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
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
Kayla Pohl and Susan Wells—Kindergarten Dames Ferry Elementary
Grade level: Kindergarten
Content-learning about: writing letters/cards, money/giving, character education, health, community helpers
Service Need: Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children ages 0-20 in America, yet research for pediatric cancer is under-funded up to $30 million a year. Childhood cancer is different than adult cancer and thus requires different research. Many children going through cancer treatment need encouragement and support from children their own age. The Rally Foundation is a national non-profit organization that raises money for childhood cancer research and also supports specific children going through cancer treatment.
Service Idea: Students will write and make “thinking of you” cards for Rally children going through cancer treatment. They also will help raise money for the Rally Foundation to support childhood cancer research by participating in a program 4 Quarters 4 Research.
Preparation: Students will learn about childhood cancer and how to help support those going through it. We will have class discussions and read books about helping others in need.
Action: Students will make the encouragement “thinking of you” cards for specific Rally Children. They will take a 4 Quarters 4 Research bag home to raise money for childhood cancer research.
Reflection: We will graph the amount of money that comes in between the two kindergarten classes to see how much we raise over the period of 2 weeks. We also will have a group discussion on how the service learning has affected the students in our classrooms.
Demonstration: Students will be making “thinking of you” cards for the children, raising money, graphing their progress
Youth Voice and Choice:The students are the ones earning the money by taking the baggies home to their families. They will also be the ones making the “thinking of you” cards.
Curricular Connections:
English/Language Arts:
ELAKR6 The student gains meaning from orally presented text. The student
a. Listens to and reads a variety of literary (e.g., short stories, poems) and informational texts and materials to gain knowledge and for pleasure.
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.
The student produces a persuasive piece that:
a. States an opinion.
b. May use words, illustrations, or graphics to support an opinion.
c. Begins to use formats appropriate to the genre (letter, poster).
d. May include describing words.
Mathematics: Graph the progress as the students earn money and learn the coin values.
MKN1. Students will connect numerals to the quantities they represent.
h. Identify coins by name and value (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter).
i. Count out pennies to buy items that together cost less than 30 cents.
j. Make fair trades using combinations involving pennies and nickels and pennies and dimes.
MKD1. Students will pose information questions, collect data, organize, and
display results using objects, pictures, and picture graphs.
Science: health
Social Studies: Character Education, Community Helpers
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.
SSKE1 The student will describe the work that people do (police officer, fire fighter, soldier, mail carrier, baker, farmer, doctor, and teacher).
Skill and Development: counting money, graphing, writing a letter
Books: Can I Catch Cancer? By Cristine Thomas
Chemo Girl by Christina Richmond
H is for Hair Fairy by Kim Martin
Butterfly kisses and Wishes on Wings by Ellen McVicker
Grade Level: 1st grade Content: Children in need Service Needed: Families lost everything due to the earthquake in Haiti. Children were left without families and belongings. Children in Georgia also have needs such as children in hospitals,children involved in car accidents, and children involved in the DFACS. Service Idea: We will have students collect stuffed animals for children in need in these different areas. This service learning project was approved by the principal at Midway Elementary School. Preparation: Students will learn about children in need around the world, relating it back to their town. A letter will be sent home to all students in the school about sending/donating stuffed animals for children in need. First grade students announced the service learning project on the morning announcements. Students will have to the beginning of Apirl to bring these stuffed animals in. We will be sending these off to different places that need them. Reflection:Students are writing letters based on the information and pictures we showed them of children in need. This letters will be given along with the stuffed animals to different places. Demonstration: Students will have a chance to create a card for children that are receiving these different animals. Curriculum Connections:English/ Language Arts: Letter writing \ Social Studies:Map study Skill Development: Writing and Map skills Standard Used: SS1G2,SS1G3, ELAW1, ELA1R1 Community Contacts:1st Baptist Church in Covington, Georgia, Newton County DFACS, and The Covington Police Depart.
SERVICE NEED: There is a pile of woodchips on the playground. The students cannot play on the playground for several days after it rains because of the mud. If the students spread the woodchips, the pile would be out of the way and the students could play more quickly after rain showers.
SERVICE IDEA: Serve the school community by making the playground more usable.
PREPARATION: Students will listen to books about character traits such as courtesy, respect, pride, and accomplishment. We will talk about the cause of the mud and the effect that spreading the wood chips will have on the playground.
ACTION: Students will carry small buckets full of woodchips to the playground areas and pour the woodchips where they are needed. An adult will fill the buckets with woodchips and two adults will be directing students to make sure the woodchips are poured in the proper places.
REFLECTION: Students will journal about what they did to help the school, how it benefited other people, and how they feel as a result of their work.
DEMONSTRATION: We will ask the newspaper to come take photographs of the students working and get comments from some of the students.
YOUTH VOICE AND CHOICE: Students will discuss other actions that they could take to improve playground usability.
CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS:
English/Language Arts: Students will write journals after completion of service learning.
ELAKR6.a, g, h
ELAKW1.a, b, c, d, e
ELAKW2.a, b, c, d, e (for narrative)
ELAKLSV1.b, f, g
Social Studies: Students will learn about several character traits.
SSKCG2
Science: Students will discuss the effects of the rain on the dirt and the woodchips.
SKCS1.a
SKP1.a, b
Other: Because students will be walking to move the woodchips, they will work their gross motor skills.
PEK1.a, b
SKILL DEVELOPMENT:
Writing narratives
Determine cause and effect
Demonstrating positive character traits
BOOKS:
The Little Red Hen
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Cherries and Cherry Pits by Vera Williams
Community Contacts: Union Recorder
______________________________________________
Photographs of Wet Playground: It rained for three days straight, then was sunny for three days prior to these photographs.
Evidence of Approval
Evidence of implementation
Evidence of Student Reflection
CM reflects: "We helped the school by picking up the woodchips."
D.D. reflects: "This is me going to get some more woodships. Miss Bales, I thought it was a good thing to do."
M.W. reflects: "Yesterday we put a lot of woodhips on the playground and hopefully the woodchips will cover the dirt."
Service Learning has become an important way of community building. Many service learning projects that we have heard about are often with older students, yet elementary age students are capable of meaningful service learning, too. This blog has been developed initially for students completing their final internship in the Early Childhood Education Cohort at Georgia College & State University to chronicle the projects that their elementary age students participate in. As educators, we have a responsibility to advocate for developmentally appropriate pedagogy and our students - this blog is also meant as a vehicle to advocate for and educate others about the benefits of service learning with younger students.
