STEP 

Student Tools for Emergency Planning

ACTIVITY 

BOOK

FEMA P-2152 / November 2020
STEP

Student Tools for

Emergency Planning STEP up your understanding of emergency preparedness 

with these fun games, puzzles, and worksheets!

Ready to exercise those brain cells? From the basics of emergency preparedness to 

making your own Emergency Kit and Family Communication Plan—and everything 

in between—the Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) Activity Book is a new 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resource with engaging activities, 

including memory games; crossword puzzles; word searches; journaling; and Science, 

Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) projects, just to name a few. All of 

the activities appear by lesson so you can easily choose what area you would like to 

learn more about:

Introducing Emergency Preparedness

Creating an Emergency Kit

Designing a Family Communication Plan

Note: The Activity Book is available in both print and digital versions. Please note that some 

activities will have different design/activity elements depending on digital or paper versions. 

BE 

READY!
Table of Contents

Lesson 1 Activities...................................................... 4 

Crossword Puzzle ................................................................................5

My Creative Writing Journal................................................................6

Reading Activity – “In the Dark”........................................................8

I Went Shopping for an Emergency Kit Memory Game...........................9

Emergency Preparedness Scavenger Hunt............................................. 10

Lesson 2 Activities.................................................... 11 

My Creative Writing Journal.............................................................. 12

Sketch, Draw, & Design Your Own Emergency Kit ............................... 14

Safety Treasure Hunt........................................................................ 16

Word Search .................................................................................... 18

Role-Playing News Headlines .............................................................. 19

Host an Emergency Kit Drive ............................................................. 20

Lesson 3 Activities.................................................... 22 

Crossword Puzzle .............................................................................. 23

My Creative Writing Journal.............................................................. 24

STEAM Math Worksheet..................................................................... 26

Reading Activity – Family Communication Plan Skit............................. 28

Fire Drill/Safety Week Exercises........................................................ 30

Emergency Preparedness Display Table ............................................... 33

Science & Innovation ........................................................................ 34
LESSON 1

ACTIVITIES

Introducing Emergency Preparedness

BE 

READY!

BE 

READY!
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1 5

Activity 1

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

SKILLS

English

Preparedness

MATERIALS

Pencil

SOLVE THE PUZZLE

Use the clues below to 

fill in the preparedness 

word answers.

DOWN

1. Instead of candles, which could be dangerous, 

add this item to your disaster supply kit.

3. This item is important in your disaster supply 

kit because you may need something to keep you 

warm in case the heat goes out.

4. In this emergency, you should immediately get 

outside when you smell smoke or hear an alarm.

6. This accompanies thunder in a large rainstorm.

8. When visiting the dentist, ask for an extra one 

of these for your disaster supply kit.

10. This emergency is caused by too much snow 

melting or too much rain falling for the rivers and 

ground to hold.

12. Every family should gather water, food, 

batteries, and other supplies for their disaster 

supply ______.

ACROSS

2. Family members can write contact numbers on a 

family emergency communication plan _____ to carry 

around with them in a pocket or wallet.

5. Each family should designate a ______ ______ 

outside the home in case of an emergency. (2 words)

7. If you have a pet at home, you should put pet food, 

extra water, a picture of you and your pet, and any 

pet ______ they may need in your disaster supply kit.

9. During a lightning storm, the worst place to stand 

is under a tall object, such as a ______.

11. To prevent spoiling in your disaster supply kit, 

look for food found in this.

13. It is important for family members to be able to 

______ during an emergency.

14. This is a very strong and often long-lasting winter 

storm with snow, wind, and ice.
6 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1

Activity 2

MY CREATIVE WRITING JOURNAL

Think about the emergency 

preparedness lesson. What did you like? 

Was there anything you didn’t like? Use 

this space to write or draw about what 

was most important to you.

Hone your powers 

of observation. 

