Natural Disasters
A natural disaster is probably
happening somewhere in the world right now as I am writing this blog. I think the media can play a very positive
role in making the public aware of the devastation and the need to help
others. As students are studying a unit
on weather and climate; the concept of natural disasters always seem to spark
the students interest. They are always
engaged when this subject arises. Using
media given the students a first hand look at the incredible force held by Mother
Nature. I like to require a current
events journal when studying weather.
Students are required to make a minimum of two entries per week.
The personal touch is also very
affective in helping students make connections.
Storms hit the Florida east coast hard in 2004. I like to provide personal pictures taken of
the areas familiar to students. I
encourage students to talk to their parents about the events and make journal
entries based on the knowledge of their parents.
The discussion of relief efforts is
usually started with a video clip of our local electrical company sending a
caravan of crews to help restore power to the state of Louisiana right after
Hurricane Katrina. Discussions take
place about how each student can play a role in helping others. The last school year gave students a chance
to put their discussions ideas into action as one of our own lost the roof to
her house. Students organized bake sales
and brought in donations to help raise money.
It was great to see our learning environment become a caring community.
