The teacher resources provided on this site are courtesy of Cathryn Berger Kaye, author and leading international expert in service learning, with some additional links provided by RandomKid ("rk")
DISASTER RELIEF
• Sample Lesson Plans
Visit GoToServiceLearning and Learn and Serve for a range of water-related lesson plans.
• Curriculum Webs
Disaster Relief Across the Curriculum
• Book Recommendations
Environmental Disasters by Michael Woods and Mary B. Woods (Lerner Publications, 2008). This book explores the human errors that have taken tremendous tolls on our planet. For example. a decision to change crops in Uzbekistan and the building of canals to divert water created a disaster effecting five million people in the region. A ship off the coast of Spain sank in 2002 and spilled two million gallons of oil into the water. 64pp., grades 4–12, nonfiction
Hurricane Song: A Novel About New Orleans by Paul Volponi (Viking, 2008). Miles recently came to live with his musician father in New Orleans, and he loves football as much as his dad loves jazz. But life takes a frightening turn when his uncle’s car breaks down as they’re trying to escape Hurricane Katrina, and they end up in the Superdome. As people file in, supplies dwindle, gangs threaten and harm people, and police and military fail to create order. Miles learns that caring for family and community and means more to his father than he ever imagined. 160pp., grades 8–12, fiction
"My back was stiff and straight in the fold-down seat and my legs had gone numb hanging over the row in front of me. A plastic garbage bag with everything I had inside was stuffed under my next for a pillow. . . . Then I heard a baby cry with a shriek . . . I didn’t know if that baby was being born or dying."
From Hurricane Song: A Novel about New Orleans
Tsunami: Helping Each Other by Ann Morris and Heidi Larson (Lerner Publications, 2005). One typical winter day in Thailand, two young brothers played on the beach near their home. A huge sound startled them. They quickly climbed two tall trees and watched giant waves crash, recede, and reemerge. After desperate hours clinging to the trees for survival, they return to where their home once stood and find their mother. Though their father didn’t survive, they rebuilt their lives with generous contributions and support from countless volunteers. This photo essay portrays the process of response to enormous catastrophe. Portions of the book proceeds go to the Tsunami Relief Network. 32pp., grades 3–6, nonfiction
• Service-Learning Guides
• Articles and additional links