Think creatively and 

scientifically!
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1 7

LESSON 1: INTRODUCING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

SKILLS

Writing

Arts/Literacy

Creative Thinking

MATERIALS

Pencils

Colored Pencils 

Crayons

Colored Markers

LOOKING BACK
8 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1

Activity 3

READING ACTIVITY

SKILLS

Reading

Observation

Preparedness

A large thunderstorm knocked out power across parts of the city of Detroit, Michigan 

in July. Mateo wrote a report about it for his class. After you read Mateo’s story, look 

for instructions and questions at the bottom of the page.

IN THE DARK

Every day of the week seemed hotter than the last one. On Friday, it was 97 

degrees. We got all sweaty playing outside unless we were running through the 

sprinkler or skidding down the slip and slide. 

The bright sun had been pounding down all day making the sidewalk too hot to walk on barefoot. But 

suddenly big gray clouds started to cover it up. Then thunder boomed and lightning crackled in the sky.

My mom likes to say, “When thunder roars go indoors.” It wasn’t raining yet, but I knew she’d be at our front 

door any minute telling me it was time to get inside, so I told my friends we should all go home.

As soon as I got in the door, the rain started. It got so heavy I could barely see the houses across the street. 

Then I heard this weird pinging sound and little ice balls called hail started falling, too. The thunder was 

super loud, but all of a sudden we heard a big crashing sound, then a boom, and all the lights in the house 

went out. I looked out the front window, and a big tree branch had fallen, pulling down an electric wire with it.

My mom asked me to turn on a radio we have that gets power when you crank its handle round and round. 

It’s kind of fun getting it ready. The news announcer said more than 40,000 people across the city were 

without power because there were so many powerlines down.

My dad couldn’t cook the dinner he planned since the stove doesn’t work without electricity. However, 

we had extra peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches and crackers, along with my favorite little individual 

containers of peaches. So we had plenty to eat from food we keep stored in a cupboard in our kitchen. 

As it got dark, we turned on our flashlights and started to tell ghost stories as shadows flickered on the 

walls. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and my little sister screamed. But it was only my friend from 

next door asking if we had an extra flashlight since they didn’t have any at his house. My parents like to be 

prepared for emergencies like this, so we had one we could give him.

After that we went to bed, and when I woke up my bedroom light was shining in my eyes because I forgot to 

flip the switch off when we didn’t have power. I was happy that not only did we have lights, but we had air 

conditioning. I was also really excited that I could hang out with my friends again. 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Mateo do to stay safe when the thunderstorm started? Underline that part of his report.

2. Circle the things did Mateo’s family had at home to help them when the power went out.

3. Use another color to circle adjectives that you see in the story. Adjectives describe nouns. One example 

in the story is “bright,” which describes the sun.

4. Use another color to circle words that describe sounds.

5. List three things you need to get ready in your house in case there is a storm.

 a. ____________________________ b. ____________________________ c. ____________________________
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1 9

Activity 4

I WENT SHOPPING FOR AN EMERGENCY KIT

SKILLS

Preparedness

Verbal Literacy

Listening & 

Thinking

The I WENT SHOPPING FOR AN EMERGENCY KIT MEMORY GAME is a fun game to play in a group in class 

or with your family at home. Build your memory and concentration while learning about preparedness! 

TO PLAY

Imagine you’re going on a shopping trip to buy items for an emergency kit.

Keep in mind the goal of the game 

is to remember as many items 

purchased at the store as possible! 

The first player starts the game by saying, “I went shopping for an emergency kit and bought a _______,” 

identifying the item they would buy. 

The second player continues with “I went shopping for an emergency kit and bought a _____ (names the first 

player’s item) and a _____ (adding a new item to the list).” 

Continue taking turns to remember the items purchased in the same order as the list gets longer and longer. 

The winner is the last person who can correctly name all of the items in sequence.

EXAMPLE

I went shopping for an Emergency Kit and bought a .... Flashlight, radio, bottled water, canned food, 

batteries, whistle, can opener, cell phone, map, etc.
10 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 1

Activity 5

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS SCAVENGER HUNT

SKILLS

Observation

Reading

MATERIALS

Crayons

Colored Pencils

Colored Markers

FIND AND COLOR

Find the following items and color them in! What else can you find?

