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Meaning of Philanthropy (The)
Lesson 1:
From Unit Bridging the Gap
Purpose:
Students will understand the concept of philanthropy and be aware of its presence in the community. While written for a Christian Middle School, the lesson may be easily adapted for public school use.
Duration:
Two to Three Forty-Five Minute Class Period
Objectives:
The learner will:
- explain in writing the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of philanthropy.
- list three groups that benefit from philanthropy.
- list three ways philanthropy can be practiced.
- state three examples of philanthropy.
- state his/her opinion on why philanthropy is important.
- analyze mission statements and state at least two ways each one supports philanthropy.
Materials:
- Newspaper articles that deal with the topic of philanthropy for each student
- News Articles on Philanthropy Chart (Attachment One)
- Newsprint or other paper for recording the information
- “I Have Helped Others…” Chart (Attachment Two)
- “Others Have Helped Me…” Chart (Attachment Three)
- Copy of your school’s mission statement or Mission Statements (Attachment Four)
- Philanthropy in the News Project Requirements and Rubric (Attachment Five)
- Philanthropy in the News Final Assessment Rubric (Attachment Six)
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Ask students to define the word “philanthropy” and write their definitions on a sheet of newsprint entitled “Philanthropy.” Tell the students that today they will discover what the word philanthropy means by reading stories about philanthropy. They will also discover the "who,” "what,” "where,” "when,” "why” and "how” of philanthropy.
- Divide students into groups of four. Give each student News Articles on Philanthropy Chart (see Attachment One) and a newspaper article. Have each group record the information related to their articles on their charts.
- Ask each group to report on one or two of their articles for the class. While the students are reporting, the teacher should record a summary on the chalkboard, overhead, or large sheets of paper.
- After summarizing ten or twelve articles, lead a class discussion to help the students infer meaning from the information on the charts. Ask, “What conclusions can you reach by looking at the information under ‘Who is being helped’?” Do this for each column from the chart. Lead students from talking about specific examples to more generic conclusions.
- Review the definitions for philanthropy that the class gave at the beginning of the lesson. Discuss what should be added or subtracted from the original definition. Write a new class definition on the same sheet of newsprint.
- Assignment: Give each student a copy of the charts “I Have Helped Others…” and Others Have Helped Me (see Attachments Two and Three). Ask students to fill in each chart as best as they can. They may have help from family members to recall appropriate experiences, if necessary.
- Display a copy of the school’s mission statement or a mission statement from a philanthropic organization on the overhead projector (see Attachment Four). Discuss at least two ways the statement supports philanthropy.
- To personalize philanthropy for each student, begin a class review of the two charts students worked on at home. Go around the room asking every student to choose one item to report from either chart. Ask students what they can conclude from the examples they have just heard. Possible answers may include:
“philanthropy is in some way a part of their lives; they need to be more involved in philanthropy; they can find examples in their lives of people helping people, animals or the environment by giving of their money, time or talents.”
Assessment:
-
The students will write a one page, approximately 250-word explanation of philanthropy. This paper should include the following information:
- three groups who benefit from philanthropy
- who can do philanthropy
- what kinds of needs are met
- where philanthropy takes place
- when it takes place
- why it is necessary
- three ways it can be accomplished
- three examples of philanthropy
- the student’s opinion of why philanthropy is important.
- three groups who benefit from philanthropy
- The students will analyze a mission statement and state two ways it supports philanthropy. Use a rubric to evaluate the student's explanation of philanthropy and his/her ability to analyze a mission statement (see Attachment Six).
Extension:
- Short Term: Refer students to their own completed copies of News Articles on Philanthropy Chart (Attachment One). Are there specific vocabulary terms that relate to philanthropy? Identify these terms and define them. Examples might include foundation, grant money, non-profit agency or organization, and volunteers.
- Long Term: Make a scrapbook of newspaper clippings. Each student should be given Philanthropy in the News Project Requirements and Rubric (Attachment Five).
Bibliographical References:
- Bentley, Richard J. and Luana G. Nissan. The Roots of Giving and Serving: A Literature Review Studying How School-Age Children Learn the Philanthropic Tradition. Indianapolis: Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, 1996.
- Bertolet, Debbi and Barbara Jacquette. Youth In Philanthropy Project. Phoenix: Arizona GIVES/Arizona Community Foundation, 1994.
