Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE
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Purpose:
Duration:
One Fifty-Minute Class Period
Objectives:
The learner will:
- brainstorm a list of philanthropists from history (including current history).
- choose a philanthropist from the past and, following a list of basic requirements, write a formal letter to that person.
Materials:
- A good working definition of "philanthropy" and "philanthropist" (See www.learningtogive.org)
- Letter Requirements (Attachment One)
- List of Philanthropists from History (Attachment Two)
- Sample Letter (Attachment Three)
Instructional Procedure(s):
- Anticipatory Set:
The teacher writes the word "philanthropist" on the board or overhead, then asks students what it means (accepting all basically correct answers and writing them under the word "philanthropist"). With four or five definitions on the board, the class decides on its "working definition" and writes it down in their notebooks. Compare this with the definition of philanthropist and philanthropy found on the www.learningtogive.org Web site (click on "Resource Room" and "Vocabulary"). Adjust the class definition if needed. If it doesn't come up, make sure students understand that "philanthropist" and "celebrity" are not synonymous.
- When the class has a definition of "philanthropist" ask for the name of someone they think is a philanthropist. Brainstorm a list of philanthropists (either from history or the current time), writing the names the class suggests on the board. (Hint: make sure to include the names of students themselves.) Write down all the names the students brainstorm. Set a time limit for this brainstorming activity.
- Begin going through the list, comparing what the students know about the person with the definition of philanthropist. If a person does not fit the class criteria for a philanthropist, erase his/her name. Discuss why each person either stays or goes from the list. At this point, you should distribute List of Philanthropists from History (Attachment Two), if you choose to use it.
- Instruct students to choose a philanthropist about whom they would like to learn more from the handout or the class-generated list. Ask them to write down that person's name. Explain to students that they will be writing a letter to that person. This is to be a formal letter, including proper spelling, grammar, and form. Use Letter Requirements (Attachment One). Discuss standards and requirements, and show Sample Letter (Attachment Three). First draft should be done in class and approved by the teacher.
Assessment:
Informal assessment for participation in brainstorming activity, teacher approval of chosen philanthropist, and teacher approval of the first draft of the letter. (Hint: it is a good idea to keep a list of student choices and participation at this point.)
Bibliographical References:
Learning to Give Web site: http://www.learningtogive.org/
Lesson Developed and Piloted by:
Christine KnappMt. Pleasant Public Schools
Mt. Pleasant High School
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Letter Requirements
Directions: Letters should include the following:(1) A brief introductory paragraph
(2) Questions asking:
(a) In what specific activities the person was involved.
(b) How and why the person became involved.
(c) If the person foresaw the results of his or her involvement.
(d) Were these the results the person originally intended?
(3) A closing thank you
Handout 2Print Handout 2
A Partial List of Philanthropists from History
Dorothy Day
Alexis de Tocqueville
W. E. B. DuBois
Osceola McCarty
Mother Teresa
Madam C. J. Walker
Andrew Carnegie
James Baldwin
Charles Stewart Mott
Jimmy Carter
Carrie Chapman Catt
Susan B. Anthony
Dorothea Dix
Frederick Douglass
Father Divine
William Lloyd Garrison
Robert F. Kennedy
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
Horace Mann
Thomas Paine
Alice Paul
Ralph Nader
Lucretia Mott
A. Philip Randolph
Eleanor Roosevelt
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Sojourner Truth
Harriet Tubman
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Handout 3Print Handout 3
Sample Letter
(Current Date)Dear Dr. King,
I am a tenth grade student at Mt. Pleasant High School. We are studying the history of philanthropy in my Social Studies class. Your name was included on a list of philanthropists we brainstormed in class. Our assignment today was to write a letter to a philanthropist that we admire, and I chose to write to you.
I would like to ask you a few questions concerning your work in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960's. I am curious to know how you became involved in the civil rights movement. Were there people that influenced your work, or your way of thinking? What did you do, and where did you do most of your work? Your work has had a great influence on people all over the world. Were you aware of the impact you were having on how history would be written because of your work? Was it part of your plan, or did you merely try to correct areas of society without considering the effects in the future?
I hope you will be able to answer these questions, and I thank you for all you have done.
Sincerely,
Unit Contents:
Overview:Dear Philanthropist Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- "Dear Philanthropist"
- 2.
- Research and Development
- 3.
- "I Just Learned About the Coolest Person"
- 4.
- "Dear Young Philanthropist"
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely use this information for nonprofit (noncommercial), educational purposes only. Copyright must be acknowledged on all copies.