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These resources combine a range of teaching approaches and embed a series of critical thinking techniques in order to further develop students’ understanding of the subject matter.
Cross-curricular links are made to literacy, numeracy and ICT enabling the students to transfer their skills across the spectrum of subjects. The lessons offer opportunities for students to conduct further research, explore the numerous websites and use a range of resources such as choropleth maps to conduct their own investigation into previous drought events and begin to predict future ones from the trends. Each lesson is accompanied by an editable PowerPoint presentation and relevant worksheets.
In this lesson, students explore a range of perspectives from the 1976 droughts utilising relevant historical accounts in combination with mapped information on the characteristics of the drought.
Learning objective
- To investigate the impacts of the 1976 drought in the UK.
The DRY Utility has gathered numerous stories from the seven catchment areas, which discuss the impacts of the 1976 drought. The stories are fascinating and highlight an array of everyday impacts, from wonderful summer holidays with fabulous weather to wet nappies soaking around the house while a mother waited to be able to do their one daily wash; as well as potato farmers driving brand new P reg cars having hit the jackpot if they could irrigate crops.
Resources to support this lesson
The 1976 Drought – was it all good? PowerPoint presentation
The 1976 drought – was it all good? worksheet
Relevant links
Historic Droughts: Drought inventory
About Drought Handbook: Outputs and Impacts
About Drought Event 2018 Highlights (Vimeo)
Other lessons in this set
Is drought a global phenomenon?
A case study of UK drought 2010-2012: considering the cause and impacts of the drought
A case study of UK drought 2010-2012: investigating the responses
The future of drought in the UK
Changing our thinking about drought
This lesson has been co-written by the GA consultant Gemma Mawdsley and produced in collaboration with the DRY research team, ENDOWS, UWE, and About Drought.
