Students establish a relationship with a group outside their classroom with whom they share their message of "believe in yourself." They make a presentation, read with a buddy from the other group, and talk about what they are each good at. Extend the relationship by planning some ongoing activities.

Anticipatory Set:

Tell the students that they are going to meet with another community of people (describe the group with whom they will be meeting) and teach them about Buzzy and the message of "believing in yourself." Discuss the message of Buzzy the Bumblebee.

• Prepare students for the experience by talking about the group (for example, discuss sensitivity issues related to the people in a retirement facility).
  
  
• Discuss appropriate "BEE-havior."
  
  
• Outline the procedure you have planned for them. (Or ask them to help you plan the presentation.) Suggested procedure:

1. Students and buddies introduce themselves and decide how they should address each other.
2. Students tell the buddy about the beginning, middle and ending of Buzzy the Bumblebee. (They may bring their drawings from Lesson One: What’s All the Buzz About?)
3. Student and buddy talk about what it means to believe in yourself. Then, they talk about things they are each good at.
4. Students share their favorite book with the buddy. Student can read to buddy, the buddy can read to student, or they can simply talk about the story.

• Model the procedure for the students.
  
  
• Run through the performance of the Buzzy song and have students pair up to practice the planned procedure.

At the Event:

• Each student should bring the following items to the meeting with the other "community:" bee headband, a favorite book and drawings from Lesson One: What’s All the Buzz About?
  
  
• Teacher: Give a brief introduction to audience. Explain who you are, state the goals of the meeting (hang up the prepared poster as a guide), and thank the audience for their participation in your project. Then introduce the students and the name of the song they will sing.
  
  
• Students: Perform "Buzzy the Bumblebee" song to the audience while wearing bee headbands.
  
  
• Pair each student with community buddy. The students follow the planned procedure.
  
  
• Teacher: Thank the group for their participation and talk about future plans to get together, if applicable. Optional: share a snack/beverage with the other group.

Upon Returning to School:

• Reflect on what happened in the buddy community. Ask students to tell in their own words what happened with their buddies. Ask students how it made them feel to perform their song for others and read, talk and interact with their buddies. Ask students to share stories of things they learned with their buddies.
  
  
• Discuss how students were philanthropists during this buddy meeting. How did they use their time, talent and treasure in the community? Talk about how it made them feel. Did it increase their belief in themselves?
  
  
• Brainstorm other ideas of how they could use more of their time, talent and treasure either at the same place or in other locations.
  
  
• Work together to create thank-you notes (or a thank you sign or poster) to send to the place you visited.

Have students write about their service learning experience in the form of a letter to parents, relatives or friends at home.

Brennan-Nelson, Denise. Buzzy the Bumblebee. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2003. ISBN: 1886947821