4 Lightning Bolts

4 Water Bottles

3 Home Fires

2 Storms

3 Tornadoes

3 Whistles

4 Scorching Suns

4 Fire Hazards

2 Games

3 Flashlights

4 Earthquakes

4 Hiking Shoes

3 Extreme Colds

3 Flood Hazards

4 Ocean Waves

3 Family Emergency Kits

3 Family Communication Plans

3 Check on Neighbors
LESSON 2

ACTIVITIES

Creating an Emergency Kit
12 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2

Activity 6

MY CREATIVE WRITING JOURNAL

The lesson was on How to Build a 

Family Emergency Kit. You may have 

watched a Disaster Dodgers video 

and thought about what should go in 

an emergency backpack. What else 

did you learn? What was your favorite 

part? Least favorite? Why?

Hone your powers 

of observation. 

Think creatively!
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2 13

LESSON 2: CREATING AN EMERGENCY KIT

SKILLS

Writing

Arts/Literacy

Creative Thinking

MATERIALS

Pencils

Colored Pencils 

Crayons

Colored Markers

LOOKING BACK
14 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2

Activity 7

SKETCH, DRAW, & DESIGN YOUR 

OWN EMERGENCY KIT

SKILLS

Arts/Literacy

Engineering

Math

Problem Solving

Creative Thinking

MATERIALS

Pencils

Colored Pencils 

and Other Art 

Materials

THINK AHEAD

How would you like your emergency kit to look? Talk to your instructor if you 

have questions.

START SKETCHING 

Do three quick sketches. Take only a few minutes for each sketch and keep it 

simple! 

Try not to judge “good” or “bad,” just keep moving forward.

I’m feeling inspired already!

Have fun with this!

Ideas. They are the 

most important thing 

to have. And unlike 

things you buy at the 

store, they’re free!

IMAGINE

Remember these are your first ideas and do not need to be too detailed. 

After you finish the three sketches, choose your favorite one. This is 

called your first design prototype.

What do you mean by...

Sketch – A rough drawing.

Drawing – A picture or diagram 

made with a pencil, pen, or 

crayon rather than paint.

Design Brief – The details about what 

your emergency kit will look like once 

it is finished; what materials will be 

used.

Prototype – A prototype is an 

early sample or model of a 

product built to test an idea or to 

see how well something will work.

Talk about your drawing with others. Look at other students’ designs to gather more ideas if you are all 

working on this activity together. You can always add things you like to your design as you go.
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2 15

PLAN

Add in details: Add in the colors, special text, and patterns. Make notes of the materials you plan to use.

What is the size of my kit? The dimensions are: _________ Width _________ Height

DRAW

Make your final drawing based on the things you like most from the prototype.

COMMUNICATE

After completing your drawing, take 5-10 minutes to do a show and tell with other students to present your 

emergency kit design. You can always go back and make changes based on what you have learned.

My design: My name:

What I am designing:

What materials I will use: Design notes:

My design looks like this:
16 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2

Activity 8

SAFETY TREASURE HUNT

SKILLS

Observation

Creative Thinking

MATERIALS

Pencil

Pen

Your home and neighborhood are full of things that can help 

you in an emergency. The important thing is to know where 

they are before the winds start swirling or the earth begins 

to shake.

Take this assignment home with you and answer the questions 

as you walk around your house and nearby neighborhood on a 

search for ways to stay safe. If you’re not sure about some of 

the answers, ask a parent or another older family member for 

help.

ON THE HUNT FOR ANSWERS

1. How many doors to the outside or to a hallway does your house or apartment have? ___________

It’s important to know where doors are so you can escape quickly in case of fire.

2. Does your house or apartment building have a basement? ___________

If there is a tornado warning, head down to your basement.

3. Are there any rooms or large closets without windows? ___________

These are bad places to go in case of fire, but if you don’t have a basement, they are the best places to close 

yourself into if there’s a tornado warning.

