Makerspace Lesson Plan

Preparation is a No

Brainer

Created by: Emma Rose

Setting: Rowan Public Library System (all 3 branches would participate)

Target Audience: Middle/High School (12-17 years of age)

Skills Needed: Emergency Preparation skills
Difficulty level: Beginner-Intermediate
Content areas: Camping and Wilderness Training, Emergency Response Tactics, Physical Education, team
building, Costume Design, Make-up Artistry
Subject: Emergency Preparation

Library and Literacy Goals and Standards met by this program:

Rowan Public Library Goal: contribute to the positive development of children by motivating them
to explore their world, develop their potential, and strengthen their educational skills through
outstanding programs, resources, and services. (found in their Strategy Plan of 2010-2015)1
ACRL Standard #2: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and
efficiently. (Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education)2
YALSA Program Goal #2: Librarians are assisted in developing, implementing, and evaluating
programs and services which address the social, psychological, educational, recreational needs of
young adults.3
1

https://www.rowancountync.gov/Portals/0/Government/Departments/Public%20Library/downloads/files/Strategic%20Plan%20F
Y2010-15.pdf
2
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency
3
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/workingwithyalsa/yalsaprogram

Lesson Overview
Although nobody wants to think about disaster striking, it is a reality. Whether the disaster is a fire,
someone choking, being stranded in the wilderness, a hurricane or the extremely unlikely case of a zombie
apocalypse, it is best to be prepared in whatever way we can. The purpose of this makerspace would be to
prepare and empower teens in a fun and exciting way to feel confident in a variety of emergency
situations.4 Being prepared helps a person react more calmly and appropriately in difficult situations. The
students will explore an array of emergency preparation techniques such as CPR, basic first aid, how to
design a disaster response plan for your family, how to build shelter and find food and water if youre
stranded, as well as how to keep your body healthy and strong and ready for anything.
The makerspace area would include exercise equipment, materials to practice building a shelter, a
model of the solar system and wild plants to practice identification. Young adult patrons of the public
library in which the program would take place would have the ability to access the physical makerspace
area during normal library hours of operation to experiment, create and explore. The program would take
place between the months of August-May (no meetings would take place in December). There would be
one program at each of the three branches of the Rowan Public Library each month and three additional
programs which would consolidate members of all three branches at one location for a fun outdoor game
and to assess what the teens have learned so far. The theme for North Carolina Libraries 2015 YA Summer
Reading Program is to be a hero which would easily go along with the program I am proposing: in an
emergency, dont be a victim, be a hero.
A vital aspect of this program is to support the teens desire to take charge of their futures and
prepare, not only for the worst, but for all types of situations. The idea is for the students to practice
thinking ahead and thinking critically so that they are able to react to whatever life throws at them with
self-assurance. We would like to see the next generation armed with information and equipped with the
desire and ability to use the library system to prepare themselves for the expected and the unexpected.
Speaking of the unexpectedthis makerspace has a twist. In an attempt to reach a demographic
that I feel has lost touch with the library (young adult males) the program takes on a unique theme:

Zombies.5 For the sake of entertaining and enticing young adults into the program the Zombie
4

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/children

http://www.nj.com/parenting/index.ssf/2013/06/zombies_are_everywhere.html

apocalypse will be among the circumstances we prepare for. This will make the program light and fun. One
program around the time of Halloween will be devoted to zombies and teens will get a chance to practice
donning their zombie garb. Teens will be able to wear zombie make-up/costume to the games and will be
able to sport their best sluggish Franken-walk. Although the theme may seem morbid to some parents and
older library staff members, zombies are extremely popular with youth and will be a great way to lure them
back into the library in a big way.

Expectations for Student Learning:

Where and how to create a proper shelter

How to respond to various types of emergency situations
Which plants are edible and which are dangerous
How to find and/or make clean water
How to keep your body strong and healthy
How to Navigate without GPS
Basic First Aid
Emergency Communication Tools
How to work successfully in a team setting

Planning and teaching responsibilities

The Librarians duties: At each branch a single librarian (either a childrens services librarian or a YA
librarian will be responsible for planning/implementing what will be taught each month at their branch,
make sure all material is available, if outside sources are needed (guest speakers, companies, etc.) secure
them in advance, contact participants about progress, the upcoming events, and related community
programs, and oversee the funds and budget for the program. This librarian may delegate certain tasks to
other librarians or library staff members as needed.
Volunteers duties: Assist with ideas for future lessons and projects, help disperse information about the
varying aspects of the program and its usefulness, promoting the program in innovative ways (through
posters, schools, bulletins, etc). Volunteers could be useful at events to help with various tasks such as
dispersing name tags and water bottles to the participants.

Materials needed
Because the goal of this Makerspace is to instruct the patrons to be able to use resources that are
readily available, much of what is used will be recycled material that is gathered by the librarian and
patrons themselves. Having said that, here is a list of items that would be useful to have in the makerspace
or for the programs:

Sticks/branches
String/rope
Needle & thread
Scraps of clothe
Flashlights
Magnifying glass
Notebooks
Pencils
A basic Obstacle Course
Water bottles
Costume Make-up
Clay
Fake blood
Exercise tools
o Pull up bar (or monkey bars)
o Climbing rope
o Light weights
o Yoga mats/pads
o Exercise ball
o Stretch ropes
Provide Library books on display in Makerspace area for check-out during programs:
My side of the Mountain, Hatchet, How I Live Now, and the Hunger Games, The World
We Live In, Infamous, The End Games, Good Night, Zombie, Warm Bodies and other novels
about young adults who are able to survive extreme situations
The Boy/Girl Scout Handbook, Crisis Preparedness handbook, How to make a zombie and
other Nonfiction books that align with the topics that are being learned each month.
Examples/models to study for identification purposes:

