MENU

Give a Little Respect (Private-Religious)

Grades: 
K, 1, 2
Subjects: 
Language Arts
Philanthropy
Social Studies
Arts Education
Keywords & Concepts: 
Brainstorming
Caring/Sharing
Common Good
Creative Writing
Environment
Group Discussions
Helping
Judaism
Parochial
Respect
Visual Arts: Create/Communicate

Although the problems of the environment seem overwhelming, if each person does a little, the problems can be reduced.  Even small contributions make an impact on the environment. Students choose ways they can make an impact through their small contributions to the environment: such as cleaning, reducing waste, maintaining gardens, or teaching others

Duration 
PrintOne - Forty-five Minute Class Period
Objectives 

The learner will:

  • help with a large task by sharing responsibilities with others.
  • state ways to take care of the environment.
  • recognize that when everyone participates a little, we can share the job of taking care of the environment.
  • participate in a class project to improve the environment.
Materials 
  • Student copies of Attachment One: Commitment to Improve the Environment
  • Supplies needed for the chosen project
Home Connection 

The students can also plan a family/home project that will assist their families in helping out some part of their neighborhood or home environment. For example the student may volunteer to separate the recycling for the week or rake the leaves and make sure they are put into the proper bags, water the plants around the house.

Related Resources 

Instructions

Print

  1. Anticipatory Set:Show the students a box of mixed up, colored math manipulatives, such as cubes that snap together.Tell them that for a project you need the cubes sorted by color and snapped into sets of ten, but that you are overwhelmed by the responsibility of doing it yourself. Either divide the tasks by color among the students or ask them to suggest ways to sharethe responsibility.After the students complete the task as a group, tell them how happy you are that “many hands make light work.”

     

  2. Help the students make the connection to taking care of the environment.Ask how can using “many hands make light work” when it comes to taking care of the environment?

  3. Explain that when each person does a little, we can accomplish a lot as a community.Just one little action can save a part of the environment. Imagine what would happen if everyone did just a little.

  4. Invite the school custodian to the class to discuss what the students can do to help improve the school environment (either inside or out).The custodian may help the students understand the amount oftrash in the building or provide examples of small jobs the class can do: raking leaves, planting flowers outside, separating recycling from the garbage, or washing the erasers.

  5. The students can decide as a class how they can make an impact in small ways on improving the school environment.

Assessment 

Assessment will be based on the students’ participation in class—their questions, answers and comments, as well as their performance on the worksheet. Student performance in the group project can be assessed through attitude and amount of participation.

Cross Curriculum 

Depending on research, interests, and resources, students plan and carry out a project to improve the school environment, such as separate recycling around school, rake leaves, pick up garbage, or educate others through informational posters.

Philanthropy Framework

  1. Strand PHIL.I Definitions of Philanthropy
    1. Standard DP 04. Operational Characteristics of Nonprofit Organizations
      1. Benchmark E.1 Describe how citizens organize in response to a need.
  2. Strand PHIL.II Philanthropy and Civil Society
    1. Standard PCS 01. Self, citizenship, and society
      1. Benchmark E.3 Describe a benefit of group cooperation.
  3. Strand PHIL.III Philanthropy and the Individual
    1. Standard PI 01. Reasons for Individual Philanthropy
      1. Benchmark E.5 Give examples of actions students can take to improve the common good and list or describe responsibilities that go with those actions.