squirtlesquadscholars.weebly.comsquirtlesquadscholars.weebly.com/.../rip_…  · Web view · 2015-03-06Students will learn how to identify a rip current, how to get out of a rip

Squirtle Squad Scholars Rip Current Survival Course

and Beach Safety TipsImprove the Way You Learn

to Escape a Rip CurrentCurriculum

Rip Current Survival Class Objectives:

Florida leads the nation in rip current deaths. NOAA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the United States Lifesaving Association all have awareness programs. But, there needs to be an improved way to learn how to “Break the Grip of the Rip” and save lives in Florida.

Students will learn how to identify a rip current, how to get out of a rip current and what to do when you see someone in a rip current.

Students will understand how rip currents are formed and will be able to identify vocabulary words related to rip currents.

Students will know difference between rip currents, undertows, and riptides.

Students will learn how to use different survival strategies to break the grip of the rip.

Students will learn the anatomy of panic and the symptoms of panic.

Students will understand feelings of panic and why they are having them.

Students will understand that flags and signs on the beach represent what is happening in the sea to know if it’s a high, medium, or low rip current hazard.

Rip Current Survival Class Sessions

Session 1 – 45 minutesWhat is a rip current?*identify a rip current*how to get out of it*difference between rip currents, undertows, and riptides

Pre-assessment in rip current simulator

Session 2 – 45 minutesHow do I survive a rip current?What is flip, float, and follow?*skills for survival*how to help someone else

Develop muscle memory during the rip current simulator practice

Session 3 – 45 minutesWhat is panic?*causes of and anatomy of panic*feelings and symptoms of panic

Develop muscle memory during the rip current simulator

practice

Session 4 – 45 minutesWhat do the signs and flags at the beach mean?*colors and meanings of the warning flags

Post-assessment in rip current simulator

Improved Learning Strategy

In this class you will learn to “Break the Grip of the Rip” by “Flipping, Floating, and Following the Current.” We will use a rip current simulator to teach you not to panic. With lots of practice, you will develop muscle memory and remember what to do if you are ever caught in a rip current. The Rip Current Simulator is actually a Fast Lane System developed by Endless Pools. They didn’t make it for it to be a rip current simulator, but that is our creative use for this system. This improved way of learning to survive a rip current will save lives.

Rip Current VocabularyRip Current DurationSome shorelines are characterized by permanent rip currents which may be found in a fixed location such as a break in a reef or other hard structure. Some rip currents are persistent, lasting for many days or months in one location. Rip currents may also migrate along a stretch of coastline. Rip currents may also be ephemeral, forming quickly and lingering for a few hours or days before dissipating and disappearing.

Rip Currents vs. Rip TidesRip currents are not rip tides. A specific type of current associated with tides may include both the ebb and flood tidal currents that are caused by egress and ingress of the tide through inlets and the mouths of estuaries, embayments, and harbors. These currents may cause drowning deaths, but these tidal currents or tidal jets are separate and distinct phenomena from rip currents. Recommended terms for these phenomena include ebb jet, flood jet, or tidal jet.

What is Undertow?Undertow, an often misunderstood term, refers to the backwash of a wave along the sandy bottom. After a wave breaks and runs up the beach face, some of the water percolates into the sand, but much of it flows back down the beach face creating a thin layer of offshore-moving water with a relatively high velocity. This backwash can trip small children and carry them seaward. However, the next incoming wave causes higher landward velocities, pushing them back up on the beach. Undertow does not pull you under water or out to sea.Speed and StrengthRip current strength and speed varies. This variability makes rip currents especially dangerous to uninformed beachgoers. Rapid fluctuations or pulses in wave groups can quickly generate rip currents with velocities measured up to 8 feet per second.

Identify A Rip CurrentRip currents are channelized currents of water flowing away from shore at surf beaches. Typically they form at breaks in sandbars and also near structures, such as jetties and piers.Some clues that a rip current is present: a channel of churning, choppy water; a difference in water color; a line of foam, seaweed or debris moving seaward; a break in the incoming wave pattern.This break in the incoming wave pattern can look like smooth safe water. This is actually the rip current knocking down the incoming waves as this river of water returns to the ocean.

Learn the Warning FlagsKnow the meaning of and obey warnings represented by colored beach flags. Different beaches may use different colors, but the Florida Department of Environmental Safety uses:

1. Double Red: Danger! Water closed to public (due to sharks, lightning or extreme surf conditions)

2. Single Red: High hazard (high surf and/or strong rip currents)3. Yellow: Medium hazard (moderate surf and/or rip currents)4. Green: Calm conditions, although caution is still necessary5. Purple: (Flown with either red or yellow) Dangerous marine life such as

jellyfish, man o’ war

*Absence of beach flags does not signify safe water conditions. Watch the flag colors at all times, and use good judgment to determine whether it's safe to enter the water. The beach flags are there for your protection.

