These Learning Links provide ten quick-and-easy, five-minute mini-lessons to promote student thought and dialogue about service and civic engagement. You may use as many of them as you wish, and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the common good) and to reinforce the lesson focus. These Learning Links also promote the development of character traits, civic engagement, and student leadership. As appropriate to your grade level, it is recommended that students play an active leadership role in presenting these mini-lessons to their classmates.

1. Read:  Motivation is defined as something that incites or has a tendency to incite a determination or action: something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act. Coaching is all about motivation. Observe in any locker room prior to a big game and one will get a first-hand look at how coaches differ in their efforts to motivate their athletes to perform at their very best. Some coaches are considered screamers! They tend to think that to get their athletes “up for the game”, they need to crescendo their voices up to a fever pitch. Other coaches tend to be quiet, giving their team an opportunity to personally reflect on the up-coming game and the role that they would hope to play in it. Others tend to limit their pre-game activity to last minute instructions and reminders, sending their athletes from the locker room with a slightly above normal voiced  “Let’s go get ‘em” admonition. Athletes respond differently to these strategies. For example, some athletes love all the hype while others prefer playing their own mental pre-game. But one thing every coach knows, no matter how he or she approaches that “last minute” pregame strategy, what is going on in the heads and hearts of his/her athletes at that very moment is what will determine how the game is played.
   
   Discuss: As we plan for our Penny Drive, are there some motivation strategies we should try? Why might it be important to utilize a variety of strategies? How can we best appeal to the heads and hearts of our peers so as to incite them to participate with us in this event?
   
    
2. Read: Each year the Beeville High School student body participates in a candy sale fund raiser during the Holiday Season to help support their end-of-year class trip to Washington DC. They also donate 10% of the profits they make from the sale to a local charity that buys and wraps gifts for children in the town’s hospital recovering from or awaiting major surgery. It is expected that parents and family members will help their kids sell, but it seems that more and more parents and family members are opting to donate money to this cause rather than have to help their kids out on the street selling candy door-to-door.
   
   Discuss: Why might it be easier for some people to donate money than to give of their time to help raise money? In what ways might our Penny Drive event be easier than selling something door-to-door to raise funds? Some might say that “just giving money” is not really as meaningful as the giving of one’s time to a worthy cause. Do you agree? If so, why and if not, why not?
   
    
3. Read: In 1977, 15 year old Rick Hoyt heard about a footrace to benefit a lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Rick asked his dad if he could participate in the race. His dad wasn’t much of a runner but he knew that this meant a lot to Rick. You see Rick was born with cerebral palsy and unable to speak or control his limbs. He used a head controlled computer voice synthesizer to communicate. His dad would need to agree to the race because Rick needed someone to push him in his wheelchair. In spite of finishing next to last in that race, it spelled the beginning of a strong father son relationship and launched a father-and-son racing team that has been actively involved in fund raising as well as competitive racing. At the age of 45, Rick and his dad raced in their 25th Boston Marathon. In that year they raised a total of $370,000 that was given to Easter Seals in gratitude for assistance programs and camps Rick had attended through the years. Their motto, “There’s no such word as can’t?”
   
   Discuss: Why might people like Rick Hoyt, who would have every reason to sit on the sidelines, get involved in helping others? Why might parents, like Rick Hoyt’s parents support their son or daughter in helping others? How can we encourage others, who find the word “can’t” so easy to use, to participate in our fund Penny Drive?
   
    
4. Read: In the early 1990s both Australia and New Zealand removed their penny coins from circulation. However, In Canada, as elsewhere, the debate still rages over the advantages and disadvantages of keeping pennies in circulation. A law in Canada now states that no one is legally obligated to accept more than 25 pennies at a time. The lowly penny once had its place in our day-to-day lives. For many of our grandparents, finding a penny or two meant  gum at the corner store. But, what will a penny buy now? Unfortunately, not much. In fact one skeptic of the penny says that he feels there are more pennies in Leave-a-Penny trays, water fountains, tin cans, and bedroom piggy banks than in actual circulation. While highly debatable, it does point out that standing alone, about the best we can hope for from a single penny is not much. And yet, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or more of them used together still have very valuable purchasing power. Due to in-kind contributions, it’s possible to serve a meal at a homeless shelter for 25-50 pennies. With 100 pennies Food Share can feed a child for an entire day. So while it may be true standing alone a penny doesn’t make a very big impact, when brought together with other pennies it begins to make a powerful impact.
   
