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.
It seems when learners get together and brainstorm after being presented with information on a given topic, the results are endless. I would have to agree as a facilitator to allow "out of the box thinking", and then as a class or group session, slowly bringing these ideas into perspective of what would and would not work.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog post
I think using a journal as a way to respond to natural disasters and current events is a great idea. I always struggle with finding ways to incorporate meaningful activities involved with current events, as well as finding the time to incorporate their use in the classroom. Asking students to respond to these events through a journal is a great idea. Any way to get students involved personally or to make personal connections to a topic helps make learning more meaningful and connect classroom experiences to the real world.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is wonderful when students are able to reach out and help someone they know. I also like the idea of utilizing journals, and it might be interesting to see what ideas students can come up with to lend a helping hand. Great post! --Dr. Booth