Kallie Barber

Grade Level: Third


Content Learning About:
Letter Writing
Writing Thank You Letters
Government
Military
World Issues

Service Need:
Thousands of military men and women have left their families to serve our country both at home and overseas. We need to lift their spirits and let them know that we appreciate the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.

Service Idea:
Write thank you letters to the military. Mail the letters to an army brigade stationed in Afghanistan.

Preparation:
Learn how to write a letter. Learn the components and format that thank you letters have to have. Learn about the military and what purpose they serve in our country.

Action:
Students will write thank you letters and we will mail them to a brigade in the army currently stationed in Afghanistan.

Reflection:
Each day the class will read books and learn more about the function of the military. The students will learn that we have military stationed around the world. As the students learn more each day they will add more to the body of our letter until it is complete.

Demonstration:
Inform students from other classes as well as faculty about what the class did to support our troops and why it is important. Display copies of the letters in the hallway for the school to view.

Youth Voice and Choice:
The students choose what to write about. The students were asked what we could do to support the military and they choose to “write a letter of gratitude”.

Curricular Connections:
English/Language Arts: Write a thank you letter to army troops in Afghanistan.
ELA3C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. The student
a. Correctly identifies and uses subject/verb agreement and adjectives.
b. Identifies and uses nouns (singular, plural, possessive) correctly.
c. Identifies and uses contractions correctly.
d. Identifies and uses personal and possessive pronouns.
e. Speaks and writes in complete and coherent sentences.
f. Identifies and uses increasingly complex sentence structure.
g. Distinguishes between complete and incomplete sentences.
h. Demonstrates knowledge of when to use formal or informal language exchanges (e.g., slang, colloquialisms, idioms).
i. When appropriate, determines the meaning of a word based on how it is used in an orally presented sentence.
j. Uses resources (encyclopedias, Internet, books) to research and share information about a topic.
k. Uses the dictionary and thesaurus to support word choices.
l. Uses common rules of spelling and corrects words using dictionaries and other resources.
m. Uses appropriate capitalization and punctuation (end marks, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks).
ELA3W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature.
b. Sustains a focus.
c. Includes the appropriate purpose, expectations, and length for the audience and genre.
h. May include pre-writing.
i. May include a revised and edited draft

Social Studies: Learning about the military and what branch of the government they are under and what they do for our country. We will view where are letters are going on a map.
SS3CG1 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that provide the foundation of a republican form of government.
a. Explain why in the United States there is a separation of power between branches of government and levels of government.
b. Name the three levels of government (national, state, local) and the three branches in each (executive, legislative, judicial), including the names of the legislative branch (Congress, General Assembly, county commission or city council).
c. State an example of the responsibilities of each level and branch of government.

Math: Estimate how many stamps we will need for our letters to get to Afghanistan.
M3P4. Students will make connections among mathematical ideas and to other disciplines.
c. Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.

Art: Drawing pictures with the letters to send to the troops.

Skill Development:
• Letter writing
• Paragraph construction
• Subject verb agreement
• Conventions of writing
• Sentence structure

Books
My Dad’s a Hero by Rebecca Christiansen and Jewel Armstrong
I Miss You!: A Military Kid’s Book About Deployment

Community Contacts:
Brian and Kendra McClery (deployed army soldier and his wife)
Student’s Families

Beading for Relay For Life

Ari Grantham- Service Learning

Planning for Service Learning
Early Learning Center

Grade Level: Pre-K

Content-learning about:
Social Studies
Being a good citizen /helping others
Working on small muscle control
Math (patterning)
Colors


Service Need:
Many people in not only our community but all over the world are affected by cancer. Money needs to be raised to assist in funding the different cancer treatment facilities and research. Relay for Life is a community event that tries to raise money for that very thing.


Service Idea:
The students will make beaded key chains varying in color so that the key chains could relate to certain cancers. They will be in certain patters, abc, ab, aab, etc.

Preparation:
The teacher gathered materials and tied the string onto the key ring. The teacher will talk to the students about cancer and use books to point to the different pictures of not only adults that have cancer but children who also have cancer.

Action:

Students will make beaded key chains during one small group. The beads, strings, and key rings will also be out during centers.

Reflection: Students and teachers will talk about what it was like to be helping someone else. They might also discuss someone they know who has/had cancer during their small groups.

Youth Voice and Choice:

The students could chose what color and what pattern they wanted to make. I gave them two or three choices of colors and asked them if they wanted to use purple, survivor, or white to be their other color. In the end, once all of the cancer colors have been covered, they were allowed to bead any colors that they wanted.


Curricular connections:

English/language Arts: The books will be read, looked at, and available in the class library for the students to look at and discuss.

Social Studies: Students will learn that they are helping others and their community.

Creative Development: Students will design their own key rings by choosing their colors and their patters as well as when given the free time to bead whatever they choose

Math: The students will be patterning and counting the beads.

