The Big Wave
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Yonkers Schools
By: Margaret Annunziata
PEARLS 4th Grade
Can We Develop PTSD Policies for Yonkers
Students?
INTRODUCTION
The classic story, The Big Wave, by Pearl S. Buck sweeps
us into a devastating tsunami long ago and faraway. We experience the catastrophic impact
suffered by a young boy who has lost his family and his home. We also experience the compassionate human
intervention that nurtures Jiya back from crisis to hope. The theme of empathy inspires us to reflect
on the power of caring for our fellow man.
Tsunami has become a metaphor
for life events and circumstances that turn our world upside down and inside
out. In contemporary society, the aftermath of devastating life events is
called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
Tragically, there are students in the Yonkers schools who also
experience serious disruptions to their lives.
They need your assistance to restore normalcy and resilience.
You have been selected to be
a charter member of the PEARLS PTSD
Advisory Committee.
It is your job to study this
problem and develop effective solutions within your school setting. Put
yourself into the shoes of these struggling students as you embark on your
fact-finding mission. You have the PPA tools to assist you on your path
from Defining the Problem to Developing Effective Solutions. Good Luck
THE TASK
You have been assigned to a
four member PEARLS PTSD Peer Advisory
Team. You will review the steps of
the Character Education Public Policy
(PPA) @http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppac/ppae1.html. You have the tools you need to research
the phenomenon of PTSD among students in crisis in Yonkers. Each task force member is responsible for
completing the tasks that follow. Just
as Jiya depended upon the kindness of his neighbors, there are children
depending on you.
·
Book study of The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck.
Describe
Jiya’s symptoms after the shock of his losses.
Identify the solutions presented in the novel. In a written summary for
the book jacket, evaluate the choices Jiya makes. Design a book cover portraying Jiya’s journey
to wellness
·
Design a poster
to educate and advocate a compassionate School Intervention Policy to help
restore security and structure to PTSD students in your school.
·
Research common
reactions of children to natural disasters.
Identify suggestions for crisis intervention. Research common crisis reactions of homeless/displaced
children in urban settings such as Yonkers. Complete a comprehensive Venn
Diagram comparing and contrasting victims of natural disasters with victims of
urban social crises.
PROCESS
WEBLINKS
http://www.literature.pppst.com/ABC/pearl-buck.html
WEBLINKS
Responding to Hurricane
KatrinaC:\Users\jmonteca\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary
Internet Files\Content.Outlook\HAFMO78I\www.nasponline.com
Federal Emergency Management
http://www.fema.gov/kids/hur.htm
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0
587 ,00.html
Nat’l Org. of Victims’
Assistance
Venn Diagram Template
http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/venn.htm?id=140097
Complete
the worksheets for steps one through six.
Original steps: New Q&E Worksheets Original Worksheets
1. Define the Problem Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #1
2. Gather the Evidence Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #2
3. Identify the Causes Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #3
4. Evaluate a Policy Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #4
5. Develop Solutions Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #5
6. Select Best Solution Q&E Worksheet Worksheet #6
RESOURCES
EVALUATION
Rubrics for Book Cover,
Poster, & Venn Diagram http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http
Scroll to Language Arts
Rubrics
Open Book Cover Rubric
Open Venn Diagram Rubric
Open Poster Rubric
CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have raised your awareness about your
fellow human beings. You have
researched, evaluated, synthesized the data, and constructed solutions to
alleviate the obstacles that our displaced and homeless students
experience. You have learned that we can
deepen our awareness through literature.
Your Book Covers and Posters are creative, inspiring products that
demonstrate we are a community that cares.
You have earned the status of a PEARLS
STUDENT ADVISOR.
STANDARDS
English Language Arts
Standard 1:
Language for Information & Understanding
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will
collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and
generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and
electronically produced texts. As
speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the
accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and
transmit information.
Standard 2:
Language for Information and Understanding
Students will read and listen
to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from
American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own
lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural
dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use
oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English
language for self-expression and artistic creation.
Standard 3:
Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will
analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a
variety of established criteria. As
speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows
the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of
perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information
and issues.
Standard 4:
Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak,
read, and write for social interaction.
Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted
conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a
wide variety of people. As readers and
listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their
understanding of people and their views.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Standard 5:
Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety
of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity of
establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and
other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American
constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of
citizenship, including avenues of participation.