Lesson Developed and Piloted by:
Janice UbelsHudsonville Christian Schools
Hudsonville Christian Middle School
Hudsonville, MI 49426
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
News Articles on Philanthropy Chart
Complete the chart for each article in your group.| Article #1 Title: |
Article #2 Title: |
Article #3 Title: | Article #4 Title: | |
| Who is being helped? | ||||
| Who is doing the helping? | ||||
| What need is being met? | ||||
| Where is it happening? | ||||
| When does it take place? | ||||
| Why is it necessary? | ||||
| How is the project being accomplished? |
Handout 2Print Handout 2
“I Have Helped Others…” Chart
Complete the chart by completing the following sentences.| I have helped… | My family and I have helped… | My church and I have helped… | My friends and I have helped… | My school and I have helped… | My neighbor and I have helped… | |
| …an individual by… | ||||||
| …a family by… | ||||||
| …a school by… | ||||||
| …a neighbor by… | ||||||
| …an animal by… | ||||||
| …the environment by… | ||||||
| …an organization by… |
Handout 3Print Handout 3
“Others Have Helped Me…” Chart
Complete the chart by completing the following sentences:| An individual helped… | A family helped… | A church group helped… | My neighbors helped… | A school helped… | An organization helped… | |
| …me by… | ||||||
| …my family by… | ||||||
| …my friends and me by… | ||||||
| …my church by… | ||||||
| …my school group by… | ||||||
| …my neighbors by… |
Handout 4Print Handout 4
Mission Statements
Hudsonville Christian School:
- Proclaims the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all spheres of life and learning.
- Provides distinctive academic training rooted in God’s Word.
- Partners with parents to challenge children to grow in the likeness of Christ while discovering and developing their gifts for a life of service to God and His world.
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provide relief
to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
It does this through services that are consistent with its congressional charter
and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement.
Mission Statement of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
To help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources
to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.
(The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to apply knowledge
to solve the problems of people. Its founder W.K. Kellogg, the cereal industry pioneer,
established the Foundation in 1930. Since its beginning the Foundation has continuously focused
on building the capacity of individuals, communities, and institutions to solve their own problems.)
Handout 5Print Handout 5
Philanthropy in the News
Project Requirements and Rubrics
Directions:
This project involves collecting articles from local newspapers that feature people helping people, animals, or the environment by giving of their time, talents, or treasures. You should collect articles over a period of four weeks. Then spend two weeks organizing and finalizing your project into a scrapbook according to the following directions:
Articles
- Minimum of 15 articles that feature people helping people, animals, or the environment by giving of their time, talents, or treasures.
- Should show a variety of philanthropic deeds.
- Should show needs being met in your community, country and world.
Writing and Research Requirements
Answers to the following questions should be mounted near each article:
- Who (give name of individual/organization) is being helped?
- Who (give name of individual/organization) is doing the helping?
- What need is being met?
- Where is it happening?
- When does it take place?
- Why is it necessary?
- How is the project being accomplished?
Following the articles, include an essay on the following questions:
- What did you learn about philanthropy from this project? (Include at least three ideas.)
- Why is it important to help others? (Include at least three ideas.)
- Now that you have read several articles and have become familiar with the variety of ways people help people, animals and the environment, explain who you would be interested in helping and why.
Include a list of at least five organizations in your community that provide help for your areas of interest and/or some of the needs mentioned in the articles.
Final Product
Use a scrapbook format.
Include a cover.
Include a table of contents to indicate the following:
Trim and mount articles neatly.
- Articles relating to your community
- Articles relating to your country
- Articles relating to the world
- Area of interest with list of organizations
- Essays
Make the book colorful.
Philanthropy in the News Project Rubrics
| POINTS | EVALUATION OF: | DESCRIPTION | |
| 3 | Articles | In order to receive a 3-point score, the project must:
| |
| 2 | In order to receive a 2-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 1 | In order to receive a 1-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 0 |
Project shows no evidence of any elements, or does not give evidence of an understanding of the concept.
| ||
| 3 | Writing & Research | In order to receive a 3-point score, the project must:
| |
| 2 | In order to receive a 2-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 1 | In order to receive a 1-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 0 |
Project shows no evidence of any elements, or does not give evidence of an understanding of the concept.
| ||
| 3 | Writing | In order to receive a 3-point score, the project must:
| |
| 2 | In order to receive a 2-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 1 | In order to receive a 1-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 0 |
Project shows no evidence of any elements, or does not give evidence of basic writing skills.
| ||
| 3 | Final Product | In order to receive a 3-point score, the project must:
| |
| 2 | In order to receive a 2-point score, the project must:
| ||
| 1 | In order to receive a -point score, the project must:
| ||
| 0 | Project shows no evidence of any elements, or does not give evidence of an understanding of the concept. |
Handout 6Print Handout 6
Philanthropy in the News
|
POINTS |
DESCRIPTION |
| 3 | In order to receive a 3-point score, the response must:
|
| 2 | In order to receive a 2-point score, the response must:
|
| 1 | In order to receive a 1-point score, the response must:
|
| 0 | Response shows no evidence of any elements, or does not give evidence of an understanding of the concept. |
Unit Contents:
Overview:Bridging the Gap Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Meaning of Philanthropy (The)
- 2.
- Bridging the Gap by Doing Philanthropy
- 3.
- Philanthropy in A Christmas Carol
- 4.
- Philanthropy in Literature—Reading, Writing, Thinking
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