Tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, oh my! These natural phenomena come to life in an interactive STEM-based learning module that combines research, reading, writing, hands-on modeling, and presenting. A big thanks to grantee Nichelle Gau, a second-grade teacher at Farmin-Stidwell, in collaboration with Mrs. Currie and Mrs. Hurst. 

The Disaster Alert! program is a three-week immersion exploring, researching, creating models, and writing about some of Earth’s most fascinating and destructive natural disasters. It culminates with a Learning Fair which parents and the community are not just invited to attend, but also play an active role in. They can see the student presentations, ask questions, and provide feedback – an exciting day for everyone involved (including the PAFE staff!)

How It Works

Students take an active role in their learning journey. They start by delving into the natural disasters in their reading curriculum. This grant expands that learning into writing, art, and science units, creating a more in-depth experience. Students choose the disaster they are most curious about and, in groups of two or three, conduct research, compile facts, and write a research paper. They then create a visual poster to accompany a 3-D model and a slide presentation, all to be presented at the second-grade learning fair. 

While not required, the more students our grants serve, the better. (Sometimes, we fund very niche grants that serve an essential function for a few students). The Disaster Alert! Grant served about 65 second-grade students this past year in Farmin Stidwell, and other than the material used in the volcano models (check those out in the video below), the other materials can be reused each year by incoming second graders, ensuring your support has a lasting impact.

We attended the Learning Fair last spring and you can see the video below. Here are a few things we heard from students when we asked them what they loved, what surprised them and what they learned: 

• “The earth has tectonic plates, and they shift!”
• “It’s really cool how tornadoes work.”
• “Presenting made me nervous, but it was good for me.”
• “I loved having my parents come into school, meet my team, and see my work.”
• “I’m not a person who likes working with others but I actually loved it. And I loved getting to know them.” 

The Impact

Before the family presentations, they present to first and kindergarten students. This gives them practice and confidence, shares the learning, and excites the younger students to participate in the next year or two! 

The Learning Fair is an exciting day for families to come in and see their kids’ hard work. Studies show that connecting families to school and home tremendously increases students’ success.

You never know what experience will be inspirational to a student. We love having the opportunity to broaden their horizons. 

Our strategic initiatives, early childhood literacy programs, and teacher grants support Lake Pend Oreille School District educators in bringing creative and innovative programs to the classroom. Because they are teacher-led ideas and not mandated by outside parties, they have a far more significant impact on the students. If you’d like to support this, you can donate here. Your contribution will help us continue to provide these enriching experiences for our students.