Lesson Plan: Avalanches: Whose Responsibility?

Lesson Plan

Before Exploring

Write the following statement on the board: Some people think that backcountry skiing should be limited.

Ask: What do you think? What are your rights? What are your responsibilities? What's in the best public interest? What is a calculated risk? Can you manage your own risk?

Outline the Opportunity

Direct students to the topic Avalanche! on the CBC Digital Archives website. With a partner, have students browse the clips titled "Don't cross 'the stupid line'", "The debate over backcountry skiing", "The risks of heli-skiing", "The Kokanee Glacier cabin" and "Funding threatened".  As they work, students should take notes about their opinion on back-country skiing in avalanche-prone areas.

Using the information they have gathered, students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper to express their opinion. They should state their position using the following questions as a guide.

·         What is the role of government in avalanche safety?

·         What is the role of the individual?

·         Who should pay the costs of an avalanche rescue?

Remind students to give reasons for all of their opinions.

Assessment Tip
Have students trade their editorial with a partner and take turns giving constructive feedback about the letter.

Revisit and Reflect

Post the letters or have students exchange letters and read them. Gather as a class and invite students to ask probing questions to the letter-writers.

Assessment Tip
Consider whether students wrote clearly, used a style suiting the purpose and audience, and presented a convincing argument.

Extension

Students can use maps to locate and record the most avalanche-prone areas in the world.