Natural Disaster Blog (May 16, 2012)
I conducted a lesson on tornados when one hit our town and a town not too far from us was destroyed. We first read a book on tornados, how they form, and what damage they can do. Next, we made a tornado in a bottle so the students could see the twisting and twirling motion. Then, we watched a clip from the movie Twister. The students were able to see the how the sky looked, what a tornado looked like and its motion, and the destruction it could cause. It also showed what to do in case of a tornado such as moving to the middle part of the house.
We discussed what you need to do in the event a tornado is in your area. We talked about getting in the middle of the house or getting in a bathtub with a mattress over the tub. We talked about staying away from windows and doors if at all possible. Then, we talked about an emergency kit that everyone needs to have made up. The kit could have things like food, clothes, flashlights, blankets, medicines, etc. This will give a family most of the necessities needed if they lose power for a while.
I also took them to another room to watch the news footage on TV covering our town and others around us. They were able to see the damage in our town and how Americus was destroyed. We learned what the American Red Cross does for victims in these situations. We then found out a students at our school was affected and her house was destroyed. The students wanted to help so we set up a fundraiser to gather items for this family. They learned how to help others in our community. Overall, this lesson connected the students to our community and what might happen and how they could help.
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI love how you connected what was happening in your students lives and educated them on how tornadoes happen and ways to stay safe. The basic survival skills you taught them and what is out there to help them in an emergency not only educated the students but also their families. Overall this sounds like an amazing lesson.