We
thank you for your continued commitment to student learning during these
difficult times. — Administration
UNIT OVERVIEW
Unit Title: Survival & Emergency Preparedness Studies
(S.E.P.S.)
"Because
the guidance counselor's office ran out of pamphlets, and also the counselor
has left."
UNIT RATIONALE
This unit was developed in response to the ongoing
geopolitical situation and subsequent district-wide directive to ensure that
students at the middle and high school level receive standards-aligned
instruction regardless of current or anticipated infrastructure collapse. While
the district acknowledges that teaching in a building with no running water,
intermittent electricity, and students who may be experiencing 'acute
existential distress,' we remain committed to measurable student outcomes,
rigorous curriculum, and the timely submission of lesson plans.
The lessons in this unit are designed to be genuinely useful.
Students will learn practical survival skills including water sourcing and
purification, food storage, go-bag preparation, and community organization.
They will also practice critical thinking, media literacy, and emotional
regulation — all of which appear in state standards and are, it turns out, also
critical for surviving an apocalypse.
UNIT STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
(Cross-curricular
— submitted to satisfy Science, Health, Social Studies, and Emergency
Management requirements simultaneously, because you are one person and there is
only so much time)
|
Standard |
Descriptor |
|
NGSS-LS2 |
Students analyze ecosystem
disruption and the flow of energy and matter through human-designed systems
(water filtration, food preservation, shelter construction) |
|
CCSS.ELA-7 |
Students evaluate
information from diverse sources for credibility and bias (essential for
wartime media environments) |
|
NHES 7.8 |
Students demonstrate the
ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health (includes
procuring supplies before other people panic-buy them) |
|
C3-D2.Geo |
Students evaluate how
environmental and human factors influence where and how people live (now
mandatory, not theoretical) |
|
ISTE 3c |
Students curate and manage
information from digital resources (while digital resources still exist) |
|
Post-Apoc. 1.0 |
Students demonstrate the
ability to locate water in a hot water heater, prioritize backpack contents
by caloric density, and identify a meeting point for their family without GPS |
UNIT-LEVEL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
•
Identify and purify water
from non-standard sources including water heaters, toilet tanks, rainwater, and
waterways
•
Assemble and prioritize a
72-hour go-bag ("bug-out bag") appropriate to their personal needs
and location
•
Store and preserve food
without refrigeration using multiple preservation methods
•
Navigate using non-digital
tools including maps, compass, and environmental cues
•
Evaluate information sources
critically during periods of disinformation and reduced media access
•
Demonstrate basic first aid
including wound care, tourniquet application, and shock management
•
Identify community resources
and contribute to cooperative survival planning
A NOTE ON ASSESSMENT DURING
INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE
Per district policy, all assessments must be scored using the
official rubric. Teachers are reminded that rubrics are available on the
district portal. If the district portal is down due to power grid failure,
please handwrite your rubric. If you have no paper, use the back of a cereal
box. If you have no cereal, you clearly failed Lesson 3.
Formal assessments in this unit include performance-based
tasks (assembling an actual go-bag, demonstrating water purification, etc.)
which the district recognizes may be difficult to grade using a Scantron.
Teachers may use alternative assessment formats including direct observation,
oral examination, or simply noting which students are still present and
functional by Unit's end.
|
LESSON 1 Where the Water Is: Finding and
Purifying Water When the Tap Runs Dry (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 6–12 (Differentiated) Subject Area: Science / Health / Practical Survival |
Duration: 90 minutes (or until dark, whichever comes first) Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Where can water be found in and around a modern home when
municipal water supply fails, and how do you make it safe to drink?
Administrator's Note: This lesson satisfies NGSS physical
science standards and also satisfies the district's new 'Not Dying of
Dehydration' benchmark introduced in the March 2026 emergency curriculum
revision.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Locate and safely access
water from hot water heaters, toilet tanks, canned foods, and ice
•
Apply three purification
methods: boiling, chemical treatment, and filtration
•
Explain why proper
purification is essential and identify signs of unsafe water
•
Calculate daily water needs
for individuals and small groups
MATERIALS
(Note to
teacher: You will need to have actually acquired these materials before the
crisis. If you are reading this after the crisis has begun and have not yet
acquired them, congratulations on your optimism.)
|
Item |
Quantity |
Note |
|
Water purification tablets
(iodine or chlorine) |
1 pack per 4 students |
Available
at camping stores, or your school nurse's secret cabinet |
|
Ceramic/cloth water filter
(e.g., LifeStraw or DIY layered) |
1 per group |
Or build
DIY: gravel, sand, charcoal, cloth layers in a bottle |
|
Boiling vessel (metal pot
or can) |
1 per group |
Gas stove,
camp stove, or fire (clear with fire marshal — or don't, they're busy) |
|
Water samples: tap, puddle,
toilet tank, garden hose |
4 labeled samples |
Use actual
samples for realism; students will see the difference |
|
Printed water safety
handouts |
1 per student |
Print NOW
while the printer works |
|
Measuring cups |
2 per group |
For the
1-gallon-per-person-per-day calculation activity |
|
Whiteboard or large paper |
1 per class |
For group
charting — power may be out, so paper preferred |
LESSON SEQUENCE
Hook / Do Now (10 minutes)
Scenario Prompt (read aloud or post on board):
The municipal water supply in
your city stopped flowing 18 hours ago. You are home with your family. You
have: one half-full case of bottled water, a bathtub, a water heater in the
basement, and a toilet. It has not rained in three days, but your neighbor says
there is a creek about half a mile away. You have four people in your
household. What do you do first, and why?
