Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Purpose:
This lesson will give students an understanding of the importance of nonprofit organizations, specifically their influence on the development of the environmental movement in the 1960s and how they have changed our perceptions of environmental problems today. Students will also learn how to evaluate a nonprofit organization and make consumer decisions on whether or not they as individuals should/will support these organizations.
Duration:
Three to Five Fifty-Minute Class Periods
Objectives:
The learner will:
- identify environmental problems addressed by environmental activists in the 1960s and 1990s.
- research and evaluate an environmental organization.
- draw conclusions and present information to a group.
Materials:
- Nonprofit Environmental Organization Research Project (see Attachment One)
- Notes on Nonprofit Environmental Groups (see Attachment Two)
- Presentation Grading Rubric (see Attachment Three)
- Research Paper Grading Rubric (see Attachment Four)
- Choosing an Environmental Group to Support (see Attachment Five)
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Ask students, "Do you believe that you should be concerned with environmental problems today? Why or why not?" Ask students to write their response in their journals.
- Discuss student opinions and lead the discussion into the 1960's and how the environment became a concern for young people of that age. Direct students to the section on "the 1960's and the environment" in a history text book. If it was not previously assigned, have students read the section.
- Ask students to identify some of the problems faced by our nation concerning the environment in the 1960's. As students begin to list the problems, write them on either the board or an overhead. Then ask students if they think these problems have been solved. Cross off any from the list that have been solved. Ask students what new problems exist and begin listing those.
- Ask students to think back to the previous lesson where they researched various organizations that were formed to help solve the problems. In a new list write those names down. Have students list groups that work to solve environmental problems locally, nationally and internationally.
- Distribute copies of Nonprofit Environmental Organization Research Project (see Attachment One) to students and describe the assignment. In groups of four, they will be researching an environmental group. Their final goal is to present the information about the group, evaluate it and recommend whether or not they would support this organization monetarily or by volunteering their time. Share the research paper and presentation rubrics (see Attachments Three and Four) with students at this time to reinforce the importance of including all the required items.
- Divide students into groups of four. Direct the students to choose an environmental group of interest to them. They may use the class generated list or go to the following Web site which is a main search engine for environmental groups: www.webdirectory.com/. Remind students that they must research a nonprofit group. They could choose the Nature Conservancy or Greenpeace, but if any of their members did either of these organizations in the last lesson, they will not be eligible to do so again.
- Give students a few days to complete their research, write their research papers, and prepare their presentations.
- After sufficient time students should make their presentations to the class. Have students take notes using multiple copies of Notes on Nonprofit Environmental Groups (see Attachment Two). Grade the presentations using Presentation Grading Rubric (see Attachment Three). Grade the research papers using Research Paper Grading Rubric (see Attachment Four).
- After the presentations are completed, discuss with students how they could apply the skills used in assessing the environmental groups in researching other nonprofits that they might be interested in supporting in the future.
- Using Choosing an Environmental Group to Support (see Attachment Five) have the students choose which of the organizations they would choose to support and why.
Assessment:
Students may be assessed on presentations, research papers and on the form they complete selecting an environmental nonprofit organization to support.
Cross-Curriculum Extensions:
- The teacher may use Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (ISBN: 0395683297) to introduce the environmental problems of the 1960's.
- Students could use the completed research to implement a service learning project on Earth Day, using the focus of one of the environmental groups.
- The class could turn to their local Community Foundation for financial support in having start up capital to be used towards a fundraiser to support the environmental organization of their choice.
Lesson Developed By:
Gita GemutsJackson Public Schools
Jackson High School
Jackson, MI 49201
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Nonprofit Environmental Organization Research Project
Student checklist
______ 1. Choose a nonprofit environmental organization. Group chosen____________________________________________
______ 2. Research the group.
______ 3. Write a three to four page paper answering the required questions in detail.
______ 4. Create a visual aid for your presentation.
______ 5. Prepare your presentation.
Presentation Due Date: ______________
1. Choose a nonprofit environmental organization.
- Your group should take the first day of research time and choose an environmental group to research. If your group does not like any of the groups on the list brainstormed by the class, check out the following Internet site: www.webdirectory.com/. This site is a general search engine for environmental groups.
