Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE
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Purpose:
Duration:
Five to Six Forty-Five Minute Class Periods or Three Block Schedule Sessions
Additional time to be scheduled dependent on the activity:
- Arranged time to present children’s book written to new mothers
OR - Arranged time to present written books to media center or library
Objectives:
The learners will:
- plan, peer edit and write books for very early learners.
- develop fellowship with new parents or younger learners.
- use Learning Logs to reflect on the service learning experience and self-evaluate.
- understand that he/she will help develop a legacy of reading with future learners.
- develop concepts of philanthropy and service:
Advocacy (v) To write or speak in favor of or support – advocate (n) Community service (n) Volunteering to improve upon the aspects of a community Curriculum (n, pl. –la, -lums) The courses offered in an educational program Fellowship (n) A friendly relationship the condition or fact of having common interests, Ideals, or experiences Legacy (n, pl. –ies) Personal property, money, and other valuables that are bequeathed by will; anything that is handed down from an ancestor, predecessor, or earlier era Peer tutoring (n) One student helping another student learn Service (n) Help given to others – service (v) to repair; to furnish a service to something or someone Service-learning (n) Goes beyond volunteerism, community service and youth service by connecting the service experience to the school curriculum and by requiring students to reflect on the meaning they attach to the service they performed – W.K. Kellogg Foundation definition Volunteerism (v) The act of performing a service or good work for others without pay. It can be done anywhere by people of all ages – W.K. Kellogg Foundation definition
Service Experience:
Learners will write and illustrate books for very young learners to be presented to new parents or the media center for pre-school or younger learners.
Materials:
- Paper and pencil
- Heavy tag board approximately 22 by 36 inches
- Colored pencils or markers
- Binders for their books
- Plain cloth rectangles 8.5” x 11”
- Sheets of colored paper or plain paper
- Attachment One: Book Review
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Ask the learners what things a really good book for K-2 should include. Have them list their favorite books and favorite authors.
Form peer groups of four to five and explain that they will be writing a great book for very early readers pre-K to first grade. Tell the class they may also elect to create cloth books to present new parents to read to their infants to instill the importance of reading.
- Read the story, Edward and the Pirates, and talk about the challenges he encounters as he teaches pirates how to read.
- Ask the learners what was similar or different from what they encountered with their reading Buddies. Explain that they were successful at learning about reading and helping their Reading Buddies, and now they were going a giant step further by learning how to write their own books.
Teacher Note: Have the learners write a class letter to the parents/guardians telling them about their service project. The instructor should print it and give the learners the letter to take home.
- Take the class to your library or bring in at least two books for each group. Give each peer group a cloth book for infants and a book for toddlers to four year olds.
- Have each peer group fill in Attachment One: Book Review to help analyze the elements of books for very young children.
- Complete the Learning Logs each day. They will use their Learning Logs to reflect on and evaluate each day’s activities.
* They will be assessed using the Assessment Rubric for Personal Reflection and the Narrative Writing Assessment Rubric.
* The Web sites for these rubrics are listed under Bibliographical References. - Each peer group will elect which type of book to write and illustrate. Discuss why more and more cloth books are being written for our very youngest readers. Include in your discussion the importance of all the senses, especially touch and feel to babies. Tell the class there are now floating bathtub books for babies.
- Learners will spend three sessions to plan, write, peer-edit, revise and complete their book.
- Learners will share their books with each other.
- Plan the celebratory service activity either at a medical center or in the school library or media center.
- As a class, discuss the Service Learning Project, what they’ve learned from it and whether the activity has changed them in any way.
Assessment:
-
Students will be assessed using the Assessment Rubric for Personal Reflection and the Narrative Writing Assessment Rubric.
*The Web sites for these rubrics are listed in the under Bibliographical References. They will form cooperative groups to discuss the question, “How does our Service Learning Project relate to philanthropy and stewardship?” Each group will share their answers with the class. -
Class participation in peer groups
-
Instructor Observation
School/Home Connection:
The learners will write a class letter to the parents/guardians telling them about their service activity. The instructor will put the letter on the word processor, print it and give it to each learner to take home.
Bibliographical References:
- Assessment Rubric for Personal Reflection.
http://www.tesd.k12.pa.us
- Narrative Writing Assessment Rubric.
http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/attach.asp?attach_num=3&ln=7&unit=72
(Click on Attachment Three: Narrative Writing Assessment Rubric)
- McPhail, David M. Edward and the Pirates. Publisher: Little Brown & Co.
(Juv Trd), April 1997. ISBN: 0316563447
Lesson Developed and Piloted by:
Christine JensenGrand Rapids Public Schools
Sibley Elementary School Building
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Book Review
Directions: Each group is to use one sheet for each book you reviewed.
The title of the book our group read was
The author of our book was
Three really good things about this book are
a.
b.
c.
What do you think the author was trying to “teach?”
We have learned that in our book we need to
Unit Contents:
Overview:Each One, Teach One Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Setting the Stage
- 2.
- Kids Helping Kids
- 3.
- Authors Shall We Be
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 books our class created turned out great and were enjoyable to read. Students also enjoyed making the books and discovered the amount of time and effort it takes to make a children's book.
The positive aspect of this lesson is students get to see value in their writing - real audience sharing besides teacher and classmates. It puts the students them in teaching role and having to answer questions where responsibility is on them to get point across.
Students loved writing and illustrating a children's book to present to their Kdg. buddy.