4. How many smoke detectors does your house or apartment have? ___________ What rooms are they in or 

outside of? _____________________________________________________

Make sure you have a smoke detector in each bedroom and outside each separate sleeping area, like a 

hallway. You need to have a smoke detector on each level of your home, including the basement.

5. How many flashlights are in your house? ___________ Are there extra batteries? ___________

Know where these are in case you have to find them in the dark.

6. Do you have bottled water? ___________ How much? _________________________

You should keep one gallon per person in your family and have at least enough for three days in case of an 

emergency where you are unable to use water from your sink. That means if there are four people in your 

family, you need 12 gallons. (3 x 4 = 12)

7. Does your family have an emergency kit? ____________ Where is it? _________________________________

As you learn more about building an emergency kit at school, talk to your parents about starting one at home 

if you don’t already have one.
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2 17

8. Look where you store your food. Do you have food in boxes or cans that doesn’t need to be refrigerated? 

___________ If so, what would be your favorite thing to eat if your electricity went out? ___________________

__________________________________

Your emergency kit should include at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, which is food that 

doesn’t need to be kept in the refrigerator and can be eaten without heating if necessary.

9. Now go outside in your yard or the front of the apartment building. Look for a big tree or rock away from 

your house or building that you can go to if you have to leave because of a fire or other emergency in your 

home. Where is it? _________________________________

When you make your family communication plan, decide on places to meet near your house and outside your 

neighborhood depending on the type of emergency.

10. While you’re outside, do you see a fire hydrant that firefighters will connect hoses to if there is a fire? 

___________ Where is it? _________________________________

It’s important that cars don’t ever park too close to the hydrant so that firetrucks can get close enough to 

connect their hoses.
18 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2

Activity 9

WORD SEARCH

SKILLS

Identification

Preparedness

MATERIALS

Pencil

Pen

FIND THE PREPAREDNESS WORDS BELOW!

Communication Plan

Disaster

Text

Emergency Kit

Water

Batteries

Radio

Flashlight

First Aid Kit

Map

Prepare

Phone

Food

Toothbrush

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STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2 19

Activity 10

ROLE-PLAYING NEWS HEADLINES

SKILLS

Communication

Performance

Do you like to mimic people in high-profile careers, such as TV 

broadcasters, news correspondents, or weather forecasters?

If so, this activity is for you!

INSTRUCTIONS

Pretend you are a TV, radio, or newspaper reporter relaying stories about important events. 

News reporters gather news and information to keep the public informed about important events. They get 

their information through a number of sources. These may include interviews with people who know about 

or were affected by an event; news services (like the Associated Press); news briefings; and press releases 

written by companies, organizations, and the government. Newspapers, magazines, and television and radio 

stations rely on news reporters to keep their readers, viewers, and listeners informed.

What does that mean?

News services send news stories to many news organizations all at once to speed up getting the news out 

worldwide. News briefings are short, fact-based versions of a story. Press releases are official statements 

provided to reporters.

SUGGESTIONS

• Write a 30-second radio or TV commercial to explain the need for emergency preparedness using what 

you have learned so far.

• Pretend you are a weather announcer on the evening news reporting on a storm in your area. What kind 

of weather caused it? How many people did it affect? Did people lose electricity or get hurt?

• Record a two- to four-minute story as you pretend to be a national news correspondent reporting live 

from the scene of a flood.

• Write a blog story about a Girl or Boy Scout troop that is learning about emergency preparedness and 

making emergency kits. 

• Report on a story about a group of day hikers who were prepared because they had emergency kits in 

their packs. What happened? Was there a sudden storm that trapped them? Did they need to provide 

first aid to someone?

THE 5 Ws AND THE H

Include the “five Ws and the H” — who, what, where, when, why, and how — in each story to make sure you 

have answered questions your viewers might have. After you write the story, be sure to proofread it to make 

sure you have not left out any of these basic details.

WATCH PARTY

When the group is ready to perform, plan a watch party day.
20 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2

Activity 11

HOST AN EMERGENCY KIT DRIVE

SKILLS

Preparedness

Communications

Teamwork

Leadership

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

You can do this!

