[YL] 2 Curriculums Re Hurricane Katrina: 1) NYCORE 2.) AMLA

[Tricia Wang]

1.)  The New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) announces:

UNNATURAL DISASTER:  

A Critical Resource Guide For Addressing the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
in the Classroom  

Please help us to get this to educators everywhere

When the American public is told that the residents of New Orleans and the
gulf region are finally accounted for and the media re-focuses on the next
event, the disaster will continue for the hundreds of thousands who have
lost their homes, families and the lives they once knew. Young people have
seen the images, heard the rhetoric, and felt the same sympathetic sense of
helplessness that educators have experienced in the days leading up to this
school year. How will teachers support their students to reflect on the
enormity of this crisis in their classrooms? Will they ask students to draw
pictures? Donate money? Will they make room for in-depth discussions? Along
with the world, teachers and students have witnessed how political
mismanagement, right-wing policy, and centuries of oppression have set the
stage for the on-going horror that is the US Gulf Coast crisis. We implore
educators to create space in their classrooms for critical inquiry into the
questions this disaster has raised for those watching throughout the world.

The attached resources are intended for educators moved to guide their
students through a deep exploration of the historical, political and
economic roots of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and aftermath. Teachers and
students must feel empowered to take action and demand social change, rather
than rely solely on contributing to a temporary relief of conscience. Moving
from a service/ charity framework to one of social justice can make room for
even the youngest of students to make sense of the basic issues of fairness
inherent in this catastrophe.  

Also included is a list of organizations in need of contributions to help
hurricane victims recover from this disaster.  The grassroots organizations
listed offer charitable giving alternatives to the massive NGOs utilizing
most of the contributions flooding their accounts for administrative costs.
The goal of this resource is to encourage teachers as they boldly raise the
bar of intellectual questioning in their classrooms. It serves to make
available information that will responsibly provide broad and informed
perspectives for students to ponder. Teachers must tackle tough issues with
students to uncover truths about the nature of power in our society. This is
an opportunity for the education community to honor those that are suffering
by refusing to ignore them


This Document will be available by 9/9 in pdf and word format at
http://www.nycore.org


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2.)  "Bringing Hurricane Katrina into the Classroom: Media Literacy Lessons
and Activities"
A Media Literacy Teachers Guide on Hurricane Katrina Coverage

************************************************************************

September 8, 2005

The AMLA has created a free, downloadable media literacy lesson and activity
guide that offers a starting place for educators who want to help students
analyze, understand, and cope with media coverage of Hurricane Katrina and
its aftermath. The guide is also a useful discussion tool for members of the
media, community groups, and adult study groups.
http://www.amlainfo.org/hurricane


*********** MORE INFO ***********

This past week, instead of tuning in to typical back-to-school stories, we
witnessed the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina.  Across the country
and around the world, we learned about the disaster, its causes, and its
effects almost exclusively through media. But how did these media depictions
affect our understanding of the events leading up to and after the
hurricane? Whose stories were not told, and whose biases were represented?

The AMLA has created a media literacy lesson and activity guide that offers
a starting place for educators who want to help students analyze,
understand, and cope with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. ³Bringing
Hurricane Katrina Into the Classroom: Media Literacy Lessons and Activities²
includes lessons such as Editorial Decision-Making, Looking at Language, and
Taking Action, plus dozens of links to alternative news sources, commentary,
and media comparisons.

This free, downloadable guide is available on the AMLA website at
http://www.amlainfo.org/hurricane. An expanded and interactive version,
including a bulletin board for sharing thoughts and reactions, will be
posted on September 15th, when the new AMLA website launches.

In just a few days, the response to these AMLA materials has been
overwhelmingly positive. Take a look and forward this email to friends,
colleagues, and listservs.  Revisit the website after September 15th when a
revised version will be available‹we invite you to post your comments.

³Bringing Hurricane Katrina into the Classroom: Media Literacy Lessons and
Activities²
http://www.amlainfo.org/hurricane

*************************************************************
 
 For information on or to join the AMLA go to http://www.AMLAinfo.org
 
*************************************************************
 
To sign up to receive the AMLA Update every month,
go to http://www.amlainfo.org/newsletter/index.php

To change your email address:
http://ezinedirector.com/subscriber/member_profile/?skid=33019140

To cancel your subscription:
http://sub.ezinedirector.net/?fa=r&id=33019140&c=964699590

Alternative Contact:
888-775-AMLA 

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