It is important for students to make real-world
connections to the content that they are learning. The Stop Disasters game, http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html,
allows students the opportunity to play a game in which they will prepare for a
natural disaster. Through this game, the
students learn about being proactive by building sound structures and putting
emergency procedures in place in order to limit the loss of lives and capital
resources. I feel that this is an
engaging way for the students to see the impact of these natural disasters. Additionally, the students should also be
making the connection from the game to real-life events. The students can watch videos of past
disasters and their impact on people. Furthermore,
when natural disaster do occur, it is important for students to discuss these
current events and the devastation that has been caused. At these times, it is important for students
to learn about empathy and offering aid to those in need.
In
the past, when natural disasters have struck, our school has encouraged
students to become involved. In addition
to learning about the facts about a natural disaster, the how it began and the devastation
it caused, it is important for students to build on their character education
and lend a hand to those in need. After
the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the student government sold spirit chains. The spirit chains were simply made from construction
paper and purchased for a dollar. Each
grade level decorated their hallways with these chains in order to show school
spirit and support for the people in Haiti.
The money raised was then sent to support relief efforts in Haiti. In the
past, we have also had school supply drives in order to collect school supplies
to send to areas impacted by natural disasters.
In 2013, when schools were impacted by the tornado in Oklahoma, our
students really wanted to get involved. Because
they feel a connection to the students that have been affected, students want
to support these efforts.
Reference:
Playerthree & UN/ISDR. (n/a). Stop Disasters: International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Retrieved from
http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html
