Should New Orleans be Rebuilt?

Melissa Blair

The intent of this unit is to educate high school students about the significance of New Orleans in a geographical, historical, and cultural framework. This unit will be broken up into five main topics: why New Orleans matters, the site and situation of New Orleans, hurricane Katrina, rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, and whether or not New Orleans is an appropriate model of flood prevention for other coastal cities. By first providing students with a historical background, they’ll better appreciate the uniqueness of New Orleans and best understand why it was settled in the first place. Lastly, by lecturing on the culture of New Orleans and by discussing the impact of hurricane Katrina, students will better grasp not only the magnitude of devastation but the high stakes involved in rebuilding New Orleans. Although this unit was designed for advanced high school students, it can easily be modified for lower level high school students in a civics or geography course or middle school students.