Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

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Defining Caring

Lesson 2:

From Unit Character Education: Caring (Grade 8)

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

6th-8th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Brainstorming; Group Discussions; Journaling; Vocabulary
PHIL:	Act of Kindness; Altruism; Caring/Sharing; Character Education: Caring; Common Good; Empathy; Selflessness
SOC:	Good Character

Purpose:

This lesson leads the learners to investigate and expand their understanding of caring and to determine those things or people that they care about.

Duration:

One 20-minute class period

Objectives:

The learner will:

define caring and ways that people demonstrate caring.
relate altruism, empathy and selflessness to caring.
list five things or people he or she cares about.

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.
Learn more about the stages of service-learning.

This character education mini-lesson is not intended to be a service learning lesson or to meet the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice. The character education units will be most effective when taught in conjunction with a student-designed service project that provides a real world setting in which students can develop and practice good character and leadership skills. For ideas and suggestions for organizing service events go to www.generationon.org .

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:

In the previous lesson, the students identified the giraffe heroes as people who care. Ask the students for a couple examples of how these young people showed their caring (by giving, sharing, writing letters). Then ask them what these young people might have felt for the people or issues they cared for (concern, sympathy, desire to help, etc.).

Ask the learners to brainstorm as many words as they can think of that are synonyms for care or caring or are ways that people demonstrate caring. They should think about "How do we care?" (Words like love, sympathy, concern, compassion, worry, concern, confrontation, etc.). Write the words in a display area. Save these words for use in Lesson Three.
If the words alturism, empathy, and selflessness have not already been suggested by the learners, introduce and define the words as additional ways of caring:

Altruism: selfless concern for the welfare of others

Empathy: identification with and understanding of the feelings of another person

Selflessness: putting others' needs before one's own

Save these words in the display area also.
Ask the learners to list in their journals five things or people (either individuals or groups) that they would "stick their necks out" for or that they "care" about (not necessarily in order of priority). See School/Home Connection for a homework extension.