Give students 5 minutes to write or discuss with a partner.
Take 3–4 responses. Do not correct wrong answers yet — this is a diagnostic of
prior knowledge.
Teacher's Tip: You will find that most students have never
thought about this. Some will say 'call 911.' This is technically correct but
not very practical in the scenario. Let it go. They are about to learn.
Direct Instruction: The Hidden Water in Your Home (20 minutes)
Using the board or printed handout, teach students the
following water sources, in order of cleanliness and accessibility:
Source 1: The Hot Water Heater (Most Underrated Survival
Asset in America)
•
Standard tank holds 30–80
gallons of clean, treated, drinkable water
•
Located typically in
basement, garage, closet, or utility room
•
Has a drain valve at the
bottom — attach a garden hose or use a clean bucket
•
Turn off power/gas first; let
it cool before draining if recently heated
•
First water out may have some
sediment — let run briefly or filter
◦
Middle
school note: A 50-gallon tank = 50 days of drinking water for one person at the
1-quart/day bare survival minimum
◦
High
school extension: Calculate how many days it would last your household at 1
gallon/person/day (recommended)
Source 2: Toilet Tank (Not the Bowl — The Tank)
•
The tank behind/above the
toilet holds 1.5–3 gallons of clean water (never used for waste)
•
Note: If you have used
in-tank cleaning tablets (blue/green), this water is NOT safe to drink
•
Water is otherwise clean and
can be used for drinking after standard purification
•
The bowl water is never safe
for drinking — students will ask
This is the moment students realize survival school is more
interesting than regular school. Lean into it.
Source 3: Pipes in the Building
•
When water is cut off, water
remains in the pipes — drain it by opening the lowest faucet in the building
•
In schools: the lowest floor
sink will yield several gallons after supply is cut
•
Water quality is the same as
tap water at time of shutoff
Source 4: Natural Sources (Requires Purification)
•
Rainwater: relatively clean,
especially after first few minutes of rain (which washes the roof)
•
Streams, rivers, ponds:
ALWAYS require full purification — even clear water may contain pathogens
•
Puddles: last resort, highest
contamination risk
•
Canned foods: beans,
vegetables contain significant water — drain and consume
Direct Instruction: Purification Methods (20 minutes)
Method 1 — Boiling (Most Reliable)
•
Bring water to a rolling boil
for 1 minute (3 minutes at elevations above 6,500 feet)
•
Kills bacteria, viruses, and
protozoa — does NOT remove chemical contamination or heavy metals
•
Requires fire or functioning
stove — have a backup plan
•
Let cool before drinking;
store in clean, covered container
Method 2 — Chemical Treatment
•
Unscented household bleach
(sodium hypochlorite, 6–8.25%): 8 drops per gallon of clear water, 16 drops for
cloudy
•
Iodine tablets or chlorine
tablets: follow package instructions, typically 1 tablet per liter
•
Wait 30 minutes before
drinking; 60 minutes if water is cloudy or cold
•
Does NOT remove heavy metals
or chemical pollutants
•
Note: people with thyroid
conditions or iodine sensitivity should not use iodine tablets
Method 3 — Filtration
•
Commercial filters
(LifeStraw, Sawyer, Berkey) remove bacteria and protozoa but NOT viruses
•
DIY filter: layer gravel,
sand, activated charcoal, fine cloth in a container — removes sediment and some
contaminants, but is NOT sufficient alone for drinking
•
Best practice: FILTER first
to remove sediment, THEN boil or chemically treat
Teacher's Note: For a comprehensive classroom demonstration,
prepare four beakers: one clearly muddy water, one tap water, one water
filtered through the DIY filter, and one boiled and cooled. Visual comparison
is powerful. If you are doing this during an actual grid failure, use a candle
or camp stove.
Group Activity: Water Audit (20 minutes)
Students work in groups of 3–4 to complete a Water Audit
worksheet (see Appendix A, or reproduce on board if copies are unavailable).
Groups calculate and present:
1.
How many gallons are in a standard 40-gallon water
heater? How many days would it last your household?
2.
If you had 3 toilet tanks at 1.6 gallons each and no
other indoor water, how many days of drinking water is that for 4 people at
survival minimum (1 quart/day)?
3.
You have unscented bleach (6%) and need to purify 5
gallons of cloudy creek water. How much bleach do you use and how long do you
wait?
4.
Rank the following sources from safest to most risky
and explain your reasoning: toilet tank, rain barrel, garden hose, neighborhood
creek, bottled water that expired in 2023
Demonstration: Filtration Build (15 minutes)
Teacher (or a student volunteer) constructs a layered
filtration system from materials available in most homes:
•
Large plastic bottle, cut in
half — top half inverted into bottom half
•
Layer from bottom to top:
fine cloth/t-shirt, activated charcoal (from a fish tank or fireplace), fine
sand, coarse sand, small gravel, larger gravel, coarse cloth on top
•
Pour sample 'creek water'
(made by mixing soil and water) through the filter — students observe dramatic
clarification
•
Emphasize: This filtered
water still requires boiling or chemical treatment to be safe for drinking
Teacher's Note: This demonstration is extremely effective and
students remember it. If you're doing this during an actual crisis, this is no
longer a demonstration — it's your job.
Closing & Exit Ticket (5 minutes)
Students answer on paper (or orally if paper is limited):
•
Name one water source in your
home you had not previously considered
•
What is the minimum
recommended water per person per day, and what is the bare survival minimum?
