Natural Disasters

In my classroom I have a book about natural disasters.  What is unusual about the book is that it measures 3’ x 2’.  My students call it “Big Book”.  It is interesting to see students’ reactions when they look at the devastation caused by natural disasters.  In the eighth grade our curriculum does not include weather, but it does include earthquakes.  I use the book to show pictures of past natural disasters.

Although weather is not in our curriculum, I believe it is important for my students to be citizens of the world not just of the city where they live.  When a natural disaster occurs, I ask my students if they have heard or read about it.  Usually only about 1/3 of the students say they know what I am talking about.  This year I am using interactive science notebooks (ISN) for the first time.  While considering this blog post I decided that I will have students express their thoughts and feelings about natural disasters in their ISNs.  When we have class discussions, there are some students who are hesitant to verbally express their feelings.  Writing in their ISNs gives every student the opportunity to respond.  Some writing prompts may include, “What do you know about the science behind this natural disaster?”, “What do you think we need to do to prepare for these types of events?” and “How can be help victims of natural disasters?” Bringing in a speaker from the American Red Cross might be a way for students to hear first hand accounts from someone who has helped others during a natural disaster.

I am proud to say that our school does reach out to the community and the world.  We recently made Christmas shoe boxes for children in Haiti and collected canned goods for local families in need.  Expanding students understanding about their responsibilities as citizens of the world is one way to make the world a better place for all of us.