1. Respond to Photos – Use the interactive features “A Closer Look at the Destruction in Haiti,” the slide show “Devastating Earthquake Hits Haiti” and/or the Lens blog photo feature “Behind the Scenes: There for the Quake.” Then have students respond in writing to the image of their choice, in the form of detailed descriptions, questions or letters to the people pictured. (Here are more ways to have students write about photos.)

Journalism students might consider the challenges that photojournalists are facing in trying to capture what has happened in Haiti.

To Do:  7 Q's About the News

Use the photos and related articles in the links above to answer basic news questions.

2. Understand the Earthquake’s Effects – Students look into how and why Haiti was hit so hard by the earthquake. You might do this by using the interactive map with photos and audio,“After the Haiti Quake,” to see where the devastation in Port-au-Prince is concentrated, or by reading about the disaster relief efforts underway and about the human toll. Keep up with ongoing news at The Lede blog and the NYTimes.com homepage.

A quick way to help students understand the basics is to consider the “Who, What, Where, When, Why and How” of this crisis first, then create “One Pagers” in response to what they learn.

3. Learn Recent Haitian History – Why does a Times editorial today say “Once again, the world weeps with Haiti”? How have “generations of misrule, poverty and political strife” as well as recent natural disasters affected this nation, the poorest in the hemisphere? Students can watch this video about Haiti’s geography and infrastructure, read the short, encyclopedia-like description of the country and its people and politics on the Times Topics page on Haiti or read an Op-Ed that provides background on Haiti and explains why the nation is vulnerable.

4. Delve into Earthquake Science – Students seek information about how and why earthquakes occur, focusing on such terms as epicenter, tectonic plates, aftershocks, seismic waves, Richter Scale and Mercalli Scale. They then apply this knowledge to the Haiti earthquake.

5. Discuss What to Do and Why – Everyone wants to help, but how? To whom should you give money? What kinds of aid will help the most now and in the long term? Read the ongoing discussion on these issues on the Room for Debate blog. Then find out how specific aid organizations, such as UNICEF, CARE, Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross, raise money and provide aid for disasters like the one in Haiti as well as provide ongoing support around the world. Students can then choose one organization and hold a fundraiser to support its relief efforts in Haiti.

	Arthur, Charles. Haiti in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture. (Interlink Publishing Group, 2002).
	Dubois, Laurent. Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution. (Harvard University Press, 2005).
	Kidder, Tracy. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. (Random House, 2009).
	Wilentz, Amy. The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier. (Simon & Schuster, 1990).