I think that the best way to develop scientifically-literate and compassionate students is by exposing them to events that has occurred in the past, present and possible events of the future. When I teach my students about processes that shape the Earth, I have my students do research about natural disasters. Students research the cause of the disaster, the devastation that it caused and how they can help the survivors. My students are able to make connections with the information that they are learning because I connect their research to events that have occurred in their life time.
My students learn about community organizations that assist victims after a disaster when they complete their research on natural disaster. My students learn that they are not too small to help someone who is less fortunate than them. After the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, my school partnered with a local organization to collect clothes for the survivors of the quake. Students brought in new and old clothes to send to the survivors of the earthquake. They were able to help children thousands of miles away by giving some of what they had to others that did not have.
