Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE
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Purpose:
Students will be active philanthropists by volunteering their time to clean debris from the beach at a local park for the common good. (This activity can be adapted to your location, i.e., clean any public park area.) They will estimate and weigh their bags, total their tally sheets and make observations. They will also create poetry and draw sketches of the beach environment.
Duration:
Four hours (Allow time to get to the park, about 2 hours for the actual cleaning of the beach, 30 minutes for lunch, and about 90 minutes for reflection through poetry and drawing the dune scene. If time is limited, you could skip the lunch and reflect at school.)
Objectives:
The learner will:
- classify, categorize, and tally.
- estimate and then weigh.
- describe the importance of protecting the environment through a poem and sketch.
Service Experience:
Students will clean the beach in teams, tallying their results as they go.
Materials:
Note: Some of these are provided by the Lake Michigan Federation, but if this does not apply, you would need:
- Sturdy, large garbage bags (about 6 - 8)
- Rubber gloves (one glove per student)
- Tally sheets—one for each team - (see Lesson Two: Preparation—The Right Way to Help and Form for Poetic Reflection - Attachment Two)
- Pencils, crayons, and colored pencils for drawing
- Paper
- Clipboards (one for each student)
- A whistle for calling the students back together
- Suntan lotion, sun glasses, hats, etc. (Students should have their own.)
Instructional Procedure(s):
- "Why are we going to Park X?"
- "What are our procedures?"
- "How will we know if we succeed?"
- "What will it look like?"
- Ask students to write a prediction in their writing journal as to which item they will find most often.
- Review skills needed to perform this task in an orderly manner and remind students that they are volunteering their time for the common good.
- Break into prearranged teams with adult helpers and obtain necessary supplies (bag, gloves, pencil, data card/tally sheet). Put names on the data card.
- In groups clean the beach, picking up objects and determining if they are trash; if so, categorize and tally the item and put it into the bag.
- Total the categories on the data sheet. (This may be done later back in the classroom.) Collect the data sheets for later use.
- Have a restful lunch.
- Spread students out for writing their reflective pieces (haiku and cinquain) and drawing sketches. These should reflect the learners' involvement as philanthropists at the beach and express their feelings about this project.
Anticipatory set:
Teacher will ask with enthusiasm, "Are you ready?" Review by asking the following questions:
Assessment:
- haiku and cinquain poems about the environment
- sketch of the beach project
Extension:
Students will be encouraged to carry this philanthropic spirit of cleaning up our common resources into their own neighborhoods and other public places.
Lesson Developed and Piloted by:
Kathleen VeenstraReeths-Puffer Schools
Central Elementary School
Muskegon, MI 49445
Handouts:
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 positive aspect of using this lesson was) the children understand what philanthropy is. They were quite surprised how much garbage we found at the park.
Great hands-on learning project to help the community. What a great way to illustrate the CDVs (Core Democratic Values) of common good.
(The positive aspect of using this lesson was) the students can actually see what it means to be philanthropists. They learn while doing instead of just by definition. I liked how they were able to sketch (pull in art) a scene at the beach. Many of the students felt like true artists.
There can be nothing more exciting than watching students clean an area that they know will be used by everyone. They feel and know they are making a difference.
(The positive aspect of using this lesson is) we know and understand why we are doing this project and the "reward" is how we feel inside and how others will benefit from our service.
(The positive aspect of using this lesson was) I thought it was nice for students to understand you don't have to be rich or an adult to be a philanthropist.
This (lesson) was the best part of the unit, because the kids experienced the positive feelings people get from contributing toward the common good in their own community.