What are the social conditions under which an individual realizes his or her full potential as a leader who is willing to take private action for public good?

The students will demonstrate their understanding of private action for public good by developing an interview on a common community theme and interviewing various senior citizens about that theme. The oral histories will then be donated to the local museum.

Anticipatory Set:


A list of the names of all people and concepts discussed in the leadership unit will be put on the board. Volunteers write a one-sentence description next to the name of the person or concept to remind the rest of the class who they were and what contribution they made in taking private action for the common good.

• Students will be working in pairs to review the lives of the people from the various periods to focus on pivotal events, social contributions and personal qualities that contributed to their greatness.
• Each pair of students will present their ideas visually via a poster, and orally to the rest of the class.
• Students will then write a one-page manifesto describing those values that form a basis for their own lives and their own plans for making a contribution to their society.

Students will interview a senior citizen regarding some historical event occurring in the Williamston area and write a summary or prepare an oral history to be donated to the local museum.