Learning Activity: Hurricanes: Community Impact

(CNN Student News) -- Students will produce iReports that examine how hurricanes impact their community

Procedure

If your students live in an area that is susceptible to hurricanes, have them produce iReports for CNN Student News that examine how hurricanes impact their community. Students should not place themselves in harm's way during a storm, but rather focus their reports on pre-storm and post-storm coverage. For example, students might interview local business owners to learn about how hurricanes impact the local economy, or examine the challenges that emergency management workers face as they prepare for an evacuation. For information on how to submit an iReport, go to the iReport Tool Kit at http://www.ireport.com/toolkit.jspa.

Correlated Standards

National Science Standards

Grades 5-8

Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

As a result of activities in grades 5-8 all students should develop an understanding of:

Natural hazards: Internal and external processes of the Earth system cause natural hazards, events that change or destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and harm and kill humans.

Natural hazards can present personal and societal challenges because misidentifying the change or incorrectly estimating the rate and scale of change may result in either too little attention and significant human costs or too much cost for unneeded preventive measures.

The National Science Education Standards (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309053269/html/index.html) are published by the National Academies Press (http://www.nas.edu/).

Social Studies

Standard III. People, Places and Environments: Students will make informed and critical decisions about the relationship between human beings and their environment.

The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/).

Technology

1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

a. understand and use technology systems.

b. select and use applications effectively and productively.

The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students are published by the International Society for Technology in Education (http://www.iste.org/).

Keywords

hurricanes, natural disaster, community impact, iReport