•
What is the most important
step before drinking water from a natural source?
DIFFERENTIATION
Middle School (Grades 6–8):
•
Focus on identifying water
sources at home and the boiling method
•
Use visual diagrams of hot
water heaters and toilet tanks
•
Water audit activity with
scaffolded calculation support
High School (Grades 9–12):
•
Add chemistry layer: explain
how chlorine kills pathogens at the molecular level
•
Research extension: compare
effectiveness of UV treatment (SteriPen), Reverse Osmosis, and chemical
treatment
•
Leadership extension: design
a water distribution plan for a 50-person community
ASSESSMENT
•
Exit ticket completion
(formative)
•
Water Audit calculations —
reviewed for accuracy
•
Optional: Home water
inventory — students document their actual home water heater capacity and tank
locations (assigned as 'homework' with the acknowledgment that this is now
urgent homework)
Grading Note: The district is aware that 'homework' may be
difficult to collect if communication systems are disrupted. Teachers may
accept verbal confirmation that the student went home and checked their water
heater. The honor system has survived many civilizations.
|
LESSON 2 The Bug-Out Bag: What to Take When You
Have 10 Minutes and One Backpack (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 6–12 (Differentiated) Subject Area: Health / Life Skills / Emergency
Management |
Duration: 90 minutes Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
If you had to leave your home in 10 minutes with only what you
could carry, what would you take — and how do you decide?
Administrator's Note: FEMA recommends a 72-hour emergency kit.
The district recommends submitting this lesson plan in triplicate. We recognize
only one of these recommendations is useful.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Explain the purpose and
structure of a 72-hour bug-out bag (go-bag)
•
Prioritize and select items
based on survival hierarchy (water, food, warmth, light, communication,
medical, documents)
•
Make weight-vs-necessity
trade-offs in kit assembly
•
Customize their kit for their
personal needs, climate, and circumstances
MATERIALS
|
Item |
Quantity |
Note |
|
Backpacks (empty) |
1 per student or group |
Students
can bring their own; school backpacks work fine |
|
Bug-out bag contents
(sample items) |
Various |
See master
list — gather ahead of time from your own home or supply closet |
|
Digital luggage scale (or
bathroom scale) |
1–2 |
For the
weight exercise — a scale is worth its weight in gold (pun acknowledged) |
|
'Scenario cards' (printed
or handwritten) |
1 set per group |
See
Appendix B; different evacuation scenarios to drive discussion |
|
The Go-Bag Priority
Worksheet |
1 per student |
Print
ahead; or dictate the categories and let students build their own |
|
Sample pre-assembled go-bag
(teacher-prepared) |
1 |
Bring your
own — ideally one you actually maintain at home. Students will be impressed. |
LESSON SEQUENCE
Hook: The 10-Minute Challenge (10 minutes)
Present students with this scenario:
There is a mandatory
evacuation order for your neighborhood effective in 10 minutes. You have one
backpack. You cannot come back. What do you grab?
Give students 2 minutes to write down a list independently.
Then compare with a partner. Ask for a few responses — record them on the
board. Common wrong answers (phones without chargers, multiple changes of
clothes, video games) are as instructive as correct ones.
Teacher's Note: Students almost universally grab their phone
first. This is correct, but almost no one thinks to bring the charger, a
battery bank, or consider what happens when cell service goes down. This is
your entry point.
Direct Instruction: The Bug-Out Bag System (25 minutes)
What is a Bug-Out Bag?
A bug-out bag (BOB) — also called a go-bag, get-home bag, or
72-hour kit — is a pre-packed bag containing everything you need to survive 72
hours away from home. The '72-hour' standard comes from FEMA guidance: in most
disasters, emergency services can reach affected areas within three days. The
kit keeps you alive until then.
The Survival Hierarchy — In Order of Priority
Teach students to build their bag in layers based on the
survival rule of threes:
•
You can survive 3 minutes
without air (shelter from extreme cold/heat)
•
You can survive 3 hours
without shelter in harsh conditions
•
You can survive 3 days
without water
•
You can survive 3 weeks
without food
This hierarchy should drive packing decisions. If a student
says 'but I need my laptop,' the response is: find it in the hierarchy. It's
not in the hierarchy.
Core Go-Bag Categories and Contents:
1. Water (Heaviest — Plan Carefully)
•
Water: at minimum 1 liter;
ideally 2–3 liters (1 liter = ~2.2 lbs)
•
Water purification:
iodine/chlorine tablets, a personal filter straw (LifeStraw, ~2 oz)
•
Collapsible water bottle or
reservoir bag
◦
Trade-off
lesson: 3 liters of water = 6.6 lbs. You may choose to carry less water and
rely on your purification method.
