In this lesson, young people learn the difference between private and public resources and identify areas that are called commons. They discuss whose responsibility it is to take care of those areas and how they are managed.
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Unit: Our Land
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.
Unit: Character Education: Respect (Grade 6)
Learners analyze the words to a song about prejudice, "Carefully Taught." They rewrite the lyrics with a more positive message.
Unit: TeachOne for Earth Day
Young people get outside and play in nature and recognize the beauty of diverse living things in their environment. Their service project is to take action to protect nature and share nature with someone else.
Unit: Good Health in Our Community
Students design a plan to make themselves and their school community healthier. They brainstorm what it means to get moving and exercise, and they see that increasing physical fitness activity is good for everyone and brings a community together. Students will choose or design a service project...
Unit: We Can All Do Our Share
To guide children to understand that being in a group requires working together, getting along, resolving conflicts, and having fun together.
Unit: Smiles Change the World
All people have need for and deserve friendship and belonging. In this lesson, we explore the elements of community relationships, like kindness, inclusion, listening, and trust. The children compile pages to make a big book that teaches others to be caring community members.
Unit: Sharing and Caring Across Generations
The children tell stories about their family memories and the special “memory items” brought from home. (See Lesson One: Traveling Back in Time.) They meet their senior friend in person or through writing and share and compare memories.
Unit: Do Not Stand Idly By (Private-Religious)
A concept known in Hebrew as tikkun olam practices the idea that everyone must play a role in perfecting the world. Modeling the concept of tikkun olam as a collaborative effort helps youth understand that they can shape their surroundings.
Unit: Exploring Nonprofit Career Opportunities
Young people identify local nonprofit organizations through the Idealist.org website. They describe what the nonprofits do for the community and how people can help with their mission.