Students learn effective techniques and complete prewriting activities for writing a persuasive essay. As a culmination of the unit, students choose one of the three styles of writing--news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay--to write, edit, and publish about their experience with...
Self-care and social-emotional well-being are foundational aspects of effective philanthropy. By exploring their own needs and practicing empathy, youth learn to be constructive members of a community from a place of strength and balance. This lesson is best in collaboration with a social worker...
Three amendments to the Constitution extended voting rights to more citizens. Look at the language of these amendments and the effectiveness of everyone actually getting the vote. Youth discuss the purpose of voting, and they take action to make a difference, such as by making ...
Sometimes it is wise to follow the advice of others and at other times it will only bring disaster. This lesson examines stories from South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria and character traits valued in those cultures.
In civil society, different people come together to form community. While differences may cause conflict, for the sake of the common good, we practice empathy and respect for others. Students respond to scenarios of differences in opinion. They learn to communicate respectfully with someone of a...
Students will recognize the linguistic strategies that Alice Walker uses in her introduction to Anything You Love Can Be Saved that persuade readers to believe in her causes, and thus begin to think about techniques that they can use in their own activist writing, which they will do in...
Students learn facts about hunger and food insecurity and understand the three stages of hunger.
The learners organize a clean-up event in a defined area that needs work. They may use garden tools, collect garbage, or clean up dirty or graffiti areas.
Learners write personal narratives to document activities, insights, research, impact, and discoveries of their firsthand experience with civic engagement, service, and volunteerism. By explaining involvement in action for the common good, learners raise awareness of a social issue, the need for...
Young people identify an animal welfare organization to research, and then develop a plan to help persuade others to take up the cause(s) of this group using an advocacy type of their choice.