Creation of a Service Learning Project:

Disaster Relief and Rebuilding: Looking at the Effects of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines


Mila McMackin






ED 4620: Introduction to Teaching Secondary Social Studies
Professor Alan Sears
November 17, 2013
McMackin 2

Introduction to the Project
This service-learning project has been created to allow students to learn about disaster relief in
response to the recent natural disaster in the Philippines. The country was recently hit with
Typhoon Haiyan, which affected inhabitants of six Filipino islands. Not only will students be
assessing disaster relief which is happening now in the Philippines but an opportunity for
students to examine the disaster relief systems that have been put in place in Canada, as well as
areas that have dealt with natural disasters in the past such as the East Coast of the United States
and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Haiti with the earthquake in 2010, and the Indian Ocean Tsunami
in 2004. Once students have examined these systems they will examine ways in which Canadian
citizens can participate as effective and engaged citizens from a distance. In groups, students will
then work together to create and implement a plan of action that they will take to provide service
to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
Pre-Planning of the Project
The students have seen the footage and heard the news of the many Filipino people that have
been affected the Typhoon Haiyan. Although the students are not able to have direct contact with
the victims or may not see the direct effects of the typhoon, the concern that they have for the
people have been affected can be targeted with stores of youth their own age who have been
affected. This connection may be the key factor in creating meaning in the project.
1


"
Penney Clark, (2008), All talk and no action? The place of social action in secondary social
studies. Pg. 224.

I am currently reading a very good book that deals with some of these
issues - Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid by Samantha
Nutt a Canadian doctor.
McMackin 3

Often schools will spend time fundraising money for a community overseas, or a community
affected by such a disaster. It is not uncommon to find youth that are concerned about the world
around them, the area that this project is targeting is the background knowledge so students
understand where their donation money is going and how such disasters are dealt with, how they
are prepared for, how communities and culture can change as a result of such a disaster. Once
students understand the background of an issue such as this, it would be assumed that students
could take the learning and apply it to situations in the future and continuing on into adulthood.
Wade and Saxe have identified these two areas, academic learning and future participation, as
being key outcome areas for service learning projects.
2

The project has clear connections with the curriculum that will be referenced in the activity
section.
The resources that are available for teachers to use during this projects are numerous. The Globe
and Mail, The Economist, The Toronto Sun, The Canadian Red Cross, World Vision, UNICEF,
Government of Canada are all examples of sources that provide information about Typhoon
Haiyan as well as other natural disasters and disaster relief. These resources are also available to
parents and students to do extra research outside of the classroom.
The support from administrators and parents is key in running a project such as this as students
will eventually preparing and executing a project that will involve the support of the school and

#
Andrew Hughes and Alan Sears, Service Learning, Pg. 1.
McMackin 4

outside community. This support can be maintained by keeping them informed through a blog or
a newsletter that students help to create, and also to help demonstrate their learning.
3

General Curriculum Outcomes
The following GCOs were taken from the Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Social Studies
Curriculum. These GCOs are common across all grade levels have six strands of focus. The
following project touches on all six of these outcomes either deeply or just scratching the
surface. Depending on grade level and the depth of the project, the teacher decides to what level
these outcomes are touched on and which ones have a greater focus. The main focus of the
project lies in Individuals, Societies, and Economic Decisions, and People, Place and
Environment. In the implementation of the plan and activities reference will be made to the
GCOs and how they connect to the project.
Citizenship, Power and Governance: Students will be expected to demonstrate
an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the origins,
functions, and sources of power, authority, and governance.
Individuals, Societies, and Economic Decisions: Students will be expected to
demonstrate the ability to make responsible economic decisions as individuals
and as members of society.
People, Place, and Environment: Students will be expected to demonstrate an
understanding of the interactions among people, places, and the environment.
Culture and Diversity: Students will be expected to demonstrate an
understanding of culture, diversity, and world view, recognizing the similarities
and difference reflected in various personal, cultural, racial, and ethnic
perspectives.
Interdependence: Students will be expected to demonstrate and understanding of
the interdependent relationship among individuals, societies, and the

$
Penney Clark, (2008), All talk and no action? The place of social action in secondary social
studies. Pg. 225.
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environment locally, nationally, and globally and the implications for a
sustainable future.
Time, Continuity, and Change: Students will be expected to demonstrate an
understanding of the past and how it affects the present and the future.
4


Specific Curriculum Outcomes
The following SPOs were taken from various curriculums to show that this project can be
modified to fit different grade levels and different classes. The SPOs chosen will be referenced
in the implementation and activities section of this guidebook.
Grade 6: World Cultures
SPO: 6.5.3 Students will be expected to take age appropriate actions to demonstrate an
understanding of responsibilities as global citizens
LO: 6.5.3.3 Plan and take age appropriate actions to address, local, national, international
problems or issues
5