2. Food (Calorie-Dense, Lightweight)
•
Energy bars, trail mix,
jerky, dried fruit — target 1,500–2,000 calories per day
•
Avoid food that requires
cooking if you can't guarantee fire
•
Include a small manual can
opener if packing any canned goods
•
72-hour kit = approximately
4,500–6,000 calories total for one adult
3. Shelter & Warmth
•
Emergency Mylar space blanket
(reflects 90% body heat, weighs 2 oz, costs $2 — most undervalued item on this
list)
•
Rain poncho or lightweight
rain jacket
•
Extra socks (dry socks
prevent blisters and hypothermia — more important than you think)
•
Small tarp or emergency bivy
if space allows
4. First Aid
•
Compact first aid kit:
bandages, antiseptic wipes, medical tape, pain relievers
•
Any personal prescription
medications (minimum 3-day supply — store in a small labeled bag)
•
Nitrile gloves
•
Tourniquet (CAT or SOFTT-W —
takes up minimal space and can save a life from severe bleeding)
5. Light & Power
•
Headlamp (hands-free light is
far superior to a flashlight — pack extra batteries)
•
Solar/hand-crank flashlight
as backup
•
Fully-charged battery bank
for devices
•
Phone charger cable
6. Communication & Navigation
•
Hand-crank or battery-powered
NOAA emergency radio
•
Printed maps of your local
area and likely evacuation routes (do not rely on GPS)
•
Compass
•
Written list of emergency
contacts — because you have memorized zero phone numbers
7. Documents & Money
•
Waterproof bag containing:
copies of ID, passport, insurance cards, medication list, emergency contacts
•
Cash in small bills — $20,
$10, $5 denominations (ATMs and credit card readers will likely be offline)
8. Tools
•
Multi-tool or Swiss Army
knife
•
Duct tape (small roll — fixes
almost anything)
•
Waterproof matches + lighter
+ ferro rod (three ignition methods in case one fails)
•
Whistle (for signaling
rescuers — louder than your voice and uses no energy)
•
Paracord (15–25 feet —
shelter building, securing gear, clothesline, lashing)
Group Activity: Pack Your Bag (30 minutes)
Groups of 3–4 students receive scenario cards (see Appendix B)
and a 'supply table' of available items (real items or printed cards) with
weight and size listed. Groups must:
5.
Assemble their bag to not exceed 25 lbs (adult) or 15
lbs (student) — use the scale
6.
Justify every item they include — each item must serve
a named category
7.
Identify three items they left behind and explain the
trade-off
8.
Present their bag to the class and defend two choices
Sample Scenario Cards:
•
Scenario A: Urban area,
3-hour drive to grandparents, summer, alone
•
Scenario B: Rural area,
possible flooding, family of 4 including one infant, early spring
•
Scenario C: You have a family
member with Type 1 diabetes requiring insulin refrigeration — how does this
change your kit?
•
Scenario D: You are
sheltering in place rather than evacuating — how does your kit change?
This activity reveals that packing for a real scenario is
meaningfully different from packing for a generic one — which is the whole
point. Students who choose Scenario C quickly realize that insulin management
is the dominant constraint of the entire kit.
Teacher Demonstration: The Real Go-Bag (10 minutes)
Show students your own pre-assembled go-bag. Walk through each
item, explain why you included it and what you would do with it. This is
impactful because it is real, and students recognize the difference between a
theoretical exercise and someone who has actually thought this through.
Personal note: If you do not yet have a real go-bag at home,
assembling one this week is strongly encouraged. Not as a lesson prop — just as
a reasonable thing to do given current events. Start with water, a filter, a
headlamp, copies of your documents, and some cash. You can build from there.
Closing (5 minutes)
•
What is the single most
important item in a go-bag and why?
•
What is one item you would
add to a standard go-bag based on your personal circumstances?
•
What is the '72-hour' rule
and where does it come from?
ASSESSMENT
•
Group bag assembly and
presentation (performance assessment — scored with the Go-Bag Rubric, Appendix
C)
•
Exit ticket
•
Optional take-home: Students
create a written go-bag plan for their household, with specific items,
locations, and roles assigned to each family member
Assessment Note: The district requires rubrics to be submitted
alongside lesson plans. The Go-Bag Rubric is attached as Appendix C. The
district would also like teachers to note that a student who actually assembles
a real go-bag at home should receive extra credit, a commendation, and possibly
the district's highest honor, which we are calling the 'Not Unprepared Award.'
|
LESSON 3 Food Without Refrigeration: Stocking,
Storing, and Stretching Your Supply (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 6–12 Subject Area: Health / Home Economics / Chemistry |
Duration: 90 minutes Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do you feed yourself and your family for weeks or months
when grocery stores are closed, power is out, and fresh food is unavailable?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Identify the most efficient
shelf-stable food categories by calories, nutrition, and storage life
•
Explain at least three food
preservation techniques: canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and dry storage
•
Build a two-week emergency
food plan for a family of four with specific items and quantities
•
Distinguish between
expiration dates, best-by dates, and actual spoilage — most food lasts far
longer than labeled
THE FOUNDATION: WHAT TO STORE
Teacher's Note: This section is, frankly, a public service. The
average American household has approximately 3 days of food. The average
survival situation lasts longer than 3 days. This lesson corrects that gap.
The Core Five Storage Foods (Highest Value Per Dollar and Pound)
1. White Rice
•
~25–30 year shelf life when
sealed in food-grade containers with oxygen absorbers
•
~1,700 calories per pound;
provides carbohydrates and quick energy
•
Works with almost any other
food; cheap to buy in bulk
•
Store in sealed 5-gallon
buckets with mylar liner + oxygen absorber for maximum life
2. Dried Beans and Legumes (Lentils, Pinto, Black, Kidney)
•
8–10+ year shelf life sealed;
complete protein when combined with rice
•
Lentils are king of the
emergency pantry: fast-cooking (20–30 min), high protein, high iron
•
Store like rice; require
soaking (or pressure cooking) — factor in water and fuel
•
A 50 lb bag of lentils + 50
lb bag of rice = approximately 100,000+ calories
3. Salt
•
Indefinite shelf life — never
expires
•
Flavors bland survival food;
essential for electrolyte balance
•
Critical for food
preservation: salt curing meat, fermenting vegetables
•
Store at least 10 lbs per
person per year (sounds like a lot; it is not)
4. Canned Foods
•
2–5+ year shelf life (ignore
'best by' dates — canned food that is not bulging, rusting, or has a bad smell
is almost certainly safe years past the label)
•
Canned fish (tuna, salmon,
sardines) = excellent protein; canned beans = fiber and protein
•
Store what your family
actually eats — a pantry full of canned beets you hate is not a survival asset
•
Keep a manual can opener with
your stored food. This is non-negotiable.