   Discuss: How is our Penny Drive all about not standing alone, but coming together to make a powerful impact? Bill Toomey, the 1968 Olympic decathlon champion is quoted as saying, “There is no one magic move or secret that creates victory, but lots of little items that when added together can make you victorious.” In what ways might this quote and/or this very similar one “Every little bit helps” be good ones for us to use as a motto for our Penny Drive?
   
    
5. Read: If you’ve ever flown in an airplane from Chicago to San Diego or Orlando to Newark or to and from any number of other destinations, chances are you might have flown in an airplane owned and operated by JetBlue. It was the imagination of David Neeleman that fostered the idea of this relatively new and highly successful airline. Mr. Neeleman’s JetBlue was the first to institute the idea of ticketless travel known as e-ticketing. His ideas not only resulted in the creation of jobs, low-cost travel, a unique onboard, satellite-supported entertainment system, but it also became one of the most people friendly places to work one can imagine. One of the many things that contribute to making JetBlue such a people friendly place to work is a disaster relief fund. This fund helps employee’s families who are faced with a sudden death or catastrophic illness of a loved one. Mr. Neeleman donates $1.00 of his salary for every $1.00 any employee puts in the fund.  This is known as an in-kind or a matching funds contribution. “I think it is important that people give a little, “said Neeleman. “I believe that there are irrevocable laws of heaven that when you serve others you get a little buzz.”
   
   Discuss: Mr. Neeleman never went to college and yet he is known as a classic businessman and a man of enormous integrity. Why do you think he felt it important that people give a little? How did he encourage that giving? Do you think that there are people or organizations in our community who might be willing to donate in-kind or matching funds to our Penny Drive? Why might it be important to investigate this possibility? What do you think Mr. Neeleman meant when he said, “When you serve others you get a little buzz?”
   
    
6. Read: Gone Fishin’-This little phrase is often found painted on pieces of drift wood, slabs of cross-cut trees, and even on polished wood. For one thing, it implies that the reason you might not find anyone at home is because they are off doing other things, perhaps even fishing, and don’t really want to be bothered. But to many people in businesses and industries the phrase gone fishin’ now has a different meaning.  In 1998 the film entitled FISH: Catch the Energy, Release the Potential made its debut. In the film, producer John Christensen featured Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Fish Market. He captured and translated into film the idea that even in a workplace where the work is hard and long and doesn’t always smell the best, remarkable results can occur when people act in certain ways. These ways include: 1) being there for each other and others 2) playing/having fun 3) making someone's day 4) choosing an attitude that is creative and positive, even if it all of these things might appear to be a bother.
   
   The FISH Philosophy is all about starting new conversations about what's possible, and developing new attitudes about how you show up in your home, school and community every day of the week! So now when you see or hear the phrase Gone fishin’ it should serve as a reminder of the FISH Philosophy; that there are intentionally positive and creative ways to deal with people and situations and that by releasing our energy in our home, school, and community we capture those opportunities to make the world a better place for everyone.
   
   Discuss:  In what ways might our Penny Drive be considered a way of releasing our energy to do good in our home, school, and community? What new attitudes might we have to develop during this event if it is going to be successful? How will the use of the proceeds from our Penny Drive help make someone else’s day?  What are some things we could do to bring us together as a class/school while also making our Penny Drive fun?
   
    
7. Read: Because finding a penny is sometimes considered lucky, the saying, "Find a penny pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck" came into our folk lore. But did you know that the physical handling and counting of pennies creates what is called transaction costs? These costs are often more than the pennies themselves are worth. While rounding every transaction to five or ten cents makes sense in terms of time and money, still a penny plays an important role in our world’s monetary systems.
   
