Magical Service-Learning Projects in Your Classroom
To give you an idea of the elements of a magical service experience, seven examples of actual service-learning projects follow. Each of these falls short of “magical” in some ways. The purpose of this exercise is to have you think about what you can do in your classroom to move your service projects towards a +10 experience for all participants. For each experience described, select where you think the project falls on the Magical Spectrum and then propose ways to improve its score.
Service Example—The Food Bank Visit
Each year in November the entire middle school works for several hours at the food bank. The experience includes a short talk about why the food bank exists, how much food moves through the food bank, and how the food is sorted. The next couple of hours are filled by emptying boxes of cans and placing them into categorized boxes so the food bank personnel can efficiently distribute the donations to families in need. This school tradition is a group service experience that many of the students look forward to.
This year, the students arrived to a bewildered food bank staff member who reported that several other large volunteer groups had just come through and there were no more boxes to be sorted. In fact, there was nothing for the 120 students to do at this time.
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- The students may internalize that there is too much help in general, and their help is not needed.
- Proper planning and communication would have ensured there was meaningful work for the students.
- The partnership suffered from the negative experience; the school may not volunteer there next year.
- It would have been more meaningful if the students had planned a food drive and sorted their own collected food.
- If students had researched local needs and causes of homelessness and hunger, this experience could have been linked to curriculum and engaged student voice.
- The students felt enthusiasm for sharing their time because previous classes spoke positively about the experience.
Service Example—Service day
Kent School proclaimed a day of service. On this day there were six stations set up for student participation. Each student could sign up for three stations for an hour at each.
- Sort food from a month-long food drive into boxes to deliver to the food bank
- Sort clothing from a month-long clothing drive for deliver to a local shelter
- Write letters to our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq with holiday greetings
- Answer letters from children in a sister school in Kenya
- Create individual care packages for soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq
- Make bag lunches for people who are homeless, to be delivered by a local charity
After the three station rotations, the students met in reflection groups to discuss what they did, how they felt, and what difference they felt they made. The school day ended with a school-wide pep rally focused on the need for community service and recognizing their achievements. Representatives from the partner organizations thanked the students.
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- This project could be strengthened with a link to curriculum.
- The students had choices on how to spend their time, which increases their level of engagement.
- The opportunity to reflect on the day increases student understanding of their ability to make a difference.
- There is evidence that this project has some duration and community collaboration, which increases the impact of the experience for the learners.
Service Example—Holiday Soup Kitchen
Before the holiday season, Mr. Braden always calls the local soup kitchen. He offers his students’ help on any day in December. Each year several students go and either wash dishes, sweep the floors, serve, or clear. They arrive on time, successfully help the staff, and leave with a feeling they have made a difference. The staff of the soup kitchen appreciates all the help they get every year at the holidays, but sometimes they get so many volunteers, they have to turn some away. It would be nice if they got more volunteers at other times of year.
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- Some students may have been left out of this experience because of limited resources. Those who have the time at the holidays and means to get there are the only students with the opportunity.
- The soup kitchen really needed help year round and may not have successfully communicated their needs.
- Some additional research and communication may have revealed other needs that match student interests, such as setting up a game or craft table for children who visit the soup kitchen.
- This project could have been strengthened with a link to curriculum to enhance learning goals.
- The event was well organized and met a need.
- The school has an ongoing relationship with a community partner, and students felt they were appreciated.
Service Example—Food Drive
For many years, Harbor Elementary School has organized a holiday food drive. They collected food for families within the school and the community. This year, the teacher found out that the local radio station was organizing a holiday drive. He approached the station about working together in order to increase participation.
At the school, the teams set out to ask local businesses for donations. Each grade level was assigned specific items so there would be a variety for the food bank. The class made posters to display throughout the school, and the PTO sent out an email to its members.
In addition, the elementary school reached out to the middle school and high school for help. The high school students arranged for the local food pantry to collect food at the gate as the fans entered the football game on Thanksgiving morning. The middle school created a food pyramid drive with each class taking on a specific food group.
The students then collected and recorded both the item count and weight for each classroom. The students collected over 1,200 pounds of food.
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- It is not clear how reflection was used in this effort, and reflection before, during, and after the drive could have enhanced student understanding of diverse needs and the value of their contribution.
