by: Freda J. Glatt, MS
With this severe, active, hurricane season underway, here are some
ideas to make areas of the curriculum relevant to your children. There
are also suggestions for dealing with the aftermath of a catastrophic
hurricane. If you are in an area that experiences other natural
phenomena, just adapt these suggestions to fit your needs.
1. Have children express their feelings. Youngsters will be able to
draw pictures and dictate sentences, while older children will be able
to illustrate their own stories. With everyone participating, this
will draw out your shy, timid children who may not want to take part
in a verbal discussion.
2. Make a bound book of the class’ experiences and keep it in the
class library. Perhaps you can have students ‘rent’ it for a night to
share with their families.
3. If you do not have Pen Pals, why not try to find a class in
another part of the country or world that has not experienced a
hurricane. Your pupils will then become teachers as they explain what
happened.
4. Instead of writing, your class could make a cassette or
videotape. If sending it to Pen Pals, make sure you check on the
privacy policies in your school.
5. Use children’s experiences to have lessons on adjectives,
adverbs, similes, and onomatopoeia.
6. Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how as you write the
opening paragraph of a story. Do it on the overhead projector and
obtain input from class members.
7. This would be a good time to teach specificity and the Voice
Writing Trait. Compare these two stories and tell which is more
specific and exciting: a. Yesterday, a hurricane came to my city and
caused a lot of damage. I was scared because it was loud and the water
was high. b. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared into New
Orleans like a lion. I felt terrified as I heard the howling wind and
crashing surf; but I was petrified when the water kept rising and I
had to climb through my roof to be safe. When I got up there, all I
could see was water, water everywhere and rooftops of houses.
8. Have a unit on the Five Senses of Hurricane ___. Can you smell
the sweat? Do you feel hot and sticky? Have each child make his own
booklet.
9. Reinforce map skills as you track a hurricane. What better way
to relate latitude and longitude?! Get to know those terms for your
own city. Looking at the map’s key, older children will be able to
estimate how far away a hurricane is from a specific place.
10. Delve into the causes of hurricanes. Make a list of the
strongest ever recorded and include their data. This will reinforce
research skills and graph-making.
11. Tally how many hurricanes have occurred each year since 1960.
Circle the major ones. Is there a pattern?
12. Teachers and parents, alike, will need to remember that there
may be extreme anxiety during any rainstorm. If the power is still on,
try to stand close to a person who has been through a horrible ordeal.
Give a pat on the back or a hug, along with a reassuring word. On the
other hand, if power goes out, have a flashlight handy and play games
with it (follow the direction of light; spotlight a child and have him
recite a poem, sing a song, or perform a silly antic). Have children
all hold hands to know they are not alone. If children are old enough,
keep your lessons going without reading; much can be accomplished
orally! Do whatever you can to allay children's fears.
I hope these ideas are useful and have inspired your own creative
thinking.
And remember...Reading is FUNdamental!!
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