Wild plants
solar system
Sun Dial
Maps/Globe
First Aid kit
4

Lesson Activities: Time Frame & Specific Break Down of Programs/Events

Each branch will hold one meeting a month on alternating Monday evenings from 4:30-6pm. All
meetings will begin with light healthy refreshments (crackers, vegetable/fruit tray and water). Librarian will
lead program, introduce guest speaker if there is one, and end the program with an invitation for
questions, comments and encourage teens to explore the makerspace area.
Monthly Meetings: Topics
Month
Topic
Details
Guest Speaker
August

Introduction

September

Health

October

Halloween

November

Strength

January
February
March
April

May

N/A

Water

Overview of the program ahead and explanation of its

importance
Basic first aid in mild to severe circumstances (CPR, tourniquets,
toxic substances to avoid, etc).
Fun and Light program for Halloween where teens can learn
how to put on realistic zombie make-up, show their creativity
and practice their costume design skills.
Simple exercises for strength, basic yoga poses & breathing
exercises to calm yourself in high stress situations
How to find water, gather, filter, and store water

Finding Food

Identify which plants are edible and which are dangerous

N/A

Shelter

how to identify a safe place to build a shelter & how to build

one to protect from the environment and/or wild animals
Emergency
Learn Morse code, develop a personal emergency
Communication communication system for your friends and family (fun code
Techniques
words)
Navigation
Learn to use the solar system to tell time, orient yourself and
find the right direction to go.

CPR Instructor
Cosmetologist or
Theater student
yoga or exercise
instructor
N/A
N/A
EMT or
firefighter
N/A

Three additional programs will be held in which participants from all three branches will come together at
one location (the South Branch Library in China Grove NC) on Saturday afternoons.
Program
Topic
Details
1st: Late
October
2nd: Late
February

Final: Late
May

Zombie
Obstacle
Course
Scavenger Hunt
(Summative
Assessment)
Zombie
Walk/Run &
Fundraiser
(Summative
Assessment)

Participants are encouraged to wear zombie attire (a make-up booth will be

available for anyone who wants to get zombiefied there). An Obstacle Course will
be the main event. Teens can race their friends or try to beat their best time.
Children are made to participate in a scavenger hunt to find various plants that
they had learned about in the latest program as well as a source of water (a
gallon must be transported by each team to the finish line only using items found
along the nature trail)
Say Farewell to this years program with a fun zombiefied 3K to raise funds for
next years program and for the American Red Cross (runners may sport their
goofiest zombie shuffle and lots of photos will be taken). A series of tasks will be
executed to show what they have learned in the program (ex. Build a simple
shelter, demonstrate how you would react in a series of emergency situations)

Assessments
Formative: The librarian who is in charge at his or her branch will be reviewing students progress
throughout the program by watching the students interact with each other, the makerspace and the guest
speakers. Simple low-stakes tasks will be administered at the end of each monthly program. The tasks will
be specific for the program and will be assessed by the librarian who is in charge of the branch (all three
branches will use the same assessment techniques). Examples of these tasks would be simple
brainstorming exercises such as: everyone writes down a possible disaster and one is drawn at random
from the bunch, the students are broken up into groups and asked what their first response to the situation
would be. The exercise is timed and the group with the best response wins a prize (bookmarks, books,
lanyards, headphones, movie tickets, would be adequate prizes).
Summative: More intense assessments of what has been learned by the students will take place in
the guise of good-old-fashion fun during the 2nd and 3rd consolidated programs which take place only at the
South Branch Library (Scavenger Hunt, 3K walk/run). During these programs the students will complete a
series of tasks which will reflect what they have learned throughout the program. The Scavenger Hunt will
act as a summative assessment and the team to complete the fastest will receive a prize. Before the 3K
walk/run takes place, two summative assessments will be executed. The first will be a team building
exercise in which students will be asked to use what they have learned along with critical thinking skills to
build a simple shelter (basic materials will be provided) in an allotted amount of time. At the end of the
time limit, the team with the sturdiest shelter will win a prize. The 2nd assessment will involve each student
drawing an emergency situation at random. The student will have a short amount of time to decide what
their response will be to the situation. All participants who came up with satisfactory responses will receive
a small token (bookmark, key chain, etc.)

Summative Assessment Proposal

2nd Program:
Scavenger Hunt

Final Program:
3K walk/run
Build Shelter as
a team

Respond to a
Randomly
Selected
Emergency
Situation

Great

Good

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Student used all skills

learned to locate &
identify all items quickly,
calmly & efficiently,
good physical health
Student was able to
build a sturdy shelter
with materials provided
and demonstrated team
work throughout the
entire exercise
Student responded
thoroughly to a
randomly selected
situation, showing what
they have learned as
well as demonstrating
critical thinking skills

Students used some

skills learned to
locate/identify all
items in a timely
manner
Student was able to
build a shelter with
materials provided
and showed team
work

Student
located/identified
at least half of the
items on the
scavenger hunt
Student made an
effort to build a
shelter with the
materials provided,
showed team work

Student was unable to

use any of the skills
learned to locate or
identify at least half of
the items
Student did not make
an adequate attempt
to build a shelter
and/or did not show
any team work

Student responded
to a randomly
selected emergency
situation, showing
what they have
learned in the
program

Student was able

to respond
adequately to a
randomly selected
emergency
situation

Student was unable to

respond to a randomly
selected emergency
situation