5. Fats and Oils
•
Coconut oil: 2+ year shelf
life, stable at room temperature, high calorie density
•
Ghee (clarified butter): 1
year+ shelf life without refrigeration
•
Fats are the most
calorie-dense macronutrient — critical when food is limited
•
Include cooking oil for
frying, which dramatically expands what you can make from staples
Food Preservation Techniques
Technique 1: Dry Storage with Oxygen Absorbers
•
The simplest and most
effective method for grains, legumes, and dried goods
•
Food-grade 5-gallon bucket +
mylar bag liner + oxygen absorber packet
•
Seal mylar bag with an iron
or hair straightener — removes oxygen, prevents oxidation and insect growth
•
Label everything with date
and contents — stored food that is not labeled is a mystery
Technique 2: Lacto-Fermentation (Requires Only Salt +
Vegetables + Time)
•
Produces sauerkraut, kimchi,
pickles, and fermented vegetables without any special equipment
•
Preserves vegetables for
months; increases nutritional value and probiotic content
•
Basic process: shred
vegetables, massage with 2% salt by weight, pack tightly in jar, submerge under
brine, cover loosely, ferment at room temperature for 3–7 days
•
This technique kept European
peasants alive through winter for centuries — it will work in your kitchen
Technique 3: Dehydrating
•
Remove moisture to prevent
bacterial growth; food dehydrated to below 10% moisture can last 5–25 years
•
Electric dehydrator works
with power; solar dehydration (sliced food on wire racks in the sun) requires
no power
•
Excellent for: fruits,
vegetables, herbs, jerky, mushrooms
•
Dehydrated food is
lightweight and compact — ideal for go-bags and storage
Technique 4: Pressure Canning (Advanced)
•
Required for low-acid foods
(meats, beans, vegetables) — water bath canning is NOT sufficient and can cause
botulism
•
Pressure canner + mason jars
= shelf-stable food for 1–5 years
•
Process: prepare food, fill
jars with proper headspace, process at correct pressure and time for food type
•
High school extension: the
chemistry of pH, botulinum toxin, and why pressure is required for low-acid
foods
Class Activity: Two-Week Food Plan (25 minutes)
Students work in pairs to build a 2-week emergency food plan
for a family of four. They are given a list of shelf-stable foods with calorie
counts, prices, and shelf life. They must:
9.
Provide at least 2,000 calories per person per day
10. Include
protein, carbohydrates, and fats in each day
11. Stay
within a $200 budget
12. Ensure
all food requires minimal or no cooking (or plan fuel for cooking)
13. Identify
three foods their family would actually eat, not just what seems 'correct'
Teacher's Observation: The most important moment in this
activity is when students realize that eating the same rice and beans for 14
days is technically survivable but psychologically very difficult. The 'comfort
food' category becomes a serious discussion. This is real: disaster relief
workers note that familiar foods significantly impact morale and mental health
in crisis situations. A small jar of peanut butter is worth packing.
ASSESSMENT
•
Two-week food plan (scored on
calorie adequacy, nutritional variety, feasibility)
•
Short written reflection:
What is one food storage practice you could implement in your home within the
next two weeks? (Assignment: Do it. Report back.)
|
LESSON 4 First Aid When There Is No Hospital:
Basic Trauma, Wound Care, and Staying Alive Until Help Arrives (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 7–12 (Age-Adjusted Content) Subject Area: Health / Physical Education / Biology |
Duration: 90 minutes Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
When emergency services are delayed or unavailable, what do
you do when someone is seriously injured?
Administrator's Note: This content includes discussion of
serious injuries and bleeding. Teachers are advised to use judgment regarding
graphic detail appropriate for their grade level. Middle school: focus on the
principles and light demonstrations. High school: full practical application.
Both groups should understand that this knowledge is genuinely important and
not hypothetical.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Perform hands-only CPR
correctly (no certification required for this lesson, but certification is
strongly encouraged)
•
Apply direct pressure to a
bleeding wound and recognize when a tourniquet is needed
•
Apply a tourniquet correctly
on a practice limb
•
Recognize and respond to the
signs of shock
•
Understand the basics of
wound cleaning and dressing to prevent infection
LESSON SEQUENCE
The MARCH Protocol: Military Trauma First Response Sequence (20 minutes)
Teach students the MARCH acronym used by military and advanced
first aid practitioners — superior to the traditional ABC (Airway, Breathing,
Circulation) in trauma situations because it prioritizes the most likely cause
of preventable death: massive hemorrhage.
