Natural Disasters
Natural
disasters can be a sudden and life-altering event. Over the past few years, two
major floods have hit the northeast. The effects of these floods have been
devastating in the short term while having long-lasting environmental and
economic consequences (Tillery, Enger & Ross, 2008). My students have seen
these effects firsthand and can relate to life-altering changes the flooding
has caused. Thus students could do an open inquiry study of the pre-flood
natural and social conditions of the area comparing and contrasting that with
the post-flood conditions. They could then share ideas for preventing floods
and methodologies for mitigating floods when they occur. As a part of their
study they could choose an organization that serves the area in flood
prevention and/or cleanup to interview and participate in the process. This
would culminate with a creative presentation of their findings for self, peer,
and instructor assessment. Each class would then nominate one presentation that
would be presented at a school assembly/rally on community service. Local
newspapers and TV stations would be invited to cover the presentations as well.
The school could then vote on the service presentation they would like to
participate in from the presentations. Then, depending on the logistics, a
field trip to the preferred service project could be planned for the school to
work together on rebuilding the community. This would serve to unify the
community while providing a means of learning about the causes, effects, and
prevention of natural disasters.
References:
Tillery,
B., Enger, E., & Ross, F. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
