Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Part A: Emergency services
25 minutes	Part B: How to call 000
25 minutes	Part C: Practice calling 000
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Emergency services

Step 1.

Using a brief class discussion, gain insight into previous knowledge about emergency services (only emergency services at this stage).

Ask students:

What are the emergency services?
Why would you need emergency services to come to your property or community?
How do you get the emergency services to come to your location?

Hopefully, students will demonstrate their knowledge of calling 000 and know that this will contact the police, fire or ambulance. If required, assist them in understanding that 000 has uses beyond crime, such as for reporting dangerous damage caused by storms, a fire or a flood.

Step 2.

Have students stand in a space large enough to move from one end to another. This might have to be outside if the classroom set-up doesn’t allow for the easy flow of traffic.

Allocate one side of the room Emergency and the other side Not an emergency. Make this clear with your paper signs.

Step 3.

Explain to students that you will be reading out a scenario. They have to decide whether this is an emergency or not. Should they call 000 about this? If they think it is an emergency, they go and stand on that side of the space. If they don’t think it’s an emergency, they should stand on the other side.

Step 4.

Read out the following scenarios:

You see two cars hit each other and spin around (Emergency)
The shop has run out of toilet paper (Not an emergency)
You see smoke coming from your neighbour's property (Emergency)
You saw a snake on the road (Not an emergency)
Aliens are landing in your yard! (Just a joke)

Although we have focused on seeking help in a flood or fire, it is important to make it clear that while flood or fire are the examples being used in these scenarios, there are a multitude of reasons to call 000 for help and that they must be able to identify an emergency.

Step 5.

What can we do in an emergency?

Ask students if they know what to do in an emergency.

If you have previously identified students who may be triggered by this conversation, be mindful of their body language and make sure to communicate that any student feeling distressed is allowed to step out into the hall, or somewhere close by and supervised.

Some children who have experienced traumatic events that required 000 may be keen to share their experiences. It is important that we respectfully listen to their experiences.

Explain that 000 is for use in emergencies, but those responsible adults can always help in these situations as well (perhaps by calling 000 themselves).

Important! 911 is only in America. You might see this in a TV show, but it doesn't work here. 000 is the number in Australia.

Part B: How to call 000

Step 1.

Display the PowerPoint presentation for the whole class to see. Talk them through the slides, reading all text aloud and asking prompting questions to gauge comprehension, if the pace of the lesson allows.

Slides 1 - 3 are for revising what has just been discussed. Try to get all the students to contribute to reading and recognising the phone number. Slide 3 is reminding students that we only call in an emergency. Take a moment to reflect at the end of slide three, to allow the weight of the message to be completely understood.
Slides 4 - 7. At the end of slide 7, give students an opportunity to share what types of phones they may or may not have used in their lives. Remember, many will not be familiar with all phones shown in the PowerPoint.
Slide 8 Many classrooms still have a corded phone for communicating across the school. Demonstrate how it is used before moving through the slides.
Slide 9 Depending on school policy and your personal preference, you might want to demonstrate this with your phone as well, going up to the point of calling 000. Take this opportunity to discuss what might happen if we called 000 with no real emergency.
Slides 10 - 11 Take this opportunity to check in with how the students are coping with the content.
Slide 12 This video will give the students insight into who will be answering the call if they dial 000.
Slide 13 Give students adequate time to respond to the question. It is important that you explain why these questions are asked, and not just have students recite the questions they heard in the video.

Step 2.

Script as class

Now that the students have considered the questions they would be asked, read the script out for them to hear how it would sound. Try to differentiate between the two characters by using different voices or a student to participate at the caller.

Part C: Practice calling 000

Step 1.

Provide each student with a copy of the Student Worksheet. Also distribute the students’ address slips, explaining that they are to be kept safe throughout this activity.

Step 2.

Have them partner up as is best for your students and consider allowing them to spread out a bit in order to reduce the noise levels this activity might cause.

Have students choose one partner to be the caller, and the other to be the operator.

Step 3.

Allow a few minutes for the students to read the practice script on their Student Worksheet. Then have everyone in the class switch roles with their partner, so that everyone gets a chance to be the caller and the 000 operator.

Step 4.

Guide students through the remainder of the worksheet. Explain how they are to use the details they have to complete the missing information.

Reflection

In the final 5 minutes, bring your class together and have a reflective conversation.

What did students notice while practising the script? Did they get nervous? Did they get hyped up? Did they find themselves speaking clearly, or forgetting information?

Remind them that these are natural reactions to a stressful situation, and that is why practising in these ways makes us all more prepared.

Remind students: We know what to do in an emergency. If we stay calm we can get help.

Now is a good opportunity to re-iterate that 911 is only used in America, and the correct number to call in Australia is 000.

Instruct students to take their worksheets home, complete any remaining parts with an adult and hang them somewhere visible for the whole household to use in an emergency.

Differentiated learning

Extension

Students requiring extension in this activity could engage in some data collection, surveying their peers as they work through the Student Worksheet. The question they ask could be, “Do you feel confident to call 000?” or “Are you sure of what an emergency is?” and track the Yes/No answers on a sheet. Further extension could involve collating these responses and reflecting on how the majority of students are feeling at the end of this assignment.

Provisions for learning support

If a student in the class requires learning support from an education support staff member, provide them with a printout of the presentation so that they can help the student read along or assist the student to follow along if not physically in the classroom.

Assessment tip

If using this lesson for assessment, consider recording students’ practice calls or even having them record their conversations themselves on their iPads or other devices. This will make it easier to assess each child without distraction later and possibly hear insights usually missed in the busy classroom.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Resilient Australia - How to Call Triple 0

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