   As of July of 2007 it was estimated that 301,139,947 people lived in the United States. If each person were to donate one penny to a charitable cause, 3,011,399 dollars would be raised to provide necessary food, shelter, and care for those in need. Imagine if every person in the United States, were to donate ten pennies for a charitable cause. It would raise 30,113,994.70 dollars So a penny, though just a penny, while it may or may not bring “good luck” to someone who finds one, it most certainly will bring “good luck” to cause to which it is donated.
   
   Discuss: In what ways can finding a penny and donating it to a good cause bring us “good luck”? As we consider our Penny Drive, how much money could we raise if every student in our school donated one penny? Ten pennies? One hundred pennies? In what ways might the recipient of our donations be considered “lucky”?
   
    
8. Read: Something new this year is happening at a bank in Fargo, North Dakota. In the past the bank, at the end of the year, would take 5% of its earnings and divide it up among its employees. This year they’ve added a twist. They are giving each full time employee $1,000 and each part time employee $500.00 at year’s end. With over 500 employees the bank is issuing checks totaling $502,000! But there is one condition; it has to be used for people in need. They are calling it a “Pay it Forward” initiative. Instructed that they are not to use the money for themselves, their families, or other bank employees, they must give it away and document it with a video camera. They may give their money to an individual, a cause, or pool their money for a larger donation. Employees will have six months to report back with their good deed video. “We’re going to really see some huge impact on our community,” said the bank’s chief Operating Officer, Michael Solberg.
   
   Discuss: How is our Penny Drive similar to this bank’s “Pay it Forward” initiative? How is it different? Might there be a benefit for us to document our giving of our donations to those who receive it? Why or why not? In what ways might our Penny Drive have an impact on our community?
   
    
9. Read: Points of Light is a foundation that supports the engaging of people and resources more effectively in volunteer service to help solve serious social problems. The activities that this foundation sponsors provide bright spots in the community; activities that highlight and meet human needs and provide solutions that address community problems. One local community uses the Points of Light idea to actually light their Christmas Tree each year. For a specified dollar donation, one light is added to the Christmas tree that stands in the front lawn of its town square. This year it is estimated that 10,000 lights were lit and nearly $100,000 raised and donated for cancer research. Lighting the Christmas Tree in this manner symbolizes a bright spot in this community and highlights the fact that needs are being met.
   
   Discuss: How might we “highlight” our Penny Drive event to serve as both a reminder and a symbol of our combined efforts? In what ways might our Penny Drive provide a bright spot in our school and community? In what ways can we engage our peers and resources more effectively to help support our cause?
   
    
10. Read: During the off-season a high school football team wanted to raise funds to buy new uniforms and equipment. They had tried numerous ways to fund raise but had very little luck with selling pizza, conducting car washes, and things like that. They wanted to do something really different. Something that might get people involved and still be a lot of fun. They did an online investigation of unusual fund raising activities and decided to feature something known as “bovine bingo” (Also known as Cow Patty Bingo, Cow Chip Bingo” Cowpie Bingo and Fertilizer Lottery). For their event “Bovine Bingo” basically involved chalking a grid on their football field, with each grid being assigned a number. People bought grids, sat back and waited. Waited for what I hear you ask…..well, a local farmer supplied a cow, very full of food. The cow was brought to the football field and allowed to roam. Eventually the winner was chosen by the cow, if you get my meaning, and took half the money. The other half of the money was used to purchase the needed football uniforms and equipment of the team. Despite being a bit controversial “bovine bingo” in many rural areas is an annual fundraising event at many fairs and summer events.
    
    Discuss: All sorts of gimmicks and fun things have been used to entice and draw people into participating in fund raisers. Golf outings, kissing a pig, shaving a head, chili bake offs, pie throwing, and dunk tanks are other examples of fun things to draw people’s attention to the event. What fun things could we use to entice others to join us in our Penny Drive? How can our Penny drive be both a way to raise funds as well as a way to build community? What do think needs to happen for our Penny Drive to become an annual event that makes us proud to be a member of our school community?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_bingo
    http://www.everything2.com/
    index.pl?node_id=1095661
     

 

Reflection plays a very important role in promoting student learning. The following suggested activities are ways to help students reflect on their learning after they have participated in a service event.  Choose one or more of the activities most appropriate to the service event and your students.