M — Massive Hemorrhage (Severe Bleeding)
•
This is the leading cause of
preventable death in trauma situations
•
Apply direct firm pressure
with both hands — do not lift to check, do not remove once applied
•
If limb bleeding does not
stop with 90 seconds of direct pressure: tourniquet
•
Tourniquet placement: 2–3
inches above the wound, on the limb (not the torso)
•
Note the time of application
on the skin with a marker or pen — rescue teams need to know
A — Airway
•
Check that the airway is
clear — unconscious patients can choke on tongue or vomit
•
Recovery position: roll
unconscious breathing patient onto their side
•
Head-tilt, chin-lift to open
the airway if not suspected spinal injury
R — Respiration
•
Check for breathing — look,
listen, feel for 10 seconds
•
No breathing + no pulse:
begin CPR immediately — 30 chest compressions, hard and fast, 2 inches deep,
100–120 compressions per minute
•
Use the beat of 'Stayin'
Alive' by the Bee Gees or 'Baby Shark' — both are approximately 100–104 BPM and
students will remember them
C — Circulation and Shock
•
Signs of shock:
pale/gray/mottled skin, rapid shallow breathing, confusion, rapid weak pulse,
cold clammy hands
•
Treatment: lay flat, elevate
legs 12 inches (unless head or torso injury), keep warm, do not give food or
water
•
Shock is a medical emergency
— it can kill without visible injury
H — Hypothermia Prevention
•
Injury + blood loss + cold =
hypothermia risk even in mild temperatures
•
Wrap patient in emergency
blanket (Mylar), coats, or any available insulation
•
Prevent heat loss from the
ground — if possible, get patient off the ground
Practical Skills Stations (45 minutes)
Rotate students through three stations, 15 minutes each:
Station 1: CPR
•
Practice hands-only CPR on a
CPR mannequin if available, or demonstrate technique on a pillow/rolled mat
•
Count 30 compressions, check
airway, repeat
•
High school addition:
demonstrate rescue breaths with a barrier mask
Station 2: Wound Care
•
Practice wound cleaning:
rinse with clean water, remove visible debris, apply antiseptic, dress with
bandage and medical tape
•
Practice pressure bandaging
using rolled gauze or a triangular bandage
•
Signs of infection to watch
for: redness spreading from wound, warmth, swelling, pus, fever after 24–48
hours
Station 3: Tourniquet Application (High School) / Pressure
Bandaging (Middle School)
•
High School: practice
applying a CAT tourniquet on a practice limb or their own limb (note time,
tighten until bleeding would stop)
•
Middle School: practice
applying a firm pressure bandage and holding it for 90 seconds — simulate the
patience required
Teacher's Note: The single most life-saving skill taught in this
lesson is tourniquet application. In mass casualty situations, tourniquets save
lives in minutes. The objection that 'teenagers should not use tourniquets'
ignores the fact that many military and civilian lives have been saved by
bystanders with no formal training who simply applied one. Teach the skill. It
belongs here.
ASSESSMENT
•
Skills check: each student
demonstrates correct CPR compression rate and depth
•
Skills check: each student
can correctly identify the steps of MARCH from memory
•
Reflection: What is the most
important first aid skill you learned today, and why?
|
LESSON 5 Information Is Survival: Media Literacy
and Communication When the Grid Goes Down (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 6–12 Subject Area: ELA / Social Studies / Media Literacy |
Duration: 75 minutes Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do you find and evaluate reliable information during a
crisis when information overload, deliberate misinformation, and infrastructure
failure all occur simultaneously?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Apply a source evaluation
framework (SIFT or CRAAP Test) to crisis-era information
•
Identify common
characteristics of wartime propaganda and disinformation
•
Know which communication
systems continue functioning when internet and cell service fail
•
Build a basic personal
communication plan that does not rely on digital technology
LESSON CONTENT
Part 1: When Information Becomes a Survival Skill (20 minutes)
Discuss with students: in a crisis, bad information can be as
dangerous as no information. Examples:
•
Rumors that a particular road
is safe when it is flooded
•
False 'all-clear' signals
before a second event (aftershock, second wave)
•
Government or military
statements that are later found to be inaccurate
•
Social media amplification of
unverified reports
The SIFT Framework for Evaluating Information:
•
S — Stop: Before sharing or
acting, stop and take a breath
•
I — Investigate the Source:
Who is reporting this? Do they have a history of accuracy?
•
F — Find Better Coverage: Is
this reported by multiple independent sources?
•
T — Trace Claims: Where did
this claim originate? What is the original source?
In 2026, during the Iran conflict, multiple unverified reports
circulated on social media within hours of the initial strikes. One
widely-shared claim — that the US Navy had successfully escorted a cargo ship
through the Strait of Hormuz — was later found to be inaccurate. Students who
see this lesson in real-time context will understand why verification matters.
