Letters for Oklahoma

The tragedy in Oklahoma is a sad reminder of our fallen world and our lack of control over some things around us.  It’s unreal how instantly our lives can change from the act of one person or from an act of nature.

Schools have been hit hard this year, with the tragedies in Oklahoma and Connecticut, as well as flooding that occurred earlier this school year.

Today, I decided to throw out our math plans and instead talk about tornados and what happened in Oklahoma.  My kiddos all know about tornados and think that their destruction is “cool” and “awesome”.  In a way, it is interesting to see how nature works in wondrous and mysterious ways, but I wanted my students to think about what it might have been like for them if their school and home had been destroyed or their friend stuck in the rubble.  I wanted them to sympathize and have empathy for the children who had lost so much.  A tall order, I know.

We looked at some of the photos of the destruction, watched a couple videos of tornados and read a book about tornados.  Then we brainstormed a list of how it would feel if we were the children stuck in the school.  We also brainstormed a list of sentences (or variations of sentences) of what we could say to the students to tell them that we’re sorry about what happened.

Students worked together in groups of four to write a letter to the students at Plaza Towers Elementary and decorate a poster with their letter.

I plan to mail them to the elementary school tomorrow.  I know that the school is not receiving mail and who knows when it will be restored, but at least it’s one small thing my students can do to offer encouragement to those who have lost so much.