Several countries have been affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake centered off the west coast of northern Sumatra which resulted in devastating tsunamis.
One step in lending support to the victims is awareness. For this activity, you will work with other students to learn about the countries affected, the impact this devastation has caused, and plan a course of action your class can collectively take to help the victims and their surviving families and relatives.
Activity Directions
1. In class, discuss the tsunamis that have killed over 100,000 people and left an estimated 5 million homeless. Share what you already know and what you would like to learn. 2. Learn about tsunamis by visiting the sites listed in the Tsunamis: Waves of Destruction WRL and the Tsunami Disaster and Relief Information WRL 3. In groups of 3-4, choose a country (e.g. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Kenya, Malaysia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Somalia) that has been deeply impacted by the tsunamis. 4. Gather information about the country your group chose/was assigned to using the WRL listed below, newspaper articles, and television newscasts. You may use the note-taking handout provided to organize your research or create your own note-taking instrument. 5. Create a 5-7 minute presentation that covers the following: background of the country, impact of the devastation, and what action steps your class should take to help the vicitims and their relatives. Ideas for presentation format: newscast, documentary, multimedia presentation, posterboard display. All presentations must include an oral report. 6. After all of the presentations, the class should decide on a collective course of action.
