Teaching Students about Natural Disasters/Getting Students Involved in Disaster Relief

Lately it seems as though there have been an increased number of natural disasters. From floods to earthquakes (in unusual places!) to hurricanes and tornados, I feel like I am reading about some devastating occurrence every time I open the newspaper and look at news sites online. As a teacher, I feel like it's important to educate my students about these natural disasters, not just what causes them and the scientific explanations, but also about the human side of these disasters.

Last year, I was teaching third-grade and I had a delightful group of students. Very enthusiastic learners, very empathetic, always looking for ways to help others. Needless to say, when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March 2011, they were not only disturbed by what they saw on the media, but also desperate to find a way to help the survivors. Having taught 2nd graders the year before, I really saw an interesting difference in my students’ abilities to look beyond their immediate selves and start thinking about other people.

Ironically enough, we were studying earthquake data as part of the third-grade science standards in California. “Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements” ((California State Board of Education, 2003, p 19). The students were fascinated by earthquakes and the Richter scale, so they understood the magnitude of the 9.0 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Japan. They did not, however, understand how the earthquake caused the tsunami, so I took some time to explain it to them. I also had to allay their fears about a tsunami occurring in San Diego. It would make sense for them to think it could happen, since we live near the coast in an earthquake-prone region. However, the topography of our coast makes it unlikely that we would experience a tsunami as devastating as what occurred in Japan or the Indian Ocean in 2004.

As the students became more aware of the devastation that had taken place, they really wanted to do something to help in some way. We brainstormed ideas and decided to hold a book sale. First, we solicited donations of gently used books and then we utilized an empty classroom to set up tables and organize the books. We then spent a week working before school, at recess, and after school to sell the books for $1 apiece. We have a large Japanese community at our school, and those families participated as well by making hand-crafted bookmarks. The Japanese students would then write, in Japanese calligraphy, the name of the student purchasing a bookmark. At the end of the week, we had raised more than $2,000 to donate to the Red Cross! My students were so happy to be a part of that and very proud as well. It was a lot of work for me as a teacher but worth it because I feel like they really learned a lifelong lesson.


References:
State of California (2003). California State Board of Education. Science content standards for California public schools: Kindergarten through grade twelve. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/sciencestnd/pdf