Social Studies Bell Ringer for Grades 9–12: The 2010 rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile
A free social studies bell ringer for grades 9–12. Put the prompt on the board as students walk in, give them three to five minutes, then go over it together. The answer and teacher notes are in the box below the prompt.
The prompt
On this day in 2010, all 33 workers trapped by a collapse at the San José gold and copper mine in Chile's Atacama Desert were brought to the surface after 69 days underground. Imagine you led the team on the surface. List three problems you would need to solve to keep 33 people alive until a rescue was possible, and rank them from most to least urgent. Explain your top choice.
Answer and teacher notes
Answers will vary. Strong lists include finding out whether anyone survived and where they are, getting air, water, food, and medicine down to them, keeping communication open, protecting their mental health over weeks of waiting, and designing a safe way to lift people up. Reward rankings that are justified (for example, "locating them comes first because nothing else is possible until we know where they are").
Facts to share afterward: the collapse happened on August 5, 2010, and all 33 were brought up in a specially designed rescue capsule called Phoenix. Quick math: 69 days is just under 10 weeks.
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