Grade 8: Atlantic Canada in the Global Community
SPO: 8.5.2 Students will be expected to examine and analyze how Atlantic Canadians are
members of the global community through different interconnected systems
LO: 8.5.2.2 explore ways in which political, economic, technological, and cultural
systems create interdependence in the world today
8.5.2.3 examine culture as a system and its impact on a selected global issue
SPO: 8.5.3 Students will be expected to assess the individual qualities and attributes Atlantic
Canadians need to become contributing members of the global community
LO: 8.5.3.1 identify qualities and attributes that individuals need to be effective global
citizens

4
Department of Education, (1998), Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Social Studies
Curriculum. Pg. 12
5
New Brunswick Department of Education, (2006), Grade 6: World Cultures, Pg. 132.
McMackin 6

8.5.3.4 suggest ways that students can increase awareness of global citizenship in
the community at large
6

Grade 9: Canadian Identity
SPO: 9.4.1 Students will be expected to take age appropriate actions that demonstrate the rights
and responsibilities of citizenship (local, national and global)
LO: 9.4.7 plan and carry out age-appropriate actions that demonstrate responsible
citizenship
7

World Issues 120
SPO: Unit II: Issues in the Global Community and Their Relationship
Unit III: Issues Facing the Global Community
8

Most of these outcomes are centered on the idea of citizenship and issues facing the global
community. These outcomes are targeted with this projected because students are given the
opportunity take indirect action to help a community of people that they do not have any direct
contact with. This indirect action can engage students as citizens by having them think critically
and assess the ways of helping and looking at the organization they are donating to.
Instruction for Implementation
This plan for implementation is simply a guide to a service-learning project and therefore should
be taken as suggestions that can be modified and changed depending the grade level and course.
It is also important to note that this project could be changed or modified to focus on a different
natural disaster so that relevancy to students may be more connected.

6
New Brunswick Department of Education, (1998), Grade 8: Atlantic Canada in the Global
Community, Pg. 94-97.
7
New Brunswick Department of Education, (2006), Social Studies 9: Canadian Identity, Pg. 24.
8
New Brunswick Department of Education, (1993), World Issues 120, Pg. 5.

McMackin 7

Some Suggested Resources
Belford, Aubrey. Patchy aid reaches typhoon survivors as Philippines struggles to rebuild.
Toronto Sun, November 16, 2013. Accessed November 17, 2013.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/14/philippines-typhoon-death-toll-at-4460-un-
citing-government.
Cebu, Hanoi and Manila. Worse than hell. The Economist. November 16, 2013. Accessed
November 17, 2013. http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21589916-one-strongest-
storms-ever-recorded-has-devastated-parts-philippines-and-relief.
Maceda, Jim. Why wasnt the Philippines better prepared for the typhoon? Corruption, shoddy
building to blame. NBCNews, November 14, 2013. Accessed November 17, 2013.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/16/21477014-why-wasnt-the-philippines-
better-prepared-for-the-typhoon-corruption-shoddy-buildings-to-blame.
Premiers Office. Nova Scotia Contributing to Philippines Disaster Relief. Nova Scotia,
November 14, 2013. Accessed November 17, 2013.
http://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20131114004.
Stress test. The Economist, November 16, 2013. Accessed November 17, 2013.
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21589883-responding-disaster-essential-so-
preparing-next-stress-test.
Canadian Red Cross - http://www.redcross.ca/who-we-are/red-cross-stories/2013/three-ways-
canadian-red-cross-disaster-relief-services-help-those-in-need
UNICEF - http://www.unicef.ca/en/donate/give-to-an-emergency
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Government of Canada - http://www.international.gc.ca/humanitarian-
humanitaire/canadians_help-aide_canadien.aspx#helping
Introducing Typhoon Haiyan
When introducing the project to students it is important to use a hook that catches their attention
a guest speaker who has a personal experience with the issue, a newspaper article, a news clip
or documentary film, or a field trip to the site of the controversy are suggestions made by
Clark.
9
A suggested hook to use would be Why wasnt the Philippines better prepared for the
typhoon? Corruption, shoddy buildings to blame. Once students read this article a class
discussion focusing on questions such as, What are the contributing causes to the destruction
that ensued?, What do people believe could have changed to cause less destruction?, How
does the climate of the Philippines affect the structures of the buildings?. Through the
discussion some of the ideas that should be touched on are the contributing causes and their
complexity as well as other conditions worldwide that could be of concern.
10
These ideas are
relatable to any outcome in the realm of geography an example being 6.2.3 Students will be
expected to compare the use of resources and sustainability practices between Canada and a
selected country explain reasons for different perspectives on the use of resources and
sustainability practices.
11
Students can compare disaster relief systems between Canada and the

%
Penney Clark, (2008), All talk and no action? The place of social action in secondary social
studies. Pg. 226.
"&
Case, Sensory, and Ling, (2008), Embedding Global and Multicultural Perspectives, Pg. 185.

