Most of my students have lived through a natural disaster. Hurricane Charley hit our area in SW FL almost seven years ago. Most of the children that I teach were in grade school but all can tell you how the hurricane affected them and their families. My children were 8 & 10 at the time and can tell you exactly how Hurricane Charley, which was a direct hit, influenced our lives as well as Hurricane Wilma, which happened the following year.
After playing this SIMS-like website (that Dr. Booth recommended), I thought this would be a great way to get students engaged in natural disasters. I played the tsunami game but there are others like flooding, hurricane, tornadoes, etc. This website has you buy different protectors like sand dunes, mangroves, sensory-protective equipment, concrete buildings to protect your community. The site is:
http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html
After playing several of these games, this would be a great teaching segue into how you could help your community after a disaster.
MJ,
ReplyDeleteYou Floridians are crazy to stick around during hurricanes! In NY, we will more than likely never experience a natural disaster like those. Sure, we experience severe rain and snow storms, but we are out of the path of hurricanes, do not have volcanoes, have no major fault lines for earthquakes, and our environment does not allow for major tornadoes. Regardless, you must have substantial hurricane relief and preparation measures as well as other emergency procedures, correct?
Also, the game that you included is so cool!
Jordan
MJ,
ReplyDeleteThis is just a general question, but have you ever considered creating a class blog to discuss how hurricanes have changed the lives of your students? I think that this could be a valuable learning experience for students, especially if you could collaborate with a teacher in another region whose students have experienced a different type of natural disaster.
The FEMA site also has a nice page you might want to check out:
http://www.fema.gov/kids/dizarea.htm
Amy
Reference:
FEMA for Kids: The Disaster Area. (n/a). Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/kids/dizarea.htm
MJ,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely identify with the impact of a Hurricane, as Hurricane Ivan caused huge destruction in our area. I do feel like Florida does focus on hurricane preparedness and that it really helps the community to brace for a natural disaster. It is the aftermath that really is the issue. Most people do not realize the magnitude of such a storm, even though there is a rating scale. Until you have lived through it, it is hard to imagine the devastation that a hurricane causes.
I also enjoyed the simulation game that Dr. Booth recommended. It was extremely open-ended which is great for the students to be able to make some well-informed decisions on how to best prepare for a natural disaster. I also thought it was neat that you could choose which disaster to prepare for. This would help teach the students the similarities and differences between the types of natural disasters. Your idea was perfect of using the game as a way to talk about how to help the community when a disaster strikes.
Jordan-
ReplyDeleteWhen a hurricane is on the possible spaghetti path to your town, what I do is: fill the car up with gas, do all the laundry- so I can pack really fast, buy lots of extra dog food ( we have 3 dogs & 2 kids), get cash out of the machine, buy charcoal & perishable groceries. If it's getting closer then I take all the pictures/paintings off the wall and put them in the car or in large garbage bags and start packing the family pictures. With global warming, you all are going to be in the tornadoes path.................crazy for all of us!!!!
MJ,
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed playing that game, it is definitely more challenging that it seems. I played a few of the different scenarios and managed to fail the first times. I think the game is an excellent way to engage the students and make them think about disaster preparedness. You are in a unique situation with many of your students living through a hurricane, I came close with Hurricane Ike. Initially we were told to evacuate Corpus Christi the initial path, since my husband was deployed he urged me to go to his moms up in Huntsville, Ike took a turn and hit Galveston and Houston instead. We were hit with strong winds and lost power. It was amazing to see the destruction in Houston on my way home. I like Amy's suggestion of a blog as well. Be safe during this hurricane season!