Swim SafelySwim near a lifeguard.USLA statistics over a 10-year period show that the chance of drowning is reduced by almost five times if you swim at a lifeguard-protected beach.Ocean swimmingSwimming in the ocean is different from swimming in a calm pool or lake — be prepared to deal with strong surf. If you’re at the beach with a child or adult who can’t swim, make sure everyone has a well-fitting lifejacket handy. Also keep in mind that the ocean floor is not flat and beaches can change drastically from year to year. When heading into the water, be aware that the ocean floor can drop off unexpectedly, so don’t move out quickly without being prepared to swim in water over your head.Obey the buddy system. Keep a friend nearby in case either of you ends up needing help. Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning. Teach children to swim at an early age.Enter water feet first.Serious, lifelong injuries, including paraplegia, occur every year due to diving headfirst into unknown water and striking the bottom. Bodysurfing can result in a serious neck injury when the swimmer's neck strikes the bottom. Check for depth and obstructions before diving, then go in feet first; and use caution while bodysurfing, always extending a hand ahead of you.Swim sober.Alcohol is a major factor in drowning. Alcohol impairs swimming ability and good judgment.Keep watch over children.When kids come to the beach, they want to have fun. So it's vital to have more than one person responsible for watching children at all times in case one adult needs to answer the phone or gets distracted.Tell children that if they get lost, they should go find a lifeguard. The majority of lost children are returned to their parents within 15 minutes. However, be sure children understand that lifeguards are not “strangers” and that they can be trusted. Be sure older children know a parent’s cell phone number so lifeguards can reunite the family.

Anatomy of PanicWhen you are caught in a rip current, you might experience a fight or flight response. Noradrenaline is released during a flight or fight response and causes panic.

When you are caught in a rip current, remember that you can survive. Don’t panic. When noradrenaline is released, it affects the amygdala and hippocampus portions of the brain. Those regions are the emotional centers of the brain. They control rational thoughts. When you start to panic there are signals from your body.

(photo courtesy of the Lundbeck Institute)

Signs of Panic Rapid Heart Beat Tense Muscles Rapid Breathing Bad Thoughts

Fight or Flight InterruptersKeep yourself from panicking, sing happy birthday or count to one hundred. Do whatever it takes to keep your body from having a Fight or Flight panic response. In our class we teach you to say “Flip, Float, and Follow.” You can survive a rip current if you just Stay Calm and Float On!

What Does Drowning Look Like?

Flip, Float, and Follow to SafetyDuring each session of the class, you will have a chance to develop muscle

memory to help you remember to flip, float, and follow the current. You

will swim out of the current as soon as it weakens. You will swim parallel

to the shore. You will swim perpendicular to the current. We have a video

of the proper technique. You can watch it online anytime.

Watch the Squirtle Squad Scholars Instructional Video online:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10200228372547425

Flip, Float, and Follow Technique

This will save your life!

Rescue 911If you see someone caught in a rip current or drowning, don’t try to go in after them. Do the following: tell a lifeguard, throw them a floatation device, dial 911, yell at them to flip, float and follow the current. Remember never go in after someone else.

Appendix A – Curriculum DesignBackwards Design Model

Name: Identify a Rip Current Grade level: Chloe 5th GradeLength of lesson: 30 minutes  - Lesson 1

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsContent Standard(s):Identify, analyze and evaluate movement concepts, mechanical principals, safety considerations and strategies/tactics regarding movement performance in a variety of physical activities.Understanding (s)/goalsStudents will understand how to spot a rip current, how to get out of a rip current and what to do if someone is stuck in a current.

Essential Question(s):How do I spot a rip current? How do I get out of a current? What do I do if someone else is stuck in a rip current?

Student objectives (outcomes):Students will be able to:- Know the definition of a feeder, head and neck- Know what a rip current is- Know physical traits of a rip current- Know how to float- Know how to identify a person stuck in a rip current- Know that if someone is caught in a rip current to throw them a float; call 911; get a lifeguard; don’t go in after them

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s): Students will demonstrate how to get out of a rip current by doing the pre and post assessment which is them being put in the simulator  and then they try to get out

Students will be given scenarios about how to rescue someone who is caught in a rip current.

Other Evidence: We would have quizzes to test them if they know what they are doing and if they need help.

