In the Aftermath: How to Use the Materials

In the Aftermath is part of the series of Masters of Disaster® materials created by the American Red Cross for teachers, students, and their families across the country. The Masters of Disaster series helps teachers prepare students for weather-related and geologic disasters and for the effects of terrorism and other tragic events. The series now also helps students understand and cope with the effects of disasters to help them recover.

The curriculum's hands-on activities, demonstrations, and individual group projects are not sequential. Lessons are written to match National Education Standards that fit your curriculum needs and classroom schedule, as well as your students' interests and abilities. All of the materials were written by teachers with the help of experts who help communities respond to disasters everyday.

EASY CURRICULUM SET-UP
In the Aftermath is specifically tailored for lower elementary (K-2), upper elementary (3-5), middle school (6-8) and high school (9-12) classes.

Each customized curriculum is divided into four chapters:

• Life, Loss and Grief
• Take Care of Yourself
• Reach Out to Others
• Build Back Better

Remember, these hands-on activities, demonstrations, and individual and group projects are not sequential. You pick only the ones that work best for you and decide when you want to use them.

The Lesson Plans are divided by section. On the introductory page of each lesson plan you will find—

• Key Terms and Concepts: words and phrases used within the lesson plan that are important for the students to understand. You may wish to list these on the chalkboard or chart paper as your students work through the lesson to help remind them of the concepts they are focusing on. If appropriate, use the terms in subject matter vocabulary lists or for practice in word recognition and decoding.
• Purpose: the basis for the lesson.
• Objectives: what the students will do as they work through the activities in the lesson plan.
• Activities: developmentally appropriate interactions for the whole class, small groups, and individuals. These are listed in the order that you will find them in the lesson plan, but you do not have to use the activities in this order, nor do you have to use all of the activities in the lesson plan. Within a given lesson plan, activities may relate to and refer to each other, but they do not refer to activities in other lesson plans. Each lesson plan stands alone.
• Linking Across the Curriculum: activity extensions that apply to the subject areas listed and can be used for enrichment or reinforcement.

Activities within each lesson plan include:

• List of materials that you will need to conduct the activity, including references to activity sheets that must be copied for groups or individual students.
• Step-by-step instructions for carrying out the activity, including teaching notes when appropriate.
• Wrap-up to tie the information together as the students discuss, share, analyze, or critique.
• Home Connection to invite the students and their families to work together to build disaster recovery skills and perspectives.
• Activity sheets, found in the Activity Sheets book included with this Lesson Plans book, are reproducible handouts, which are assigned in the lesson plans. The activity sheets reinforce lesson objectives, guide student research, provide information, or require student and family participation.

TEACHING TIPS

• You know your students' skills and abilities best. Adapt the activities and step-by-step procedures to fit your curriculum and classroom needs. For example, if you use this curriculum with younger students or those with special needs, you may choose to turn activity sheets into class discussions or small-group work.
• Your local American Red Cross chapter and other government agencies and private organizations in your community are important resources about disaster recovery. Contact them to find out what support and resources they can offer you for your lessons. Be specific about what you want to accomplish.
• An important goal of the curriculum is to engage families-not only students-in disaster recovery. Work closely with families and use "Home Connection" suggestions to ensure that the information gets into the community.
• National Standards Alignment