Finalizing the Adaptation Plan

This is an image of the lesson 8 icon This is Part 1 of Lesson 8 of Project Resilience curriculum.

Students finalize their adaptation project(s) and select one to be implemented.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will take on specific roles to finalize the project plan.

Materials

Preparation

  • Secure funding that can be used to implement an adaptation project at your school. Sources of project funding may be: project sponsors, student fundraisers, school budgets, or grants. Note: It is strongly advised that funding is secured before beginning the Project Resilience Curriculum.
  • Share the School Resilience Plan (from Lesson 7) with your school’s administration to obtain approval to implement one of the adaptation projects at your school campus. Be sure to discuss any potential problems with implementing the projects.
    • Arrange for a member of the school’s administration to visit the class for the final project presentation.
  • Recruit a volunteer engineer or contractor from your community who is able to help you create a rough estimate of the cost of the School Resilience Plan projects. You will need a cost estimate for each project prior to beginning Lesson 8 to help you determine which projects will be feasible, based on the amount of funds you have available. Students will use these cost estimates to complete the project budget as well. Note: It is strongly advised that you find a volunteer expert who would be willing to work directly with students to advise them as they create the detailed plan (project steps, materials list, and budget will likely be unfamiliar tasks to students). If possible, arrange for the volunteer expert to speak with students via phone, video conference, or in person.
    • Consider asking your administration or building maintenance supervisor to refer an engineer or contractor who may already have experience working with your school.
  • Consult with school maintenance staff from your building who may be able to assist in a variety of ways, including: brainstorming with students about the project plan steps, advising as students create the materials list, providing a list of vendors, assisting with labor tasks during project implementation, etc.
  • Provide students access to the School Resilience Plan they created in Lesson 7, either digitally or printed copies.
  • Make a copy of the Campus Resilience Project: Detailed Plan for each group.

Directions

Note: After creating a School Resilience Plan in Lesson 7, you can use Part 1 of this lesson to guide your students through the development of a detailed proposal for one of the projects. Depending on the scope of the projects within your School Resilience Plan, and how much funding is available, you may be able to implement more than one project. Part 2 of this lesson will help students take an active role in the implementation of their project. Lesson 8 assumes that just one project will be implemented. Modify instruction as needed.

Select a project to implement (100 min)

  1. Ensure that you have secured funding to implement a resilience project at your school, and that you have approval from your school administrators to proceed.
  2. Review the School Resilience Plan, along with the cost estimates for each project that you obtained with the help of volunteer professionals (see Preparation steps), with your students. Record the name and estimated cost of each project on the board. Explain that funds are available to construct one of the projects and add the total fund amount to the board. Tell students that next we will choose one of the projects and begin creating a detailed implementation plan.
  3. To choose the project for implementation, have the students identify which project or projects we can afford, based on the funding amount. If multiple projects are identified, ask students to rank the projects based on which will create the most resilience for their school. The highest-ranked project will be implemented.
    • Remind students of the potential to implement additional projects from their School Resilience Plan, should additional funds become available in the future.
  4. Circle the selected project on the board and direct students to review the details about their selected project included in the School Resilience Plan. Explain that students will be creating a detailed version of this plan, including a budget for the project. Ask: What initial questions do you have about this project? List these questions on the board. Students will include these questions in their final proposal.
  5. Pass out the Campus Resilience Project: Detailed Plan. Review the detailed plan document with students, explaining that they will use this document to develop the project plan. Explain that once the detailed project plan is complete, the class will present the project to the school administration for final approval.
  6. Divide the class evenly into the groups below:

    Note: groups will need resources beyond what is provided here. Consider what help students will need to be successful as they plan for specific details about the project, like materials and cost. If possible, work with school maintenance and/or volunteer experts who can provide guidance.

    • Construction- These students will develop a detailed list of project steps. They will also develop the project timetable and a list of any necessary professional help.
    • Supplies- These students will create a detailed list of necessary materials and services needed for the project using the Materials Needed table, including the supplier information (website links, store locations).
    • Budget- These students will develop the project budget. They will work with the Construction and Supplies Groups to form the project budget, using the Budget table.
    • Marketing- Students will design materials to share with the student body and the community to inform them about the adaptation project. These students will also create a presentation for the school administration.
  7. Students should spend the remainder of class time and the next class period working on their tasks for completing the plan and preparing for the presentation. Note: Out of class time will likely be needed to complete the detailed project plan and presentation.
  8. Arrange for a member of the school’s administration to visit the class. Have students present their project to the administration and ask for any feedback. Students should use the remaining class time to incorporate the feedback into their project plan.
  9. Meet with the administration after the presentation and get approval for the project timeline. You will also need to discuss the following implementation questions:
    • What is the administrative process for project implementation on the school campus?Who will you need to contact (school maintenance, approved contractors)?
    • What process is necessary to purchase supplies and access the project funding?
This is an image of a swamp grasses

Credits

This activity was developed for Project Resilience, funded by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.