You’ve got this!

STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT ITEMS YOUR CLASS NEEDS

Make a list! Talk about any special items that may come in handy in your area.

STEP 2: DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO COLLECT ITEMS

Where do you collect items?

Single-site drop off: Ask people to bring family emergency kit donations to one location during set hours on a 

specific day. Volunteers stay at the collection site.

Extended emergency kit drive: Set up multiple collection points with drop boxes where people can leave kit 

items over the course of multiple days or weeks. Volunteers collect the donations once per week.

Event-related emergency kit drive: Your team partners with a local event — like a sports game, music 

festival, or county fair — and sets up collection sites at the event.

STEP 3: PLAN 

Establish a small committee to plan and coordinate the emergency kit drive. Select a coordinator(s) (parent, 

teacher, or student) and team leaders for individual tasks. 

• Help recruit volunteers

• Promote the emergency kit drive with flyers

• Ensure local media are aware of the drive

• Set up the collection site

STEP 4: WORK OUT THE DETAILS

• Where the emergency kit drive will be held (such as at the entrance of the store, at sporting events, or 

a section of the parking lot)

• The date and time for the drive

• Bad weather backup plan

• Where the kit items will be stored before pick up
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 2 21

STEP 5: GET THE WORD OUT WITH FLYERS

Be creative, but also be sure to provide key information 

such as:

• Suggested items 

• Date, time, and location of the event

• Brief information on the emergency kit project

Ask your family, friends, and neighbors to help make 

the emergency kit drive a success. Check with local 

community organizations, libraries, schools, and 

community centers to see if they are interested in 

volunteering.

STEP 6: EVENT DAY

• Set up the emergency kit items collection site

• Post Emergency Kit Drive signs in visible areas 

and have flyers available

• Welcome volunteers as they arrive and show them 

how things will work

• Relax, smile, and enjoy this event, which is 

bringing together the community

• When the drive is over, clean up the area and take 

down the signs — leave the area the same (if not 

cleaner) than when you arrived

• Thank the hosting organization and the volunteers

STEP 10: FOLLOW UP 

(within one week after the event)

Send a thank you note, call, or email to all volunteers. 

Let them know how many items were donated and 

whether there are plans for additional emergency 

kit drives in the future. Call or write a thank you 

note to the hosting organization. Again, let 

them know how many items were donated and 

convey their important role in the success 

of the program and the difference they are 

making.

Stay in touch with volunteers and local 

communities for further volunteer 

opportunities.

Emergency Kit Drive
LESSON 3

ACTIVITIES

Designing a Family Communication Plan
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 23

Activity 12

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

SKILLS

English

Preparedness

MATERIALS

Pencil

SOLVE THE PUZZLE

Use the clues below to fill in the preparedness word answers.

DOWN

1. Since you take your things to school in this 

every day, add your family communication plan 

as well.

2. Make sure you include your dog, cat, and 

other _______ in emergency plans.

3. If you get lost, looking at one of these can 

help.

6. Rather than using your phone to call during 

an emergency, ________ instead.

ACROSS

4. One of these will help your family find each 

other after an emergency.

5. Have two of these, one near your home 

and the other outside your neighborhood at a 

building like a library or community center.

7. A big one of these with lots of branches 

outside your house could be a good meeting 

place.
24 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3

Activity 13

MY CREATIVE WRITING JOURNAL

Take some time to record what 

you learned. Do you think a Family 

Communication Plan is important? Reflect 

on the lesson and activities. What did you 

like? Was there anything you didn’t like? 

Use this space to write or draw about 

what was most important to you.

Hone your powers 

of observation. 

