Hurricane Katrina: You
Be the Reporter
Alex Stern
Pat Tobin
Daniel Pawling
Nathan Kenkelen
Lesson Plan
• Identify the key elements of news stories,
feature stories, and editorials.
• Demonstrate the ability to distinguish opinions
from facts.
• Read news, featured articles and editorials
related to Hurricane Katrina and use them as
models for constructing their own writing pieces.
• Participate in a class discussion about the role of
technology in today's world; particularly in how
we use it to communicate on a personal basis
and in how the presentation of news has been
changed by technology.
http://www.pbs.org/now/classroom/katrina.html
Lesson Plan
• Conduct research about Hurricane Katrina using
the Internet, particularly personal blogs, and
Web sites containing personal stories of
Hurricane Katrina survivors. Other primary
library resources can also be used for this
research.
• Work in a small group to create news stories,
feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor
and organize them in a podcast, video-based
program, or newspaper/magazine focused on
Hurricane Katrina.
• Complete a written response activity related to
lesson content.
http://www.pbs.org/now/classroom/katrina.html
21st Century Skills
• Creativity- The students will be actively involved in a
class discussion with their peers about the role of
technology today. This will have students listening to
each other’s opinions and expressing their own.
• Analytical thinking- Students will read articles, stories,
editorials, and more, they will then have to interpret
these and put into their own words what the articles were
trying to get across or express. Analytical thinking would
also be put to use in the discussion as students would
have to look at what they have learned/read, and then
put these ideas into their own thoughts and opinions.
Information gathered through researched would have to
be analyzed, evaluated, and synthesized by the student
to be put into their own work.
21st Century Skills
• Communication- Most research would be completed on
the Internet from which the students would have to take
knowledge from. The students will also learn to decipher
from opinion and fact through continuous research. The
information gathered would help the students have a
better cultural understanding of the area Katrina had hit.
They would also see many global perspectives from
Internet research and thus be able to construct
knowledge from many viewpoints.
• Collaboration- The group work would help increase the
student’s ability to handle a project as a team. They will
learn what it is like to share a responsibility for a specific
project.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Knowledge- Recall data or information.
• Comprehension- Understand the meaning, translation,
interpolation, interpretation of instructions and problems.
• Application- Use a concept in a new situation or
unprompted use of an abstraction.
• Analysis- Distinguishes between facts and inferences.
• Synthesis- builds a structure or pattern from diverse
elements.
• Evaluation- Make judgments about the value of ideas or
materials.
Blooms Taxonomy
• Knowledge- students identify key elements in news
stories.
• Application- students read news articles and editorials
about Hurricane Katrina and use them to
construct their own writing pieces.
• Analysis- Students will distinguish between opinion and
fact.
• Synthesis- Students work in groups to create news
stories and organize them in
magazines.
• Evaluation- After the students research Katrina they will
write a letter to the editor or an opinion filled
column about- government’s preparedness,
who is responsible for taking care of people
and who refused to leave.
Multiple Intelligences
•
Linguistic
– Identify the key elements of news stories,
feature stories, and editorials.
•
Having the students read, understand, and
memorize.
– Read news, feature articles and editorials
related to Hurricane Katrina and use them
as models for constructing their own writing
pieces.
•
Having the students read and write with a clear
understanding of the topic.
Multiple Intelligences
•
Logic
–
Conduct research about Hurricane Katrina using the
Internet, particularly personal blogs, and Web sites
containing personal stories of Hurricane Katrina
survivors. Other primary library resources can also
be used for this research.
•
–
Having the students use online resources to research the
topic and devise logical analysis.
Demonstrate the ability to distinguish opinions from
facts.
•
Having the students logically distinguish between the two.
Multiple Intelligences
•
Interpersonal
–
Work in a small group to create news stories,
feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and
organize them in a podcast, video-based program,
or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane
Katrina.
•
–
Having the students work amongst their peers.
Participate in a class discussion about the role of
technology in today's world; particularly in how we
use it to communicate on a personal basis and in
how the presentation of news has been changed by
technology.
•
Having the students participate in conversation with a
group of peers.
NETS- Standards
• Creativity and Innovational – Conducting a
viewpoint and cohesive mutual understanding
research based paper on Hurricane Katrina.
• Communication and Collaboration – Taught
though a research oriented paper, peer thinking
and technical writing. Research will be
conducted through first hand encounters in both
reports, blogs, and news article reports.
NETS – Standards
• Research and Information Fluency – Research
would be conducted through media, reports and
peer collaboration in the latest aspect of
Hurricane Katrina.
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision
Making - Problem analysis and decision making
results in critical thinking, decision making and
problem solving which are evident in why
Katrina happened, the results, and the aftermath
on why Katrina happened.
NETS Standards
• Digital Citizenship – Through the exploration of
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina along with the
social status of amongst others, community
involvement, legal rights and ordinances digital
citizenship will be taught.
• Technological Operations and Concepts -which
involved media, internet radio, TV, reports and
strategic data all are critical parts to this project.
Which are relevant order to explore and gain
insight to this project.
Lesson Enhancements
• To reach the naturalist learner in the classroom
create an activity where the students learn the
ins and outs of hurricanes and other types of
weather patterns.
• To help students reach higher levels of thinking,
have the students read about Katrina from as
many different perspectives as possible. This
way they can see the ways different people
reacted to the situation and see why some
chose to stay.