Health: The students will be working on picking up the beads and stringing them onto the key ring. This works their small muscles

Standards adressed: MD2bcd, HPD2abc, LD1d, LD5b, LD5j, CD1abcd, MD1abc


Skill and Development:
Patterning
Small muscle development
Counting

Books:
The Lemonade Brigade by Patricia Polaco
Good Luck, Mrs. KOur Mom Has Cancer by Adrienne Ackermann and Abigail Ackermann
Let's Talk About When Kids Have Cancer
Community Contacts:
GCSU Survivor Buddies

Valentine's Day cards for the elder

Skylar Holder & Stashia Arthur
Valentine's Day cards for the Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation Center

Content: Letter writing, Character Education, being a good citizen, giving back, nursing home.

Service Needed: Wishing the elder a Happy Valentine's Day. All residents of the Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation Center do not have family and/or friends that visit often. Nursing homes are sometimes frogotten about so making the students aware of them will provide community support.

Service Idea: Have students create Valentine's Day cards.

Preparation: Students will learn about nursing homes and how we can help others in need. Students will be prepared by meeting the Activities Director, Sonja Picher, who will explain to the students the purpose of a nursing home, residents, and activities that she plans for the nursing home. Before she arrives, we will discuss Valentine's Day and its purpose. We will also ask the students if they know what a nursing home is and if they have ever visited a nursing home or have a family member in the nursing home. I will then ask the students what we could do for the people in the nursing home.

Action: Read the book Arthur's Valentine by Marc Brown. The students will then create their own Valentine's card for a resident at the Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation Center. The students will decorate their card and write a message in it.

Reflection: Students will view photos of the Valentine's Day cards being delivered to the nursing home. The students will discuss how this project impacted others, good citizenship, and how they feel about their actions. The students will also discuss what they have learned and experienced through the service-learning project.

Demonstration: Students will inform, write and illustrate what they learned through their experience with the nursing home and how it has affected others as well as themselves. The students will also report orally their experience and service to their parents.

Curricular Connections:
English/Language Arts: Listening/Speaking/Viewing- The students demonstrates and understanding of listening, speaking and viewing skills for effective communication. The students listen critically and respondes appropriately to oral communication in a variety of genres and media. The student speaks in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas. (Listening to Activities Director, Sonja Pilcher) (Reflecting and demonstrating information learned from service learning project)
Writing: The student begins to write text that develops a central idea or tells a story. The writing begins to show consideration of the audience and purpose. The student's writing begins to reflect the conventions of written English. (Creation of Valentine's cards)
Comprehension-The student gains meaning from orally presented text. (Arthur's Valentine by Marc Brown)
Art: Creation of cards
Social Studies: Government/Civic Understanding- The student will demonstrate an understanding of good citizenship.

Skill Development: Civic understanding, responsibility, writing/creating cards, purpose and understanding of nursing homes and the residents.

Books: Arthur's Valentine by Marc Brown

Community Contacts: Sonja Pilcher, Activites Director of the Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation Center

Katie and Lindi Care Packages for the Troops

Proposal

Grade Level: 4th
Content: Supporting Troops Overseas
Service Need: Collecting good to send to military forces
Service Idea: Create care packages for overseas military personnel; write letter of support and encouragement
Preparation: Discuss with students the topic of military and maps of Afghanistan; civic service, supporting our country; explain why we are supporting them
Action: Provide students with a list of goods to collect for soldiers. Spend one day writing letters; grouping by class or by last name
Reflection: Response from soldiers (videos, letters); discuss other ways to help around the world
Demonstration: Create flyers to post around the school and community to encourage troop support
Curriculum Connections:
English/ Language Arts: Letter writing
Social Studies/history: Geography, civics
Mathematics: Counting and sorting collected items
Science: Climate of Afghanistan
Skill Development: Organization, Communication (written)
Community Contacts: Local grocery stores or packing stores to donate boxes
Family members who are military-speak to groups of students

Letters were sent home to parents to make them aware of the project.






The students decorated cards to support the troops.











The students also gathered items and packed them to be shipped to Afghanistan.
The students took it as far as they could and hoped it would make it safely.
Our host teachers signing off on our implementation and completion of the project.

Letter Returned from a solider:

From: Christopher Kochert
To: lindi@thebearchells.org
Sent: Sat, April 10, 2010 6:59:22 AM
Subject: the letter to the classes

Dear students,
My name is Specialest Kochert, Christopher L, wanted to take the time to say thank you for the support and the gifts. We really enjoyed the cards and candy that yall sent to us. Gettin support from you guys helps us to drive on to do better at our jobs to make sure you all got yalls freedom. Were over here in Bagram, Afghanistan. Its a mountain dessert where we are at. Mountains surround our base. It gets really hot here in the summer and really cold in the winter. They say that Afghanistan is about the size of texas. The city Kabul is the capital of afghan and its where we are trying to establish the government. Out here is okay however it has its moments but with the support of you all it'll help us to make sure we do a good job and come home safe. Thank yall again for the support and stay in school and learn. Have a wonderful day.

Lacy Ferguson- Relay for Life

Lacy Ferguson- Service Learning

Content- Learning About: Letter Writing, Character Education, Monetary Gifts, Health and Awareness

Service Need: “Relay for Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.” Students will learn the effects of cancer and ways to provide support for cancer patients, and awareness to the school community.