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities:- Jepordy Game, - Worksheets- Label parts of a rip current, - What to do Game – Rescue 911Lesson Topic: Rip Current Escape Techniques Grade level:_Abby Peterson – 5th gradeLength of lesson: ___25 minutes – 4 sessions_______

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsContent Standard(s):Identify and evaluate move mechanical concerns principals safety considerations and statics regarding movement performance in a variety of physical activity (Physical Education Benchmark)Understanding (s)/goalsStudents will understand:how to use different survival strategies to break the grip of the rip

Essential Question(s):What are the different survival strategies for escaping rip currents

Student objectives (outcomes):Students will be able to:Escape a rip current using the flip, float, and follow technique;Escape a rip current by swimming parallel to the shore

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s):The assessment are when the student is put in the simulator the instructor observes their reaction at the beginning of the course and then again at the end

Other Evidence:· Observe the way they act around the simulator; Observe if the student panics. Observe if the student follows the flip, float, and follow technique

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities:Powerpoints about different strategies to escape the grip of a rip currentAn interactive video showing the best swimming and floating techniques

Lesson Topic : Anatomy of Panic / Fight or Flight Response   Grade level: Dariya - 4 th Length of lesson:  10 min_in each of the 4 sessions

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsContent Standard(s): Our goal is for students to identify, analyze, and evaluate movement concepts, mechanical principles, safety considerations and strategies relating to movement activity in a variety of P.E activities.Understanding (s)/goalsStudents will understand: the anatomy of panic, how panic can make them be emotional, and symptoms of panic

Essential Question(s): What are some symptoms of

panic? How do you know you are

panicking? Why do you panic? How do you stop panic from

happening?Student objectives (outcomes):Students will be able to: tell symptoms of panic, explain why they panic, stop panic from happening, understand why they are panicking which is a fight or flight response.

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s):Students will demonstrate their knowledge after watching an interactive video of a person either panicking or relaxing and staying calm.

This video is supposed to show students the symptoms of panic and emotions of panic.

Students will discover an interrupter to the fight or flight response to keep from panicking

Other Evidence: A jeopardy panic game to show

how not to panic and how to stop panic if you do

observations just to see if it looks like they understand or if they need a little help understanding panic just to make sure they know

Observe if students panic when trying to flip, float, and follow

Observe students fight or flight interrupter method

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities: students will do a jeopardy game, a sort by characteristics, watch an interactive video, and listen to a song about how not to panic.  Learn to sing a song to stop from panicking. Learn to flip, float, and follow to keep from panicking in a rip current.

Name: Understanding Signs and Flags  Grade level: Deshara - 3rdLength of lesson: 15 minutes  - Lesson 4

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsContent Standard(s):Identify, analyze and evaluate movement concepts ,mechanical principals, safety considerations and strategies/tactics regarding movement performance in a variety of physical activities. Taught in P.E.

Understanding (s)/goalsStudents will understand what the signs on the beach mean about rip currents

Essential Question(s):What do the colorful flags on the beach mean?What does the rip current sign mean?

Student objectives (outcomes):Students will be able to:- Know to not go in the water if a red flag is near- Know to swim where there are lifeguard signs-Know that the yellow signs mean moderate rip current activity-Rip current signs tell you to not try to swim against the current, float and swim parallel to the shore

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s): Students will demonstrate what the flags mean by playing a matching game. Students will play a game to say if they should go in the water or stay out of the water because of rip currents

Other Evidence: Students will show that they can swim parallel to the shore when they are in the simulator

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities:

- Colorful signs game-Match the signs to the definition and color-Swim in the rip current simulator and then swim parallel to the pool

Lesson Topic: Rip Current Awareness and Vocabulary    Grade level: Camille - 4thLength of lesson:  10 min throughout each of the 4 sessions

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsIdentify analyze and evaluate movement concepts mechanical principals safety considerations and strategies / tactics regarding movement performance in a variety of physical activities.Understanding (s)/goalsStudents will understand how they identify vocabulary words using a cross word puzzle.They should be able to Identify were a rip current is in a picture.We will quiz them on the speed and what they do and don’t do.They will have a pre and post assessment.This will consist of what would do scenarios fill in the blanks multiple choice and pictures to determine a score.The score should improve and they should get at least 90%

Essential Question(s): How are rip

currents formed?  How do I identify

them? What is the

difference between rip currents under tow and rip tides?

Student objectives (outcomes):Students will be able to: tell symptoms of panic, explain why they panic, stop panic from acquiring, tell them how they know they are panicking.

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidenceHow rip currents are formed. How fast they are. Difference between a rip current rip tide and under tow. Identify and define rip current vocabulary words in context.  How fast rip currents are.

Pin the swimmer on the rip current.Survey: Do you understand it? Can you identify it?Jeopardy and who can answer fastest.Multiple choice true of false.

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities: pin the swimmer on the rip current. Survey if the student understands it. Can you identify it? Jeopardy game and who can answer fastest. Multiple choice true of false games.

Appendix B – ResourcesNOAA Online Rip Current Safety Class

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ilm/ RipA/2014/player.html