Learning to Give
Create a Volunteer Spirit
Motivate young citizens to make a positive difference through volunteering. Scholars examine the local and school community to discover ways the class, as a whole, can volunteer their time to help one or the other, then reflect on their...
Curated OER
Woof! Woof! At Your Service
First graders study goods and services. In this economics lesson, 1st graders discuss the goods and services one could encounter in different places, for example the goods and services at a kennel.
Curated OER
Bible Lesson
Take a creative approach to teaching about community in a religious context. Learners read Acts 2:42-47 and choose the verse they feel exemplify the importance of community. They then pair share, write journal responses, and then...
Curated OER
We Are All Pieces of the Puzzle
Seventh graders are shown a small puzzle. They are explained that without all the pieces, a puzzle is not complete. Students are explained that the same principle applies to the world of work. They are also explained that each person who...
Curated OER
"Our Community Helpers"
Pupils define the term community. They list many, varied, and unusual jobs (careers) that people might have in our Communities. Students identify the purpose of the work done by their parents-either in the home, or outside of the home....
Curated OER
How Can Clear of Tress Destroy a Community?
Fifth graders brainstorm the relationship between trees and humans to determine how humans benefit from trees and how they benefit from us. They discuss oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, soil stablization, animal habitat, shade, medicine...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Can You Lend a Helping Hand?
Lend a helping hand! Scholars learn all about volunteering, viewing a PowerPoint presentation, completing a KWL chart, and discussing a service learning quote with a partner. Next, pupils select a volunteer project to complete.
Curated OER
Aluminum Can Drive
Second graders complete a recycling project to clean-up their school. In this service project lesson, 2nd graders assess their campus for litter, set up a recycling project, clean up their campus, and recycle the trash. Students also...
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
RETHINK: Bullying Prevention Curriculum
Adopt a school-wide approach to bullying prevention guided by a program packet that is designed to engage the full school, families, and the entire community. Participants are asked to consider the roles power, control, and privilege...
Advocates for Human Rights
A Teaching Guide on Local and Global Transitional Justice
The Road to Peace introduces learners to the concept of transitional justice, a process where nations examine the causes of conflict, identify abuses, and use this information to develop a plan to transition to a society that upholds...
Advocates for Human Rights
Creating a Welcoming School and Community
The final activity in a unit study of immigration and human rights asks class members to design a project for their school that builds support for immigrant classmates. To prepare for this project, individuals use what they have learned...
Newseum
Civil Rights: Your Stories of Change
Young activists examine local civil rights issues presented in news media sites to determine what elements make these stories attention-grabbing and trustworthy. Using this information and their worksheets from the first two lessons in...
Curated OER
What Can I Do?
Students implement a volunteer plan. In this philanthropy lesson, students discuss the needs of their community and list possible ways to improve their community. Students develop a plan to volunteer their time in their community.
Curated OER
Stick Your Neck Out
Students research stories of teens who care using a website embedded in the lesson. In this character education lesson, students read about students who performed philanthropic acts and discuss the projects that most influenced them.
Curated OER
Altruism: Meeting Society's Needs
Students study society's needs and altruism within communities. In this altruism lesson, students identify and categorize the basic needs that human beings have and define altruism. Students complete research on altruistic organizations...
Curated OER
I Am Who We Are
Learners explore the concept of philanthropy and identify specific acts of philanthropy that have affected them personally. They plan and carry out acts of philanthropy focusing on giving back to their community.
Curated OER
Everyday Courage
Sixth graders compare scenarios about courage. In this character education instructional activity, 6th graders discover what it means to be brave. Students analyze scenarios and determine if courage was necessary.
Council for Economic Education
Teaching Economics Using Children's Literature
Introduce young learners to the subject of economics using their favorite stories and books. Including 24 separate lessons, this guide covers economic principles such as trade, scarcity, consumer goods and services, renewable and...
Skyscraper Museum
Designing a Skyscraper
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second lesson in this series begins by exploring the history of the Empire State...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Once the Magnolia has Blossomed" by Ed Roberson
A free write, an image of magnolia leaves, and the Ed Roberson's poem "Once the Magnolia has Blossomed" ask scholars to use their noticing skills to reflect on the lesson plan beauty teaches about loss and grief.
University of Maine
Stress Less — Teen Stress Management
The second lesson plan in the Healthy Living series looks at stress management and provides teens with tools and coping strategies.
University of Maine
Don’t Fall Into the Thinking Trap
The final lesson in a three-part healthy living series has class members examine five thinking traps that distort how they perceive themselves and/or situations. They also learn strategies that help stop the downward spiral and get them...
K20 LEARN
Conflict And Choice In Tangerine: Character Development
Introduce middle schoolers to Edward Bloor's novel Tangerine with a lesson plan that asks scholars to make predictions about events in the novel based on an article written by the Smoop Editorial team. Predictions are posted in the...
Curated OER
Community Helpers
Students brainstorm jobs that are a part of their community and decide whether or not the jobs are "for profit" or "not-for-profit." They draw a person doing his/her job and include the correct uniform, tools, etc. that the person would...