Natural Disasters, School/Community Violence/Tragic School Community Deaths
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Scott Poland, Ed.D., Director
Department of Psychological Services
Donna Poland, Ph.D.,
Middle School Principal
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District
Houston, Texas
713-460-7825
| Objective | Suggested Activities | Resources |
| 1. Students will develop an understanding of the facts regarding the “critical incident”. | Teacher will share facts that have been provided by administration that answer: “Who, what, when, where?” ?If there was a perpetrator, care will be taken to avoid their glorification. |
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| 2. Students will express reactions and concerns regarding the behaviors of the “critical incident” individuals (victims and perpetrators) . | Question: “Why do you think this happened?”
Whole group activities: Popcorn Bean Bag Toss Community Circle Write a letter to the principal: “How I Feel About What Happened.” |
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| 3. Students will explore alternative responses for managing anger and avoiding self-destructive decisions. | Question: “How do you think this could have been avoided?”
Small group activities: Brainstorm: What makes you angry? How do you deal with it? What is an appropriate way to respond? Teacher led instruction on conflict resolution, anger management model. |
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| 4. Students will be provided an opportunity to express fears and concerns of their own safety. | Questions:
“Is it possible for this to happen in our own community?” ” What would make you feel safer right now?” |
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| 5. Students will understand that a structure designed to assure safety and well being is in place in their own school and community. | Question: “What are we doing to prevent this from happening in our own school /community?”
Discuss: security around school, breaking the “conspiracy of silence” by telling an adult. Activity: Write a letter to the principal with your ideas about how to make your school safer. |
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| 6. Students will be able to communicate effective and appropriate ways to respond to a crisis (following directions of an adult, safest part of the building, etc.) and to situations of escalating anger (student contracts, Boys’ Town, Peer Mediation, etc.). | Questions:
“What would we do to assure student safety in an incident like this? “What will we do to assure that this will not happen in our school?” |
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| 7. Students will be able to express empathy for victims. | Question: “What can we do to express our sympathy?”
Student choices:
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| 8. Students will explore ways to reduce exposure to violence in our society and tragic deaths of peers. | Question: “Is there too much violence in movies, television, music, and video games?”
Student choices:
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9. Students will identify the leading causes of death for children which are in order:
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Question: “What do you think are the leading causes of death for our children in America today?”
Student choices:
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