NYCoRE 'Unnatural Disatster' Curriculum

When NYCoRE first released Unnatural Disaster, days after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, we asked educators how they would help their students to make sense of the storm’s aftermath. The feedback was powerful. While we received reports of the guide’s usefulness and words of encouragement from across the continent, we disproportionately observed silent classrooms. Three months later, stories of displaced families, re-building efforts and a congressional investigation trickle into mainstream news reports. Hurricane Katrina continues to be both a horrible reality for hundreds of thousands of Americans, and a critical chapter in U.S. history to be examined in every educational setting. We hope to encourage and support educators to use this revised edition of the resource guide and build an on-line community through dialogue at http://nycore-katrina.blogspot.com. As teachers are increasingly forced to teach to standardized tests, we hope that they will also find creative ways to incorporate these resources into lessons that will both strengthen students’ academic skills and encourage a critical understanding of the power imbalance that made itself evident through this tragedy. Classrooms that avoid discussions about the Katrina disaster may feel that they are neutral, or protected from the harsh reality of this event, but we applaud the brave and memorable educators who invite their students to question the world around them. DOWNLOAD THE CURRICULUM HERE.