The learner will:

• define and use the vocabulary of philanthropy.
  
• describe the importance of philanthropic activities that contribute to the common good.

 

Anticipatory Set:

Philanthropy will be printed on the board in huge letters when students enter the room.  Ask, “What is philanthropy?”  After hearing responses, clarify the definition as  “giving of one’s time, talent or treasure and taking action for the sake of another, or for the common good.”  Additional definitions include: “voluntary action for the public good; voluntary giving, voluntary service and voluntary association, primarily for the benefit of others; giving and serving; active effort to promote human welfare.” 

 

• Define common good as service which involves individual citizens having the commitment and motivation to promote the welfare of the community (even if they must sacrifice their own time, personal preferences or money) to work together for the greater benefit of all.
  
  
• Say to the class, “Find the student in the class whom you know least well, You will have five minutes to have a conversation with each other.  Ask each other to share a time and details about when they, or someone they know, did an act of kindness for another or an act for the common good.   You will summarize what your partner said to the class.” Teacher Note:  (It might be helpful for the teacher to model this conversation with a student. Suggest that the students take notes about the conversation.)  Conduct the interviews and the reporting session.
  
  
• Divide the class into several groups and give each group one or two stories of philanthropy from the resources listed in Materials.  Ask the groups to read their stories and discuss the following:
  
  
  • What is the philanthropic act?  How did it enhance the common good?  Ask the groups to share a summary of the story with the class and the answers to the questions. (If enough time, each group may want to read their story out loud to share with the class.)
    
    
  • Discuss what the opportunity cost (the cost is what they had to give up in order to act) might have been for the person/people in the story who acted philanthropically.
    
    
  • Post a visual list of the diverse acts of kindness and their possible effects as the groups present.
    
    
• After the presentation, brainstorm a list of the characteristics of the philanthropists.

• www.giraffe.org, “Profiles of Giraffe Heroes”
  
  
• Hoose, Phillip.  It’s Our World, Too! Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference.  Toronto: Little Brown and Co., 1993.  ISBN: 785711589.  There are practical suggestions for social action projects included in this book.