This lesson will help students identify a person’s basic needs, realize that many people in the world are lacking these needs, and encourage them to think of ways to help these people.

Students learn about the roles of bees in a colony and discuss how that relates to people in community. Bees have an important role in nature as pollinators, but their population numbers have been declining in recent years. Students write a letter or create a flyer to teach others how to help...

The students will use their knowledge of philanthropy and poetic conventions to write original poetry about philanthropic giving.

Discuss when permission is needed in order to perform an act of philanthropy. Learn and practice a song about giving. 

Through discussion of the book The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss, we learn about tolerance and the value of diversity in community. 

Introduce the folksinger Woody Guthrie and his legendary song This Land Is Your Land. His songs were written for everyone to get involved in their community. Learners understand that it is the responsibility of everyone to help take care of each other and the Earth.

Groups analyze and define the concept of community. They identify the benefits and sacrifices involved in actions for the common good in their role as citizens.

With guidance from a local environmental agency, prepare the youth in advance of volunteering their time to clean up a lake or river for the common good. Arrange a field trip that includes picking up trash and recording the data. 

Youth explore the effects on themselves, the community, and the world if the government failed to provide U.S. children with an education.

We define culture and explore the cultural traits of individuals and the group collectively.