Helping Out when Disaster Strikes

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