ACTIVITY ONE:
Have the students write down some of their thoughts and ideas about their involvement in this most recent service project.  Assign them to groups of three or four. Have each group listen to the thoughts and ideas of each of its members.  Using words and phrases representative of the individuals in the group, have each group create a rap, a poem, a song, or a skit that represents the combined thoughts and ideas of the group. Conclude the class with a performance of each composition and a brief discussion of what was learned as a result of these performances. (Note: Groups that perform their composition could be “rewarded/recognized” in some way. An “Oscar” Award could be given to the group whose performance receives the most votes from their classmates, and/or other categorical awards could be given etc.)

ACTIVITY TWO:
Review this service project with the students asking them to share their experiences: what they did, how they felt, and what impact they think they had. When everyone has had an opportunity to contribute to the discussion, share this scenario with the class: An Assistant Principal in another school district is experiencing some frustration over the lack of interest and involvement by the 9th graders in their service projects.  We are being asked, as a class, having been 9th graders last year, if we would discuss what might be done to involve more 9th grade students in upcoming service projects.

Assign students to groups of three and give them a number to represent their group. Have them complete the following work sheet:

GROUP #__________

1. Names of the students in our group
    
2. The problem as we see it.
    
3. Some solutions we have considered.
    
4. The solution that we think might work best and why we think so.

Collect each group’s worksheet. Read these worksheets to the class indicating only the group number. As the students listen to each group’s recommendation/suggestion, have them rank (See Below) each group’s recommendation/suggestion based on how effective their recommendation/suggestion might be in motivating more 9th graders to be involved in service projects.

Solution Ranking	No Way...It’s Possible ...This Will Work
Group 1	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 2	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 3	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 4	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 5	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 6	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 7	0        1       2        3        4        5
Group 8	0        1       2        3        4        5

Tally the results and conclude this reflection with a brief discussion as to why the recommendations/suggestions receiving the most points might be a good way to motivate 9th graders to become involved in service projects.

ACTIVITY THREE:
Ask the students if they have ever seen the TV reality program entitled Extreme Makeover  (A show that features groups of architects, designers, carpenters, decorators and painters selecting a house, usually too small or run down for the families who live in them, and completely remodeling them into wonderful places in which to live. The families who live in these homes are away so that they do not see what is going on.  After a specified period of time, the work is completed and the owners return to their home to discover an almost unbelievable transformation.)  For those who have seen the show, encourage them to share something about the show that impresses them.  Talk about what might be the motivations of the people who work on these houses.  Discuss why companies might be willing to donate thousands of dollars of free equipment and building materials. Consider how someone might react returning to their “new” home and why. Discuss any similarities and differences between this TV show and what they were thinking, feeling and doing during this service project. Talk about the motivations they felt as they became involved; how they donated “dollars” (time equals money); and how they might feel if they were the recipients/benefactors of this service activity. Discuss how this Event could become the next “reality show.”

ACTIVITY FOUR:
Have students think about who, in their lives, has made the biggest impression on them so far.  Have them consider why they think this is so.  Encourage students to expand their thinking to consider whether this big impression was because of a one-time action or something that occurred over time and/or possibly is still occurring in their lives.  Challenge them to consider whether this “big impression” had more to do with time, talent, or treasure or a combination of these.  Ask them if this “big impression” came about as a result of something someone had done/is doing for them or did it have more to do with who that person is (personality and traits), or possibly a combination of both.  Open the discussion by asking the students to share some of the things they did during this service project. Have them consider the possibility that they too may have made a “big impression”. 

Conclude this reflection by giving students an option to:

1. Write a letter to the person identified as the one who has made the biggest impression in their lives to date, thanking them for what they did/are doing for them.  (Note: Students may not feel comfortable sharing names, so names need not be included.)  Encourage students to consider the impact of their letter if they were to send them and challenge them to do so.
2. Write a description of this service project and describe any ‘lasting impressions’ that it had on them as participants.