Explore the Great Lakes or other water system through the five themes of geography and lens of philanthropy and environmental stewardship. Learners read and explore how waterways became polluted and what they can do to take action.
This lesson introduces the definition of a community and explores how communities come together to help or address a need.
Photo credit: Woodward Downtown by Becky McCray is licensed under CC BY 2.0...
The children recognize they form a community when they are brought together for a common purpose. They are encouraged to be philanthropic within interest groups, schools, and families to build trust and for the common good of the community.
The children explore attributes of the community in which they live. They compare ways to be generous in rural, urban, and suburban communities.
Children learn that the community has four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family. The children may walk through an area in their local community to identify which sector is represented by different places. As an alternative, they may look at a local map.
The children select a service project based on interests and abilities, and community needs. They plan and carry out the project. Some community projects may include fixing up a park, helping at the library, helping a neighbor, building bird houses for the nature center, and making banners...
Introduce the concept of philanthropy and guide the learners to be philanthropists who take volunteer action for the common good.
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.
This lesson is a reflection on the beach clean-up experience.
Young people get to know a local natural resource and use their time to protect the environment for the common good, with direct action and advocacy.