Part 2: When the Internet Goes Down (25 minutes)
Communication methods that work without internet or
functioning cell towers:
AM/FM Radio (Most Accessible)
•
AM radio, in particular, can
travel hundreds of miles — CONELRAD, now EAS (Emergency Alert System), uses AM
•
Most cars have AM/FM — a car
in park is a workable emergency radio station
•
Station NOAA Weather Radio
broadcasts 24/7 on specific frequencies (162.400–162.550 MHz)
Shortwave Radio (Advanced)
•
Reaches international
broadcasts — BBC World Service, Radio Free Europe broadcast on shortwave
globally
•
Inexpensive shortwave
receivers ($30–$60) can access international news with no infrastructure
required
•
Signal quality varies with
time of day and atmospheric conditions — worth learning ahead of time
CB Radio and GMRS/FRS Walkie-Talkies
•
Short-range (1–25 miles) —
useful for neighborhood and community coordination
•
Channel 9 on CB radio is the
designated emergency channel
•
FRS radios (cheap
walkie-talkies from hardware stores) are great for family communication within
a neighborhood
Ham (Amateur) Radio
•
Requires a license
(Technician class is a one-day exam, cost $15) but has no range limitations
•
Ham radio operators form
informal networks during emergencies and relay messages regionally and
internationally
•
High school extension: ARES
(Amateur Radio Emergency Service) — organized network of licensed operators
providing emergency communication support
Non-Electronic Communication
•
Pre-arranged family meeting
points (every family should have two: one near home, one outside the
neighborhood)
•
Written notes left in agreed
locations
•
Neighborhood networks:
knowing your neighbors and having an agreed protocol
•
Signaling: three of anything
(three whistle blasts, three gun shots, three fires in a triangle) is the
universal distress signal
Activity: Build Your Communication Plan (25 minutes)
Students create a personal family communication plan that
includes:
14. Two
meeting points (near home, and one outside the neighborhood)
15. Emergency
contacts written on paper — not just stored in a phone
16. One
non-digital communication method their household could use
17. How
they would receive information if internet and cell are down (specific radio
station or channel)
18. One
neighbor they would check on and one neighbor who might check on them
Administrative Note: This activity is technically a
health/emergency management standard but also counts as an ELA persuasive
writing assignment if students write a one-page memo to their families
presenting their communication plan. We are listing it in the lesson plan as
dual-credit. This is not unusual. Teachers double-count standards all the time
and we appreciate you for it.
ASSESSMENT
•
Completed communication plan
— scored on completeness and feasibility
•
Source evaluation exercise:
students apply the SIFT framework to two provided 'crisis news reports' (one
credible, one deliberately misleading) and identify the differences
|
LESSON 6 Community Over Chaos: Why You Cannot
Survive Alone and How to Build Local Networks (Required Submission — Due: Before
Power Grid Failure) |
|
|
Grade Level: Grades 7–12 Subject Area: Social Studies / Psychology / Civics |
Duration: 90 minutes Unit: Advanced Survival Studies (formerly Health &
PE) |
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What does history tell us about how communities survive
disasters, and what can you do — as an individual — to strengthen the network
around you?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
•
Cite historical evidence that
community cooperation improves disaster survival outcomes
•
Identify the skills and
resources within their own community that would be valuable in a crisis
•
Describe practical steps to
build neighborhood resilience before and during a crisis
•
Practice conflict resolution
and resource-sharing decision-making
LESSON CONTENT
The Research: Why Communities Survive (15 minutes)
Present the following evidence — these are actual research
findings:
•
In the 1995 Chicago heat
wave, neighborhoods with strong social ties and open businesses (where people
checked on neighbors) had dramatically lower mortality rates than isolated
neighborhoods — despite identical weather conditions
•
In Hurricane Katrina (2005),
the neighborhoods that recovered fastest were those with pre-existing mutual
aid networks and strong informal community bonds
•
In the 2011 Fukushima
disaster, survivor accounts consistently note that the survival and recovery
period was characterized by unusual cooperation and community solidarity — not
the chaos that media predicted
•
Research by Enrico
Quarantelli (disaster sociologist) consistently shows that looting, violence,
and anti-social behavior are far less common in disasters than popular culture
suggests — most people help each other
Teacher's Note: This data is worth sitting with. Students have
largely absorbed a post-apocalyptic narrative from fiction (The Walking Dead,
Mad Max, every dystopian novel) in which society immediately collapses into
violence. The actual evidence suggests the opposite: people, when faced with
genuine crisis, tend to cooperate. This is not naivety — it is the documented
record. Teach this.
The Community Asset Map Activity (35 minutes)
Students work in groups to create a 'Community Asset Map' of
their school neighborhood. They identify:
Skills (What can people in this community do?)
•
Medical skills: nurses,
doctors, EMTs, veterinarians, dentists in the community
•
Practical skills: plumbers,
electricians, mechanics, farmers, gardeners, cooks, builders
•
Knowledge skills: teachers,
engineers, chemists, radio operators, navigators
•
Language skills: bilingual or
multilingual community members — critical for communication
Resources (What does this community have access to?)
•
Physical resources: tools,
vehicles, generators, medical supplies, fuel, food stores
•
Infrastructure resources:
community centers, schools, churches, farms with wells
•
Social resources:
neighborhood associations, faith communities, clubs, mutual aid groups
Vulnerabilities (Who needs extra support?)
•
Elderly residents who live
alone
•
People with disabilities or
chronic medical conditions
•
Non-English speakers who may
not receive emergency information
•
Households without
transportation
•
Young children without adult
supervision
Groups present their maps. Discussion: What is our community's
greatest asset? What is our greatest gap?
Scenario: The Neighborhood Council (25 minutes)
Present this scenario to the class:
It is Day 4 after a major
infrastructure failure. There is no grid power. Your neighborhood of 200 people
has gathered in the park. You have a community garden with food for
approximately 100 people for 10 days, 3 working cars with fuel, one nurse, and
two people with ham radios. You have no communication with the outside world
and do not know how long this will last. You are on the organizing committee.
What decisions do you make? How do you make them?
Students deliberate and must reach consensus on:
•
How food is distributed
(equal shares? Needs-based? Work-based?)
•
How information is managed
(who decides what the community hears?)
•
How vulnerable residents are
prioritized
•
How decisions are made going
forward (voting? Appointed leaders? Consensus?)