Think creatively and 

scientifically!
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 25

LESSON 3: FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN

SKILLS

Writing

Arts/Literacy

Creative Thinking

MATERIALS

Pencils

Colored Pencils 

Crayons

Colored Markers

LOOKING BACK
26 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3

Activity 14

STEAM MATH WORKSHEET

SKILLS

Math

Art

Linear 

Relationships

MATERIALS

Pencil

Pen

Crayon

Colored Markers

Ruler

FINDING AND GRAPHING POINTS

In a recent five year period, there have been a number of U.S. disasters. Review 

the line graph to learn about the frequency of U.S. disasters from the years of 

2015 to 2020.

U.S. DISASTERS

Total Number of Disasters

200

150

100

50

0

Years

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

80

103

137

124

103

201

What does this mean?

Line graphs are a visual method for showing relationships between numbers.

The relationships between the numbers are shown on a coordinate grid. 

A coordinate grid has two perpendicular lines, or axes, labeled like number lines. 

The horizontal axis is called the x-axis. 

The vertical axis is called the y-axis. 

The point where the x-axis and y-axis intersect is called the origin. 

The origin always has a value of 0.

Frequency is the rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a period of time.

PROBLEMS

Using the line graph above, complete the following short answer questions.

1. The name of the x-axis is ________.

a. Total Number of Disasters

b. Years

2. The name of the y-axis is _______.

a. Total Number of Disasters

b. Years

3. How many disasters were there in 2018?
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 27

4. What year had the most disasters?

5. What year had the least disasters?

6. Create your own bar graph. Make it identical to the line graph. Use the following data points: 

(2015=80, 2016=103, 2017=137, 2018=124, 2019=101, 2020=201).

• Add the Title 

• Label the x-axis and y-axis

• Graph the bar points

• Color in the bars

EXAMPLE

This is an example of a bar graph.

250

200

150

100

50

0

MY BAR GRAPH

Data Resource: FEMA Disaster Declarations Data (www.fema.gov/disasters/year)
28 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3

Activity 15

READING ACTIVITY

SKILLS

Arts/Literacy

Communication

Performance

MATERIALS

Pencil

FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN SKIT

A skit is a short play, where each person gets a turn to speak. You can read the 

skit to yourself, or your teacher may assign you a character in the skit to act 

and read out loud what he or she has to say. After the skit are some questions 

about family communication plans.

A GAME PLAN TO STAY IN TOUCH

Characters

Mom

Dad

Brothers and sisters: Olivia – age 13, 

Grace – age 10, Theo – age 4

Setting

The family’s living room

Mom carries a bowl of popcorn into the room, and everyone grabs a handful.

Mom: I love it when we’re all home together because most of the day, Dad and I are both at work and all 

three of you kids go to different schools.

Dad: Hey, Olivia, we need you stop looking at your phone because we need to talk about something 

important.

Olivia gives her phone one last scroll and sets it down noisily on the table.

Olivia: Okaaaaaaay. What’s this about?

Grace: What do you want to talk about? I have softball practice at 7. And, Theo, stop hogging all the 

popcorn!

Theo shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

Theo: I’m not!

Mom: Remember when we lost electricity last week after the big storm and all the power went out? The 

traffic was a mess because none of the traffic lights were working.

Olivia: Right. You were late picking Theo up from preschool.

Theo: My teacher said all the mommies and daddies would be there soon.

Dad: And she was. But we want to talk about how we can stay in better touch if something like that happens 

again.

Grace: That would be great. Remember, I was trying to call Mom but the call wouldn’t go through?

Mom: Yes. That’s because it’s often easier to communicate by text than a phone call if there’s a big 

emergency or power outage and lots of people are trying to use their phones at once. So that’s one thing to 

remember, something I doubt you’ll have any trouble with, Olivia, since you love to text so much.

ADMIT 

ONE
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 29

Dad: We need to have a family communication plan. 

Dad passes out the papers with the plan.

Dad: Theo, I know you can’t read this, but it has all our names and phone numbers on it. It also has the phone 

number for the Chen family next door and Aunt Pat’s phone number, too. I added their pictures to yours.

Olivia: I have all those numbers in my phone, but it’s good to have them written down, too.

Grace: I can put this in my backpack so I have it at school.

Theo: Me, too. I’m going to take it to school, too.