Preparation: Students will learn about cancer and how we can help others in need. Students will be prepared by hearing stories about people who have dealt with this disease.

Action: Students will write friendly letters to pediatric cancer patients at the Macon Medical Center. Students will raise awareness for Relay for Life by placing posters and purple ribbons around Gray Elementary. Students will raise money to support Relay for Life and cancer research through a paw prints fundraiser. Students will sell paw prints that read, “I Support Relay for Life,” for $0.25 each. Paw prints will be placed on a tree in the front lobby of GES. All proceeds will go to Gray Elementary’s Relay for Life team.

Reflection: Students will write about what they have learned and experienced through service learning and Relay for Life.

Demonstration: Students will write a letter to the faculty telling them about their experience with Relay for Life and how it has affected them. They will also thank them for their support in the service that they provided.

Curricular Connections:
English/Language Arts: Letter writing to pediatric cancer patients
Social Studies/History: History of Cancer
Mathematics: Counting money
Science: Causes of cancer and cancer treatment
Art and Music: Creating posters for Relay for Life Awareness
Other: Relay for Life videos

Skill Development: Responsibility and Advocacy

Books: Chemo Girl
Can I Catch Cancer?

Community Contacts: Abby Davidson- Macon Medical Center Children’s Hospital

EYE GLASSES FOR THOSE IN NEED

Planning for Service Learning -(Cherry Roberts)

Midway Elementary

Grade Level: Second Grade

Content-learning about:

Social Studies

Being a good citizen /helping others

Goods and services

Service Need:

Children, as well as adults, in America and in other countries can not afford to buy the glasses they need. This can affect a child's ability to learn in school.

Service Idea:

Collect used eye glasses to donate to the people who can not afford their own.

Preparation:

Teacher added a note to the parent letter sent home each week to let the parents of our students know what service project their children had chosen.

Students composed a letter that was typed, copied and sent home in every behavior folder for every second grade class.

Teacher requested that the principal of the school announce to all students about the eye glass drive.

Students made posters that were put around the school to let other students know what our class was doing.

Action:

Students will collect used eye glasses from home or family members and bring to school for donation.

Reflection: Students will talk about how they feel about helping others and how they can continue helping others as they grow into responsible adults.

Youth Voice and Choice:

The students chose this as a project from a list of five ideas that were initially proposed.

Curricular connections:

English/language Arts: Students will design and create their own awareness posters to be placed around the school. Students composed letter to be sent home to parents.

Social Studies: Students will learn that some people do not have the money to buy the things they need.

Art: Students will design their own posters to raise awareness for the eye glass drive

Standards adressed: SS2E2, SS2E3, SS2CG3

Skill and Development:

Working as a team to reach a goal
Graphing
Composing and creating awareness posters and letters

Community Contacts:

Milledgeville Lion's Club

Cathy's Eyecare in Milledgeville, Georgia

Supporting our Troops - Letters and Carepackages for Soldiers

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Content - Learning About:
American Symbols, Citizenship, Writing Letters

Service Need: There are citizens just like us who are fighting to keep our freedom and allow us to live in a place that remains free. It is important to show how much we care for these people and show them how vital they are.


Service Idea: Write letters and create care packages for soldiers overseas to enjoy

Preparation:
Study American symbols as well as the importance of being a good citizen and helping others. Speak to students about soldiers, what they do and why they are important.

Action:
Students and families will bring in various items from the list of needs that soldiers have provided in Parent Newsletter. Students will also write letters of appreciation to the soldiers to be included in the care packages.

Reflection:
Class will discuss their actions after the completion of the project and the care packages are made. How do they feel, what else could they do, how could they encourage other students/families to become involved.

Demonstration:
Students report their experiences to other students/families/faculty

Youth Voice and Choice:
The students are choosing what to write as well as other ways to help soldiers and their families.



Curricular Connections:

ELAKW1 The student begins to understand the principles of writing. The student
a. Writes or dictates to describe familiar persons, places, objects, or experiences.
b. Uses drawings, letters, and phonetically spelled words to create meaning.
c. Accurately prints name, all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, and
teacher-selected words.
d. Uses left-to-right pattern of writing.
e. Begins to use capitalization at the beginning of sentences and punctuation
(periods and question marks) at the end of sentences.

SSKG2 The student will explain that a map is a drawing of a place and a globe is a model of the Earth.
a. Differentiate land and water features on simple maps and globes.
b. Explain that maps and globes show a view from above.
c. Explain that maps and globes show features in a smaller size.

SSKCG2 The student will retell stories that illustrate positive character traits and will explain how the people in the stories show the qualities of honesty, patriotism, loyalty, courtesy, respect, truth, pride, self-control, moderation, and accomplishment.



Skill Development:
Letter Writing
Sentence Structure
Handwriting Skills

Books:
Soldier by Simon Adams
Daddy is a Soldier by Kristen Hallowell
A Paper Hug by Stephanie Skolmoski

Community Contacts:
AnySoldier.com
Families of Students