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Grade Level: 5
Academic Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies
Duration of service: Semester-Long
Character Virtues: Respect, Civic Virtue and Citizenship
Service Areas: Human Services
Materials Needed: microcassette recorders (one-time purchase), blank
tapes, batteries, envelopes, stamps, paper, access to computers,
digital camera (optional), computer printer, ink and cds (optional)
Total Cost of Project: varies greatly
Time Needed for Project: 2.5 months
Time Needed for Teacher Preparation: varies by project stage
Experience Needed in CE: little
Experience Needed in SL: little
Service Learning Project:
During a semester-long project, students will contact adult citizens
in their communities. In an effort to learn about good character,
citizenship, and respect, students will invite local community
members to their school. After formulating appropriate questions,
students will interview these adult citizens. Then they will cooperatively
create a well-written document which notes the accomplishments
and contributions these individuals have made and continue to
make to the community. The written document will be distributed
to senior centers, local archivists, local historical societies,
veteran organizations, legions, local government agencies and
schools.
Goals and Objectives
Academic
Learning Goal: Students will list, understand, and appreciate
contributions made by local adult citizens.
Standard: Social Studies #1 and #5
Learning Goal: Students will demonstrate effective interviewing
and writing skills.
Standard: ELA #1 & #4
Service
Community need: Community’s lack of acknowledgement and
knowledge of the contribution and dedication of its members.
Possible Community Partners: senior centers, local archivists,
local historical societies, veteran organizations, legions, local
government officials and organizations
Objective: Students will create a written document highlighting
the contributions and dedication of community members.
Objective: Students will increase the public’s awareness
of the contributions made by local adult citizens.
Character
Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship
Objective: Students will understand the importance of the adults’
roles as citizens of their community and share this understanding
with others.
Virtue: Respect
Objective: Students will gain respect for adult citizens by valuing
and appreciating the role they have played in shaping the community.
Key Activities
Key Planning Activities
1. Students, parents, and educators will brainstorm
a variety of local organizations where they can contact adult
citizens.
2. Students will develop a list of interview questions. Questions
should provide opportunities for adults to share life experiences,
accomplishments, and changes within the community.
Key Service Activities
1. Students will interview a local adult citizen. (A local community
member such as a newspaper reporter or the school district’s
personnel administrator could be invited in to discuss interviewing
techniques.)
2. Students will listen to cassette recordings of the community
members’ interviews while taking notes.
3. Interviewers and interviewees will cooperatively refine responses
into a well-written document portraying the citizens’ lives.
4. Using their notes and other sources of information, such as
the local newspaper, students will write biographies about these
community members.’ The writing process will be utilized,
especially peer editing and revising.
5. Students will put the well-written documents into an attractive
format for distribution and display in the community’s schools,
libraries, historical society, and various government agencies.
6. Students will present these biographies to the interviewed
community members, as well as parents and other local members
of the community. At the presentation ceremony, students will
prepare a short speech that will introduce each community member
and invite him or her to receive a copy of the biographies.
7. During the project, when local community members visit the
school, students will take them on a brief tour, highlighting
school activities and students’ work.
Key Reflection Activities
1. (oral) Pre-Activity: Students will brainstorm a list of ways
to show respect to adults. (Teachers can pose the following scenarios:
What if the adult cannot hear you? What if you cannot understand
the adult because they are speaking too quickly? What should you
do if they cannot answer a question? Etc.)
2. (written) Pre-Activity: Students will write a brief response
to the question: What role do adult citizens play in our community?
Post-Activity: How do you think children will view you as an adult
citizen? Post-Activity: How is your life been impacted by the
accomplishments of these adults?
3. (written) Students can write poetry and/or letters to the community’s
newspaper editor about the individuals they have worked with.
4. (written) Students will write letters as if they are community
members. They letters will be addressed to students and express
how the community members felt about the project.
5. (performance) Students will perform a skit of a scene depicting
activities that the community member would be involved in.
6. (performance) Students will draw a picture of the shoes that
their community member would most likely wear. Then standing on
those shoes, students will address their classmates as if they
were the community member. (Students could also write a paragraph
using the community member’s point of view.)
7. (performance) Students will draw a picture depicting the adult
they interviewed during a time period of their life.
8. (oral/written/performance) Students can create analogies, similes,
and metaphors about the lives of the community members. These
can be shared orally, in written form, or artistically.
9. (performance) Students can design a symbol that represents
a community member.
10. (oral/written performance) Students can choose a significant
statement made by the community members they interviewed. The
class can then listen to this statement by using the cassette
recording of the interview. Each student can reflect upon that
statement’s meaning in his or her life. This activity can
be repeated numerous times using multiple quotes from individuals.
Demonstration Activity
Service Learning Presentation Local community members, school
personnel, and parents will be present. The celebration will include
students introducing the adults they interviewed and reading an
excerpt from the written document created after the interview.
The students should acknowledge what they learned throughout this
experience and what was most interesting. They should also share
the advice that the community members offered. All adults present
will receive a copy of the document. Copies of the newsletter
may also be made available on cds at the celebration and a link
to the newsletter will be placed on the district’s website.
At the conclusion, while refreshments are being served, the community
members, school members, and parents will have a chance to meet
and also view student work throughout the school building.
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