- There was some evidence of a link to curriculum, but it could be enhanced to help students understand why there is a need.
- Getting a larger community involved provides a common purpose and a positive relationship for long-term collaboration and respect.
- This shows how a small project can grow through communication and collaboration within the school, across time, and in the community.
- The engagement of media is exciting and motivating for the students.
Service Example—Buckets of Kindness
"Have you filled a bucket today?" First and second grade students asked this question of each other during the King Day event. To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s principles of kindness, respect, and equality, students decided to see how many “buckets of kindness” they could fill. To fill a bucket, they performed loving, caring, and kind acts for others. Every time a student “filled someone’s bucket” with kindness, they were able to put their name on a paper star and deposit it into a bucket that was located in their classrooms. At the end of the week, the classroom with the most stars in their bucket received a prize.
These students, although young, kept one another accountable and enthused in the pursuit of filling their buckets. After the week of bucket filling was over, a total of 28.8 hours was spent on acts of kindness and making others feel special. It was definitely a kindness-filled week for these elementary students.
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- Some people may debate that the reward aspect of this activity takes away from the intrinsic reward of giving service.
- The project could have been strengthened with reflection activities that help students appreciate different perspectives and the impact of their actions.
- There is some evidence of a link to curriculum, but it could be enhanced to teach core democratic values and community connections.
- The students had a sense of purpose and fun that empowers them to take further action.
- The whole school was involved in kind acts, working as a community that cares.
- The students could see the measurable impact of their kindness in the numbers.
Service Example—Under Wars
Captain Underpants swung from the ceiling, directing the ferocious battles from above. At this Middle School, victory was represented in underwear. Lots and lots of underwear!
Known far and wide as “The UnderWars,” students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade recently competed to bring in the most pairs of undergarments to aid the victims of the tsunami disaster.
The students were well prepared to begin their fight to help the victims by venturing out into their community and tapping parents, storeowners, and good-hearted residents to begin donating packages of briefs, boxers and perfectly packaged panties.
Learning to Give lessons taught the concept of giving time, talents, and treasure and provided them with the motivation to take action for the common good.
To spur the students on to greater glory – and more undergarments – school officials hung a life-size replica of the storybook hero Captain Underpants from the ceiling. It seemed to work: almost 1,000 pairs of undergarments were collected.
Ali, Grade 6, said, “I feel great about helping the tsunami victims in such a unique way. Every morning getting underwear from all the rooms and recording the results brought a smile to my face. I’m so glad that this could happen, especially at out school!”
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- Enhancing reflection activities could have increased student empathy and awareness of their ability to help others.
- The link to curriculum gave relevance and motivation to the students.
- The students addressed a real need they may not have recognized before.
- The project was fun and matched the interests of the students, and this encourages them to look for other opportunities to make a difference.
Service Example—Earth Day
The Central High School science department used a combination of local government, economics, and community need to take action for Earth Day. When the local Parks Department experienced drastic cuts to their budget, they didn’t have the resources to clean up the parks and beaches that attract summer tourists. The science students collected data and proposed a plan to help the struggling Parks Department.
They decided to organize a clean-up weekend that took place during the Earth Day celebration. Several hundred volunteers collected garbage, raked and weeded walking paths, and built new garbage stations for visitors. When the weekend was over, the parks and beaches looked terrific. The group gathered for a celebration and reflected on the work that was done.
When school began again in September, a group of students walked the parks and beaches and noticed that all the great work they had done was gone. The paths were beaten down and covered with trash again. Their hard work could only be seen through the pictures they took on that weekend.
What elements worked against the magic?
How would you rate this experience on the magical spectrum?
- Students may feel discouraged about volunteering again after finding their efforts didn't last.
- The project would improve with a plan for continued maintenance and sustainability. The participants could use critical thinking and cooperation to propose a solution.
- The students collected data and formed the plan. They used classroom learning in a real-world playing field.
- They organized a successful project that met a real community need, which empowered them to take action.
- The students engaged other community members in taking pride in a shared resource.
- This event included reflection on the effectiveness of the project, which gave the students ownership of the results.
- The link to curriculum gave relevance and motivation to the students.