Teacher's Note: This scenario reliably produces genuine
disagreement and productive conflict. Let it happen. The point is not to arrive
at the 'right' answer but to practice the process. Students who have never
thought about community governance often find that the decisions are harder
than they expected — and that this process, messy as it is, is exactly what
democracy and community leadership look like in practice.
Closing: One Thing You Can Do This Week (10 minutes)
Each student commits to one concrete action they will take in
the next seven days:
•
Introduce themselves to one
neighbor they don't know
•
Learn one skill they
previously identified as a gap
•
Have one conversation with
their family about emergency preparedness
•
Check in on one elderly or
vulnerable person in their community
•
Join or research one local
mutual aid group
ASSESSMENT
•
Community asset map (group
assessment — scored on depth and thoughtfulness)
•
Written reflection: What did
you learn about community and survival that you did not know before this unit?
What will you do differently because of it?
•
Optional: Extra credit for
students who document an actual preparedness action they took as a result of
this unit
Final Note from Administration: We recognize that this unit
covers material that may feel urgent, frightening, or uncomfortably practical.
We are asking you to teach it anyway — because it is genuinely useful, because
students deserve to learn it, and because the knowledge costs nothing and the
ignorance costs dearly. We thank you for your commitment. Your lesson plans
have been received. Please leave them in your classroom in the top desk drawer
in case of emergency. Also, your professional development training on The New
Gradebook Platform is still scheduled for next Tuesday. Thank you for your
continued flexibility.
APPENDICES
Appendix A — Water Audit Worksheet
Photocopy this
page before the printer loses power.
|
Number of people in household: ____ |
Water heater capacity (gallons): ____ |
|
Days of drinking water (@ 1 gal/person/day): ____ |
Number of toilet tanks in home: ____ |
|
Gallons in toilet tanks (avg. 1.6 gal each): ____ |
Do you have any in-tank cleaning tablets? Y / N |
|
Total available indoor water (excluding bottled):
____ gallons, lasting approximately
____ days |
|
Appendix B — Scenario Cards for Bug-Out Bag Activity
|
SCENARIO
A: Urban Summer Solo You
are 16, home alone in a city apartment. Mandatory evacuation, 10 minutes. You
need to reach your grandparents' house 3 hours away. It is July. You have a
bicycle and public transit (if it's running). |
SCENARIO
B: Rural Family, Flooding Threat Family
of 4 (two adults, one 8-year-old, one infant). Rural area, early spring,
possible flooding. Roads may be impassable within 2 hours. One adult has a
bad knee. |
|
SCENARIO
C: Diabetic Family Member Your
family includes someone with Type 1 diabetes requiring insulin (must stay
cold) and glucose monitoring supplies. How does medical necessity override
standard kit priorities? What are your constraints? |
SCENARIO
D: Shelter in Place, No Evacuation You
are told to stay home for an unknown period. No evacuation needed but
infrastructure has failed. How does your kit change? What do you need for a
week? A month? Three months? |
Appendix C — Go-Bag Assessment Rubric
|
Criterion |
4 —
Exceptional |
3 —
Proficient |
2 —
Developing |
1 —
Beginning |
|
Completeness (all 8
categories covered) |
All 8 present, fully
justified |
6–7 categories, most
justified |
4–5 categories, partial
justification |
Fewer than 4, minimal
reasoning |
|
Weight Management (≤25 lb adult / ≤15 lb student) |
Under limit, thoughtful trade-offs explained |
Near limit, some trade-offs noted |
Over limit or trade-offs not considered |
Weight not considered |
|
Scenario Appropriateness
(kit fits the assigned scenario) |
All items scenario-specific
and logical |
Most items appropriate |
Some scenario consideration |
Generic kit, scenario
ignored |
|
Presentation & Defense (can justify choices) |
Articulate, handles challenges |
Can explain most choices |
Some justification, uncertain under questions |
Cannot defend choices |
Appendix D — Teacher's Own Preparedness Checklist
(Because you
deserve to survive too, even if the district has not formally acknowledged this
in your contract.)
While preparing this unit for your students, take 30 minutes
to complete the following for yourself and your household:
|
Done |
Action Item |
|
[ ] |
Locate your home water
heater and find the drain valve |
|
[ ] |
Fill your bathtub with
water (the 'water bob' bladder insert is ideal) as a precaution when crisis
escalates |
|
[ ] |
Buy and install a manual
can opener — put it where you can find it in the dark |
|
[ ] |
Assemble a basic 72-hour
go-bag with water, food, warmth, light, first aid, documents, and cash |
|
[ ] |
Write down 5 phone numbers
on paper that you do not have memorized |
|
[ ] |
Identify your two family
meeting points — communicate them to your household |
|
[ ] |
Stock 2 weeks of
shelf-stable food you would actually eat |
|
[ ] |
Get a hand-crank or battery
NOAA emergency radio — know your local emergency stations |
|
[ ] |
Introduce yourself to at
least two neighbors and exchange contact information |
|
[ ] |
Take a first aid / CPR
course (or renew certification) — many are free through Red Cross |
|
[ ] |
Refill any prescription
medications to maintain a 30-day buffer supply |
|
[ ] |
Check your smoke and carbon
monoxide detectors — replace batteries |
END OF UNIT — SURVIVAL & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
STUDIES
Submitted in compliance with Board Policy
12.7.3(b) — Lesson Plans Required Under All Circumstances
"The lesson plan will be completed.
The lesson plan is always completed. That is what teachers do."
Good luck out there.
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