This document outlines a lesson plan for a Conversation Club discussion on whether natural disasters are selective. The lesson will begin with introductions from students on why they are there and their English ability. They will then participate in a disaster roleplaying game and watch videos on disasters in New Orleans, Mozambique, and their international response. The goal is for students to recognize unfairness in disaster outcomes and who receives help, becoming more thoughtful and empathetic as a result.

1. THE SELECTIVITY OF
NATURAL DISASTERS
A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHO’S REALLY GETTING AFFECTED
CONVERSATION
CLUB 2019
GRUPO DE
PESQUISA
EDUCAÇÃO,
TRABALHO E
SOCIEDADE

2. WARM UP
WHAT’S YOUR NAME?.
WHY DID YOU COME?.
HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND AND COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH?.
.WHAT IS CONVERSATION CLUB?.
.WHO ARE YOU TO TEACH US SOMETHING?.

3. RIO DE JANEIRO
ACTIVITY
● Disaster RPG

4. ARE
NATURAL
DISASTERS
SELECTIVE?

5. NEW ORLEANS
O projeto Katrina
KLEIN, Naomi. Não basta dizer não. Tradução Marina Vargas. - 1. ed. - Rio de Janeiro : Bertrand Brasil, 2017. P 138-146

6. IS INTERNATIONAL
COMMOTION
SELECTIVE?

7. MOZAMBIQUE

8. WHAT
CAN
WE
DO?

9. 1 - Bolsista PIBEX JR pelo Conversation Club. Discente do Ensino Médio Técnico em Administração no
IFMG - OP. - clari.leal50@gmail.com
2 - Bolsista PIBEX JR pelo Conversation Club. Discente do Ensino Médio Técnico em Administração no
IFMG - OP. - hynara.versiani@gmail.com
3 - Bolsista PIBEX JR pelo Conversation Club. Discente do Ensino Médio Técnico em Automação
Industrial no IFMG - OP. - lauro.2002@hotmail.com
4 - Coordenadora do Conversation Club. Professora do Ensino Médio Técnico em Administração,
Automação Industrial, Edificações, Metalurgia e Mineração no IFMG-OP, doutora em Estudos
Linguísticos. - shirlene.o@ifmg.com.br
CONVERSATION
CLUB 2019

11. LESSON PLAN

12. Essential Question
What big question or problem
will drive student inquiry
throughout the unit?
Why is it that, when a natural disaster occurs, the outcome varies so much depending on who/what has
been affected?
Enduring Understanding
How will your students still
be impacted by this unit in 20
years?
In 20 years, we’re still going to be affected by natural disasters. This objective of this unit is to make the
students see that, regardless of what social class they belong to, there are things that can be done to help
people that go through many losses during a natural disaster. This will probably stay in their minds, seeing
as it is knowledge applicable to any moment in life.
Learning Objectives
What will students know, feel,
and be able to do as a result
of this unit?
Our goal with this unit is to make students aware of the fact that there is unfairness in a lot of
things that, at first, we wouldn’t think of. As a result, we expect them to remain thoughtful about
said subject and also empathetic, putting themselves in place of those who take most of the
damage. This will make them able to see more of what can be done in such a situation, whether for
themselves or people around them.
Stage 1: Desired Outcomes: What is worth learning?

13. Formative Assessments
How will you measure student
growth throughout the unit?
What are you hoping to discover
about how your students are
learning?
We will ask a bit about why each student came to the meeting as soon as we start, then, at
the end of the encounter, we will ask whether it was what they expected or not, and why.
We hope to get a glimpse at what helps each student get in better touch with English and
use that to their advantage.
Assessment Tools
What tools will you use to measure
learning? (Rubrics, observation
protocols, etc)
We will use several videos of news about disasters and, during said videos, we will observe
how the students react and afterwards ask them directly how their perception of the
subject is now. Our main tool for checking progress will be straightforward talking.
Stage 2: Evidence of Learning
How will you know they are learning?

14. Launch Activity
How will you introduce this unit to
students?
As it is the first encounter, our warm-up will consist only of the project’s and members’
introductions, followed by asking the students their reasons to take interest in the Conversation Club
and how close there are to English as a language.
Timeline
● What are the major milestones of
the project?
● When should those be completed
by?
*Adapt as needed based on planned
length of project. Use the Week-by-
Week Lesson Map to add details.
The class will start at 11am, with an introduction and a video. At 11:15 a RPG dynamic will be
started with the students and it’s set to end around 11:40. After that the TAs are presenting
the powerpoint slide show while discussing about the selectivity of environmental disasters.
The TA’s intend to expand the critical eye of their students about the selectivity of environmental
disaster, trigger them to question why some of disasters recieve more attention then others,
if there’s a political aspect to it, if we prevent any and how to do so… Among other topics
that are incorporated in these kind of questions.
Stage 3: Learning Activities: What will the students do?

15. Resources
What texts, videos, images, etc. will
students engage with as part of their
learning?
During the class it will shown a power point slide show that contains the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dakw2IdU8M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJaMWw4-2Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yLvbT40xI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9-FtWzbQSs
We also used the text Não basta dizer não by Naomi Klein
Sharing the Story
How will you share what your students
are doing? Who needs to know about
this project?
In some of our meetings, we have students craft something (posters, books and whatnot) to be
spread around school. At the same time that it draws more people to our weekly encounters, it helps
people from outside to see what might be a different perspective on whatever is the current trending
subject.
We want as many people to know about the Conversation Club as possible, seeing as it is an all-age
project that covers every sort of day-to-say subject that can affect a society.