- Once your group has chosen an organization, meet with your teacher to check if anyone else has already chosen that group and make sure that no one else can select your organization. Have a back-up ready.
- If you cannot agree upon a group, see the teacher.
2. Research the group.
- Your most efficient resource for the majority of the environmental organizations is the Internet.
- If your organization is older (circa 1960's) you may also find information in the SIRS catalogs as well as other books about the environment that can be found in the library. You may also find your organization mentioned in the encyclopedia.
3. Write a three to four page paper answering the required questions in detail. In a well organized and neatly written three to four page paper, describe your environmental organization. You must answer the following questions in order to receive full credit for your paper. (Hint: Use the questions as sections in your paper.)
- What is the mission and/or goal of the organization?
- Do the goals of this organization meet a need in society today? Why or why not?
- What is the history of the organization: when was it founded? Where? By whom? Why was it started?
- What are some of the accomplishments of the organization over the years? What are its future goals?
- What kind of membership does it have: How many members? What type of people support the group and why? · What is the budget of the organization? (This can be found on the Web sites of many organizations or go to the following Web sites: www.guidestar.org , www.nccs.urban.org , www.gvsu.edu/philanthropy/ .)
- What amount of their budget is brought in by donations?
- What percentage of their money goes directly to the goals of organization (after administrative costs)?
- Based on the information your group found, would your group members support this organization if you had the economic means or time to volunteer? Why or why not?
4. Create a visual aid for presentation.
Create a visual aid to use with your presentation that will show the goals of your organization while also displaying many of the aspects discussed in your paper.
5. Prepare your presentation.
Prepare your presentation so that you can present the information in no less than 10 minutes and no more than 15 minutes. Your entire group should be active participants in the presentation. Your presentation should be engaging and students listening should be able to easily take notes on the information presented.
At any time while preparing for this paper and presentation, if something is unclear, make sure you speak to your teacher for clarification or help in finding the information.
Handout 2Print Handout 2
Notes on Nonprofit Environmental Groups
Directions: Fill in the categories using information provided in the presentations.
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Organizations |
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Mission and/or goals
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Meet a need in society today? Why?
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History of the Organization
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Accomplishments
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Membership information
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Organization's budget |
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How much money is brought in by donations? |
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Percentage of money that is used for its mission |
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Does the group recommend support of this organization? |
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Why / why not? |
Handout 3Print Handout 3
Presentation Grading Rubric
Content
All the required information was presented.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Students were knowledgeable about the organization.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Research was completed well.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
The final decision for support or non support of the organization was well justified.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Information was accurate.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Presentation
The presentation was well organized.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
There was a creative/good presentation style.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
All group members participated.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
A visual aid was prepared and used well.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Presenters answered questions well.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Total:______/100
Additional comments:
Handout 4Print Handout 4
Research Paper Grading Rubric
Mission and goals
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Do the goals still meet a need in society today? Why or why not?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
History of the Organization
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Accomplishments
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Membership information:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Organization's budget, $ brought in by donations, % used for mission and goals >/p>
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Justification of support or non support
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
The group worked well together in the preparation of the project.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
The paper was neatly prepared.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Information was well researched.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
The paper is the correct length and well organized.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ______/10
Total: ______/100
Additional comments:
Handout 5Print Handout 5
Choosing an Environmental Group to Support
Directions: After having heard all the presentations you should have knowledge about six to nine environmental groups of either local, national or international origin. From your notes and your own opinions, choose one group that you, as a consumer, would choose to support monetarily.
1. The group that I would choose to support is ___________________________________
2. I would choose to support this group because (include goals, missions, accomplishments and budgetary histories as support for your decision):
3. I would also support this group because I believe that:
4. I would be willing to support this group by:
Unit Contents:
Overview:Environmental Groups and the Three Economic Sectors Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Identify the Three Economic Sectors
- 2.
- Match the Environmental Group with the Correct Sector
- 3.
- Nonprofit Environmental Groups
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