Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE
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Purpose:
Students will recognize why volunteers are so important to a community and learn some of the things that volunteers do for their community. While written for a Catholic Elementary School, this lesson may be easily adapted for public school use.
Duration:
Four Thirty-Minute Class Periods
Objectives:
The learner will:
- define each of the sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family.
- describe the difference between volunteer and paid labor.
- identify ways volunteers help out in the community.
- name four nonprofit charitable organizations in the community, state, or nation.
- assess the value of a person who volunteers.
- give an example of an action by a volunteer organization that helped to enhance a core democratic value.
Service Experience:
Students may choose a volunteer opportunity based on the class research.
Materials:
- “The Best Night Out with Dad” by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor (Hansen) from Chicken Soup for Little Souls
- Could You Be a Volunteer? (Attachment One)
- How Can We Help? (Attachment Two)
- Newspaper articles about volunteer activities and charitable organizations
- Field Trip Reflection Sheet (Attachment Three)
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Write the following question on the board and discuss it with the class: “Could you be a volunteer?” Ask the students to describe the difference between volunteer and paid labor. Ask them to explain why people might choose to volunteer.
- Read Chicken Soup for Little Souls: “The Best Night Out with Dad” by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. Discuss the story and the meaning of the word volunteer. Distribute Could You Be a Volunteer? (Attachment One). On the sheet, tell students to write the definition of volunteer in their own words. Then ask students to write a short story using the word volunteer.
- Define for the students the difference between the four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family. Each of these sectors is able to give time, talent, and resources. Give examples of a couple organizations or individuals in your community that provide or require volunteers. Have students identify ways the different sectors utilize volunteers to address scarcity. Give the students the homework assignment to find ways that people volunteer. (How Can We Help? Attachment Two.)
- As a class, prepare the Jump Into Action scrapbook. This scrapbook will provide ideas for individual or class projects. It will also demonstrate the huge impact that volunteering has on the community. Discuss the importance of volunteering in society. Review the core democratic values and discuss which ones are enhanced by the actions of these volunteers. Keep the book as a (growing) resource of ideas and inspiration.
- Have students conduct further research on the learningtogive.org Web site. They can find many nonprofit organizations and lists of philanthropists.
- Organize a field trip to a local nonprofit organization. Arrange for a speaker to talk about the importance of volunteering. Before visiting, give students information about the organization so they can each prepare one question to ask about the work, needs, or impact of the organization. (An alternative is to invite a speaker from a nonprofit organization to come to the school.)
- After the field trip, distribute Field Trip Reflection Sheet (Attachment Three). Hold a discussion to debrief using their reflection sheets. Discuss whether students are interested in volunteering in some way for that organization. Have students reflect on the benefits and costs of volunteering.
Assessment:
The three attachments will serve as assessments. In addition, have each student write an acrostic poem about the meaning and importance of volunteering. They write the word VOLUNTEER vertically on their paper. Then, they write a word, phrase, or sentence that begins with each letter of the word.
School/Home Connection:
- After the first day, give the students the homework assignment to find ways that people volunteer. They should look in the newspaper and cut out articles and advertisements. They should write about personal or family experiences related to volunteering. When they bring in their research, the class will make a collective scrapbook of volunteer experiences. (See Attachment Two, Lesson Four: How Can We Help?)
Extension:
Language Arts: Have each student write a thank-you note to the organization visited. They should thank them for the visit and for their work that improves the lives of people in the community.
Art: Students may design stationery for their letters on the computer.
Bibliographical References:
- Canfield, Jack and Mark Victor Hansen. Chicken Soup for Little Souls. Florida: Health Communications, 1997. ISBN: 155874505X.
- Learning to give Web site<www.learningtogive.org> Resource Room
Lesson Developed and Piloted by:
Valerie WilliamsCatholic Diocese of Grand Rapids
St. Alphonsus Elementary School
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Could You Be a Volunteer?
Write the definition of the word volunteer in your own words.
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Write a short story using the word volunteer.
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Handout 2Print Handout 2
How Can We Help?
There are many ways that people volunteer in their schools, churches, and communities. With your family, think of organizations, groups, or events that use volunteers. List them below. Also, think of nonprofit charitable organizations that work to help people with a variety of needs. Explore the following Web site: learningtogive.org. Select the Resource Room. Here are a few organizations that specifically look for volunteer help from children:
County Animal Shelter, Humane Society, Community Zoo, Adopt-an-Animal Program
Other ideas:
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Look in the newspaper for articles and advertisements about organizations that are looking for, or use, volunteers. Also, collect articles about people who have helped others. In addition, cut out any information in the newspaper about nonprofit charitable groups. Bring all of your articles to school for our volunteer scrapbook.
If you or members of your family have volunteered, please describe the experience(s) in writing on a separate sheet of paper. This will be a valuable addition to our Jump into Action volunteer scrapbook.
Handout 3Print Handout 3
Field Trip Reflection Worksheet
What question did you prepare?
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What was the answer to your question?
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Draw something or someone you saw on the study trip.
How do the actions of this group improve the lives of people in your community?
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What core democratic value is enhanced by the actions of this group?
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Unit Contents:
Overview:This I Can Do! Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Talent
- 2.
- Stewardship and the Rainforest
- 3.
- Day in the Life of a Homeless Person (A)
- 4.
- Why Volunteer?
- 5.
- Create a Volunteer Spirit
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely use this information for nonprofit (noncommercial), educational purposes only. Copyright must be acknowledged on all copies.
Comments
(The positive aspect of using this lesson was) the volunteer assessment piece.
(A representative from) The Noah Project came to visit us. The kids collected itmes to donate. This was great because kids saw ways to volunteer other than for the poor (food pantries, homeless shelter).