Operation Rescue

Author(s): Gregory L. Vogt, EdD, Barbara Z. Tharp, MS, Christopher Burnett, EdD, and Nancy P. Moreno, PhD

Courtesy of Tecson John S. Lim, Administrator, Tacloban City, Republic of the Philippines.

Operation Rescue Teacher’s Guide allows student teams to plan and mount a simulated aid mission. The mission is based on a real disaster, Super Typhoon Yolanda, which struck the Philippines in 2013. As part of the investigation, teams prepare international travel documents, learn about the mission destination and its people, investigate disease risks for themselves and survivors, determine what types and how many relief supplies to prepare as part of their team mission, train as navigators using online software, simulate crating of items on master pallets according to plane specifications, plot the fastest route to the destination (including stops for fuel), and participate in a mission debriefing.

1. Introduction to the Mission

2. International Travel Documents

3. Destination: Tacloban City

4. Disease Threats in the Disaster Zone

5. Crisis Planning

6. Using Web-based Navigation Tools

7. Designing and Constructing Payloads

8. Create a Flight Plan

9. Mission Debriefing

A thorough set of teacher background information, “STEM Experiences in the Real World,” is available at the beginning of the guide. Included is relevant facts about disease threats and tropical storms.

The Operation Rescue Teacher’s Guide is designed to be used as a stand-alone teaching unit. However, depending on the age of the students, the unit storybook, A Storm Named Yolanda, may also be used to generate a deeper interest in this subject. Both books are available free-of-charge in PDF format.

Note: The activities have been successfully used with students in grade 5.

Additional resources for activities in the guide are available for download below.

Download Typhoon Haiyan Philippines, (World Health Organization), for use with the activity “Learning About Disease Threats.” (Activity 4)

Download Four Months after Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, (UNICEF), for use with the activity “Crisis Planning.” (Activity 5)

Download an illustration of a C-130 airplane (PDF format, 34-in. x 48-in.) for use with the activity “Designing and Constructing Payloads." (Activity 7)

Download: Operation Rescue Teacher's Guide