Mom: Another thing we need to think about is where to meet if we are all out at different places and an 

emergency happens.

Olivia: My teacher told me that if there’s a weather warning and it’s time to go home from school we will 

stay at school.

Dad: That’s right. You will likely be safe at school. But let’s say you’re walking home from school, and earlier in 

the day a tree and electric wires fell across a street on your way. Then you need to have another place to go.

Grace: What about the library?

Mom: That’s a great idea. And if it’s just our house that lost electricity or there was some reason we couldn’t 

stay in it, Mrs. Chen knows that you’re supposed to go over there. We’ll come get you when it’s safe.

Theo: What about me? I can’t walk to the library.

Grace: That’s right, but you will either be at preschool or with Mom or Dad, so they will know where you are.

Olivia: This sounds like good plan, but can I get on to my plans to hang out with Ana now?

Mom: I think we’ve covered everything we needed to. It’s important to make sure we can know everyone is 

safe and can find each other in an emergency.

The End

After you have completed the reading activity, answer the questions below. Then be sure to check with your 

family to make sure you have a plan. 

QUESTIONS

1. What are some places different members of your family might be when an emergency happens?

2. Do you know how to contact them?

3. What if you can’t go to your neighborhood? Where are some places that you might be able to meet your 

family?
30 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3

Activity 16

FIRE DRILL/SAFETY WEEK EXERCISES

SKILLS

Preparedness

Observation

Listening

Thinking

Movement

MATERIALS

Pencil 

Pen

SAFETY WALK

During the school year there are fire drills and safety activities to help everyone 

learn about ways to prepare and stay safe at school in case of an emergency. 

Ask your teacher to take your class on a Safety Walk before a fire drill or during 

safety week. A Safety Walk is your own special guided tour of the school to 

help you and your class become familiar with important safety areas and exits. 

After the safety walk is over, draw and color a map of important exits, safety 

equipment, and rooms that you should be aware of within the building. Include 

your chosen meeting place.

FIRE SAFETY WEEK CLASSROOM ROLE PLAY

Practice “Cover, Stop, Drop, and Roll” and “Stay Low and Go” for Fire Safety Week. Create a costume using 

materials to create flames. Cut sets of flames out and tape or use safety pins to attach to your shirt arms 

to add a realistic effect to “Cover, Stop, Drop, and Roll.” Practice by stopping all movement, covering your 

mouth, dropping to the floor, and then rolling back and forth on the ground. 

For “Stay Low and Go,” practice crawling on your hands and knees, keeping your head about a foot above 

ground level. A sheet hung between two chairs can represent the smoke you must crawl under. Act out 

various scenes for your class. For example, “You stood too close to the stove and your shirt caught on fire. 

What would you do?”

WALLET-SIZE FAMILY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION PLAN

Work with your parents or a caregiver to fill in your emergency contact information. When you’re finished, 

you can cut it out and keep it in your wallet or backpack. 
FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN

STEP Program 

FEMA Individual and Community 

Preparedness Division

BE 

READY!

Write your full name above

HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION

Home #: 

Address: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other Information: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other Information: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other Information: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other Information: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other information: 

Name: Mobile #: 

Other# or Social Media: Email: 

Important Medical or Other information: 

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

Name: Mobile #: 

Home #: Email: 

Address: 

OUT-OF-TOWN CONTACT

Name: Mobile #: 

Home #: Email: 

Address: 

EMERGENCY MEETING PLACE

Indoor: 

Instructions: 

 

Neighborhood: 

Instructions: 

 

Out-of-Town Neighborhood: 

Address: 

Instructions: 

 

Out-of-Town Neighborhood: 

Address: 

Instructions: 

 

IMPORTANT NUMBERS/INFORMATION 

Police: 

Fire: 

Doctor: 

Dentist: 

Medical Insurance: 

Policy Number: 

Hospital/Clinic: 

 

FOLD 

HERE 

FOLD 

HERE 

FOLD 

HERE 

FOLD 

HERE 

Remember: Text don’t talk! 

