Local Teacher Uses Natural Disasters To Teach Geography Lessons

Severe weather and other natural disasters are world wide concerns MICDS geography teacher Mike Fitzgerald is turning those natural disasters into geography lessons. He not be able to take his class out into the world, but he can bring the world into his classroom.

"In an age where global communications is instantaneous and is free if you have an email address, I decided just to find folks out there who could give up some real on the ground advice," says Fitzgerald.

The goal: help students learn how geography shapes their lives and the lives of those around the world.


"We were in touch with Germany, Japan, Denmark, Poland, Russia."

This school year, Fitzgerald decided to focus on severe weather and natural disasters after a series of typhoons struck a school in the Philippines.

"They had already prepared written documents they sent with pictures they took, all first hand documents. While we were collecting those from the Philippines, we also collected information on earthquakes from Turkey.

The students focused on how the people of the world adjust their lives due to the influence of natural events in their areas. Then they took a closer look at what might happen in St. Louis.

"We had a speaker come in from the Red Cross to talk about how to prepare and how to react to severe weather and natural disasters. We had Meteorologist Chris Higgins come in and discuss the ABC's of tornadoes, which we decided were a real Midwestern phenomenon."

And the lessons are paying off.

5th grader Ava Samson-Monte says, "We learned a lot about the Philippines, their disasters, and how it affected them. And how they had to prepare before that."

"They have natural disasters that happen where they live. And we have some that happen here and they don't happen where they live," adds Peyton Baur.

"I interviewed my friend from the Caymen Islands," says Sophia Sjogren. "You don't really think about how bad it can actually be until if happens to you. And hearing her story, it just made me want to have everything ready to go."

Fitzgerald is pleased with the real humanitarian lesson the students are getting.

"Once the hook is in their and they're in touch with these very real people from around the world, the project really just starts rolling," says Fitzgerald.