Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

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Give a Little Respect (Private-Religious)
Lesson 3:
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Lesson
Handouts
Academic Standards
Philanthropy Framework
Kindergarten-2nd Grade
Subjects:

Arts, Language Arts, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view
ART-VA: Visual Arts: Create/Communicate
ELA: Brainstorming; Creative Writing; Group Discussions
PHIL: Caring/Sharing; Common Good; Helping; Judaism; Respect
SOC: Environment; Parochial

Purpose:

Although the problems of the environment seem overwhelming, if each person does a little, the problems can be reduced.  Even small contributions make an impact on the environment. Students choose ways they can make an impact through their small contributions to the environment: such as cleaning, reducing waste, maintaining gardens, or teaching others

Duration:

One - Forty-five Minute Class Period

Objectives:

The learner will:

  • help with a large task by sharing responsibilities with others.
  • state ways to take care of the environment.
  • recognize that when everyone participates a little, we can share the job of taking care of the environment.
  • participate in a class project to improve the environment.

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Depending on research, interests, and resources, students plan and carry out a project to improve the school environment, such as separate recycling around school, rake leaves, pick up garbage, or educate others through informational posters.

Materials:

  • Student copies of Attachment One: Commitment to Improve the Environment
  • Supplies needed for the chosen project
Handout 1
Commitment to Improve the Environment

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:
Show the students a box of mixed up, colored math manipulatives, such as cubes that snap together. Tell them that for a project you need the cubes sorted by color and snapped into sets of ten, but that you are overwhelmed by the responsibility of doing it yourself.  Either divide the tasks by color among the students or ask them to suggest ways to share the responsibility. After the students complete the task as a group, tell them how happy you are that “many hands make light work.”

 

  • Help the students make the connection to taking care of the environment. Ask how can using “many hands make light work” when it comes to taking care of the environment?

  • Explain that when each person does a little, we can accomplish a lot as a community. Just one little action can save a part of the environment.  Imagine what would happen if everyone did just a little.

  • Invite the school custodian to the class to discuss what the students can do to help improve the school environment (either inside or out). The custodian may help the students understand the amount of trash in the building or provide examples of small jobs the class can do: raking leaves, planting flowers outside, separating recycling from the garbage, or washing the erasers.

  • The students can decide as a class how they can make an impact in small ways on improving the school environment.
    1. They may organize a job corps for students to help with cleaning or maintaining the school environment.
    2. They can produce posters that teach others (in the school or community) about everyone doing a small part to make the environment better for everyone.
    3. They may choose one environmental issue to solve at school, such as reducing waste.
    4. They could advocate for not wasting food in the school lunchroom, through posters, information presentations, or promotional “jingles”.

Assessment:

  • Assessment will be based on the students’ participation in class—their questions, answers and comments, as well as their performance on the worksheet.
  • Student performance in the group project can be assessed through attitude and amount of participation.

School/Home Connection:

The students can also plan a family/home project that will assist their families in helping out some part of their neighborhood or home environment.  For example the student may volunteer to separate the recycling for the week or rake the leaves and make sure they are put into the proper bags, water the plants around the house.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

Take pictures of students caring for their school environment.  Each student writes or dictates a sentence about the experience to go along with a photo.  Display the photos and sentences on a hallway bulletin board.  Display on the bulletin board other student work related to the environment.


Arrange a speaker from the community who can tell the children more about the importance of recycling and taking care of small issues around school and home.

Lesson Developed By:

Rachel Rothner
Areyvut
http://www.areyvut.org
Bergenfield, NJ 07621

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Commitment to Improve the Environment

Write a sentence or draw a picture to tell about your plan.

  1. Jobs I can do to improve my school environment:






  2. The job I will do every week:






  3. The job I will do every day:


Philanthropy Framework:

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