Texts get through more easily 

during emergencies. Unless you are 

in immediate danger, send a text.

Go to Ready.gov/kids for more info

on how to be prepared for disasters!

STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 33

Activity 17

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DISPLAY TABLE

SKILLS

Preparedness

Leadership

Teamwork

Knowledge

DISPLAY YOUR BEST WORK FOR ALL TO SEE

At your next schoolwide assembly or event, set up a STEP display table to 

showcase your emergency preparedness projects. This is a great opportunity to 

share your class’s preparedness knowledge with others and promote teamwork. 

Organize your table ahead of time with interesting exhibit items. Be sure to 

have student volunteers on hand to cover the table, answer questions, and help 

guests fill out raffle tickets before and after school programs.

Let your emergency flashlights shine!

• Display family emergency kits that you and your classmates have created 

• Talk up the STEP Program

• Provide Emergency Backpack Kit information

• Provide Emergency Kit Checklists

• Tell others why it is important to be prepared

• Show off your STEP Badges and explain how they are earned

• Consider preparedness-themed prizes or a raffle to help 

bring people to the table

STEP Student Tools for

Emergency Planning

DISASTERS

EMERGENCY

KIT

FAMILY 

COMMUNICATION 

PLAN
34 STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3

Activity 18

SCIENCE & INNOVATION

SKILLS

Science

Technology

Engineering

Math

Preparedness

Conservation

MATERIALS

3-sided Poster 

Board

Pencils and 

Pens

Construction 

Paper

Colored Markers

Ruler

INNOVATIVE POSTER IDEAS

Each of you, in your own way, are science rock stars waiting to happen. 

Science fairs are good ways to discover your strengths and can spark your 

interest in learning more about the natural world. Would you like to do 

something unique for your science project this year? Read about ways to show 

your emergency preparedness know-how to others by using the poster ideas 

below.

A HURRICANE OF INFORMATION

Use Ready.gov/kids/disaster-facts as a primary 

source to gather facts to explain the science 

behind tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, 

tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, winter storms, or 

droughts. Think of creative poster titles like Beat 

the Storm, Survive Tornadoes, Rainfall and Flood 

Threat, The Science of Winter Storms, and Stay Away 

from Hurricanes. 

What does that mean?

A primary source is an original source of information that documents an event, 

a person, or an idea to verify evidence.

SCIENCE PROJECT 

DATA

PHOTOS PHOTOS

PROCEDURE

CONCLUSION

RESULTS

PROBLEM

HYPOTHESIS

MATERIALS
STEP ACTIVITY BOOK: LESSON 3 35

DESIGN AN ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSE FOR SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS

Design an eco-friendly house for a severe weather poster that shows your ideas 

of how you would build a house to keep your family safe from storms and bad 

weather. Think about the materials that would work well in different weather 

conditions, such as high winds, rain, snow, extreme heat, and flooding. Decide 

how you want your house to look and where your home will be built (near the 

ocean, in the mountains, in the city, where it is hot or cold, etc.). 

What does that mean?

An eco-friendly house is environmentally friendly. 

Conservation is the wise use of our natural resources.

You want to design your house with a sturdy roof, walls, windows, doors, 

flooring, and overall structure. What kind of roof is best? Shingles or tin? 

Should you use recycled bricks or mud for the walls? What kind of glass is 

the safest for windows? More windows provides better lighting, but must be 

strong enough to work well to keep everyone comfortable and dry. Take all of 

these things into consideration and decide what would work best for you!

What about your energy systems? Solar energy panels, radiant floor heat, or wind 

power (to heat or cool your house, pump water, keep the refrigerator working, and 

generate electricity for lights and other appliances) are some options. 

In your conclusion, make a case for the benefits of your eco-friendly home being safer and healthier for your 

family. Show how it will be less costly, use cleaner energy, last longer, and help the environment by:

• Using fewer local resources

• Being more energy efficient

• Using materials that will last longer

• Helping to conserve the environment

Reuse
FEMA P-2152