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Philanthropy—Essential to a Democratic Society

Unit of 5 lessons

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

Lesson 1 :	PHIL:	9/11genOn; Family; Philanthropic Act; Time/Talent/Treasure; Volunteer
	SOC:	10 genOn; Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Compare/Contrast; Democratic Values; Economics; Good Character; Government
Lesson 2 :	PHIL:	9/11 genOn; Need
	SOC:	Constitution of the United States; Democracy; Dictatorship; Government
Lesson 3 :	PHIL:	Endowment; Foundations; Minorities; Need; Nonprofit Organizations; Nonprofit Sector
	SOC:	10 genOn; 9/11 genOn; Career Opportunities; Government; Inquiry; Minorities; Nonprofit; Research; Technology
Lesson 4 :	PHIL:	Time/Talent/Treasure
	SOC:	9/11 genOn; Amendments to Constitution; Bill of Rights; Common Good; Constitution of the United States; Democracy; Government
Lesson 5 :	PHIL:	School Rules; Service Plan; Service Project
	SOC:	10 genOn; 9/11 genOn; Parliamentary Procedure; Rule of Law

Unit Overview:

This unit is intended as an introduction for civics. The objective is for students to realize that government meets many of our societal needs, but can't do everything. Philanthropy bridges those gaps left by government. Students will learn parliamentary procedure and use it to plan a community service project.

Unit Purpose:

The concept of philanthropy is defined. Students discuss the difference between duties and responsibilities of citizenship and evaluate whether there is a place in society for volunteers to carry out their responsibilities. The role of nonprofits is then discussed, especially their role in relation to various minorities in society. Students look for support for philanthropy in national and state documents. An exercise in democracy is the culmination of the unit as the concept of a town meeting is explained and applied. Students can then use the town meeting format to develop their own philanthropic project.

Unit Objectives:

The learner will:

explain the role of philanthropy in a democratic society.
describe the importance of the family in a democratic society.
evaluate how well the government is carrying out its duties at various levels.
describe the importance of nonprofit organizations in meeting the needs of society.
describe and give examples of the two types of foundations.
analyze support for philanthropy in national and state documents.
use parliamentary procedure to conduct class business.

Service Experience:

Although lessons in this unit contain service project examples, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Students will hold a town meeting to decide on an Academic Service-Learning project and make a detailed plan for its execution.

Unit Assessment:

The planning and outcome of the academic service project will serve as the unit assessment. A unit-wide vocabulary crossword puzzle may be designed by students as an optional evaluation.

Notes for Teaching:

This unit is to be taught at the beginning of the civics course. With the primary focus of civics being citizens and their government, the academic service learning at the end of lesson five is necessary in connecting the lesson concepts. I did not get specific on the academic service-learning project because I feel the project works best when it is student-initiated using the town meeting format.