""
New Brunswick Department of Education, (2006), Grade 6: World Cultures, Pg. 22
Strong examples.
These are great resources but you might also want to draw
on writing and debates about aid that are not so immediate.
Help the students step back a bit. See, for example,
http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/foreign-aid
McMackin 9

Philippines and how the climate affects the different structures and buildings that the two
countries have.
Once this initial introduction has been completed students then could preform a jigsaw activity to
learn more about what has happened as a result of the typhoon. Some suggested articles are listed
above in the suggested resources section.
Looking at Disaster Relief
Students should explore ways that people are becoming involved as a result of the typhoon.
Some examples are listed on the UNICEF, Canadian Red Cross, and Government of Canada
website. In looking at these different examples students should be using a graphic organizer to
organize ideas and thoughts an example of an organizer can be seen in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Graphic Organizer in Assessing Disaster Relief Efforts
Type of Relief Who is providing it? Level of Effectiveness


Students can also look at the different organizations that are involved in Disaster Relief as well
as Disaster Relief systems that were put in place during other Natural Disasters.
Planning a Project
Students will come to a conclusion that the best way that they can support the victims of
Typhoon Haiyan is to fundraise money to donate to an organization. The students will be
involved in creating the plan of action for the fundraiser and they will decide who they will
donate their money to. This sense of ownership over the project will motivate students to do a
good job. Through the examination of other actions people are taking students will be able to
I like this - you need to leave open the possibiility that aid is often poorly
delivered and actually makes things worse - see the book I mention above.
McMackin 10

responsibly plan and implement a project.
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The planning of the project will take the form of the
model outlined in Exploring Social Action students will brainstorm, narrow down the choices,
involve the people in their class and in the community by addressing skills needed.
13
It is also
suggested that the project be monitored before, during, and after. Having the students monitor
the progression and good work that is being done will allow them to monitor their own donation
and it also provides a balance with all of the destruction and helps to restore a sense of hope.
14

Ideas for Assessments
In a project such as this a formative assessment is tough. Some suggestions from The Anthology
of Social Studies are to interview students during the process of the project, analyze group
discussion for evidence of thoughtfulness of the learned material, assess students written and oral
reports, score classroom discussions for evidence of thoughtful dialogue.
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Students could also
use peer and self-assessments to gauge learning before, during, and after. A KWL- Know,
Wonder, Learn chart is one way to do this. An example of a rubric to use for peer assessment can
be seed in Figure 2.


"#
Penney Clark, (2008), All talk and no action? The place of social action in secondary social
studies. Pg. 226.
13
Craig J. Harding and Alan Sears, Take Action Make a Difference: A Social Studies
Handbook.
14
Walt Werner, (2008), Teaching for Hope. Pg. 196.
15
Roland Case and Stefan Stipp, (2008), Assessment Strategies for Secondary Classrooms, Pg.
392
McMackin 11

Figure 2: Peer Assessment Rubric
Question Disagree Agree
Did this person ask take into consideration materials used in
class?
1 2 3 4 5
Did this person listen to other members of the group? 1 2 3 4 5
Did this person engage in discussion within the group? 1 2 3 4 5
Did this person collaborate with other members to come to a
solution?
1 2 3 4 5
Did this person stay on task during group work? 1 2 3 4 5

Conclusion
This project is something that can be adopted and modified to fit a number of different grade
levels and classes. This project can also have different focuses to suit different curriculums.
There are areas of critical thinking, geography, and citizenship. As students assess the situation
in the Philippines and compare it to other disasters or systems set up in Canada they will gain
more knowledge about disaster relief and how it works and be able to apply this knowledge to
the task of creating a projects to support the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.





Mila, a very strong project. An important issue, well connected to the curriculum and
course material and ideas.
A+
McMackin 12

References
Case, R., Sensory, O., and Ling, M. (2008). Embedding Global and Multicultural Perspectives.
In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for
Secondary Teacher (Vol. 2, pp. 183-192). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press.
Case, Roland and Stipp, Stefan. (2008). Assessment Strategies for Secondary Classrooms. In R.
Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for
Secondary Teacher (Vol. 2, pp. 383-397). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press.
Clark, Penney. (2008). All talk and no action? The place of social action in secondary social
studies. In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and
Strategies for Secondary Teacher (Vol. 2, pp. 221-232). Vancouver: Pacific Educational
Press.
Department of Education. (1998). Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Social Studies
Curriculum. Accessed on November 14, 2013 from
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/social.pdf.
Harding, Craig J. and Sears, Alan. Take Action Make a Difference: A Social Studies Handbook.
Hughes, Andrew and Sears, Alan Service Learning. Publication Information Not Available.
New Brunswick Department of Education. (2006). Grade 6: World Cultures. Accessed
November 14, 2013. http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/SocialStudies6.pdf.
New Brunswick Department of Education. (1998). Grade 8: Atlantic Canada in the Global
Community. Accessed November 14, 2013.
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/acitgc.pdf.
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New Brunswick Department of Education. (2006). Social Studies 9: Canadian Identity. Accessed
October 26, 2013.
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/CanadianIdentityG9SocSt.pdf.
New Brunswick Department of Education. (1993). World Issues 120. Accessed November 14,
2013. http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/curric/World%20Issues%20120.pdf.
Werner, Walt. (2008). Teaching for Hope. In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The Anthology of Social
Studies: Issues and Strategies for Secondary Teacher (Vol. 2, pp. 193-197). Vancouver:
Pacific Educational Press.