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

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Cultural Diversity in Service

Unit of 3 lessons

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Arts, Language Arts, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

Lesson 1 :	ELA:	Analyze/Interpret; Communicate; Electronic Text; Knight scholarship; Listening; Reading; Reflection; Summarizing/Paraphrasing; Vocabulary
	PHIL:	Character; Civil Society; Common Good; Reflection; Service
	SOC:	Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Cultures; Diversity; Family; Stereotypes; Traditions; Values; Volunteerism
Lesson 2 :	ELA:	Analyze/Interpret; Brainstorming; Compare/Contrast; Knight scholarship; Main Idea; Reading; Reflection; Summarizing; Teamwork
	PHIL:	Character; Cultures; Diversity; Leadership; Mission Statement; Motivation for Giving; Reflection; Responsibility; Service; Traditions
	SOC:	Carver, George Washington; Chávez, César; Edhi, Abdul Sattar; Bahuguna, Sunderlal; Communities; Compare/Contrast; Cultures; Nonprofit
Lesson 3 :	ART:	Visual Arts
	ELA:	Audience; Communicate; Creative Writing; Knight scholarship; Listening; Presentations; Reflection; Technology; Viewing
	PHIL:	Advocacy; Common Good; Cultures; Diversity; Family; Mission Statement; Motivations for Giving; Reflection; Responsibility; Service; Traditions; Values
	SOC:	Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Diversity; Good Character

Unit Purpose:

This unit focuses on different traditions of giving through world cultures (and religious traditions), looking for similarities that connect us. In addition, learners recognize that diversity makes our community stronger. Learners read and research giving and serving practices of diverse cultures. Students develop personal mission statements and create visual/audio presentations of "Why I Serve" as it relates to their personal motivations, culture, experiences, and perceptions. Students share their findings and creative work as an act of advocacy for service.

Focus Question: How do traditional culture and personal experience influence attitudes and practices of giving and serving?

Unit Duration:

Eight 50-Minute Class Periods, plus time to carry out a service-learning project

Unit Objectives:

The learner will:

state that first impressions of people are not reliable information.
describe personal traits and the related assumptions/prejudices.
define culture as "the shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a group."
identify traditional cultural influences: race, ethnicity, religion, heritage.
identify popular culture influences: technology, generational, social networking, and current surroundings, etc.
list three positive characteristics of his/her family related to culture (not genetics).
write a benefit of diversity to society.
brainstorm the benefits of connecting to people globally.
define service, volunteering, and philanthropy (giving time, talent, and/or treasure or taking action for the common good).
(homework) read and summarize an article with four key bullet points.
read and share information about service and volunteering in different cultures.
discuss how traditional cultures influence attitudes about giving and serving.
discuss personal reasons for giving and serving.
read about four famous individuals who served their "community" and impacted history.
compare and contrast the background, motivations, and community impact of Edhi, Bahunguna, Carver, and Chavez.
brainstorm ideas for things the students can do to serve the community with their talents, motivations, and treasure.
write a core-beliefs mission statement.
create and present a visual/audio mission statement that expresses "Why I Serve."
view the presentations of all of the learners.
publish the "Why I Serve" presentations as an act of advocacy/motivation to a wider audience.
reflect on the impact of the project.
share the results of the project with families and the community.

Service Experience:

Although lessons in this unit contain service project examples, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Learners create a presentation that expresses their personal mission related to service. They determine an appropriate place to "publish" their presentation to encourage others to take aciton for the common good.

Optional Extended Service-Learning Project: Discuss similarities and differences between the "Why I Serve" project themes. As students compare and contrast the different perspectives, organize the project themes to find common goals and vision for a whole-group service project or to group students by similar interests or motivations. See Extensions for developing this into a student-led service-learning project.

Unit Assessment:

Teacher observes participation in activities, discussion, and group work to assess student involvement and comprehension. Individual lessons include specific assignments and rubrics. Written assessments are assessed on accuracy of information and fulfillment of responsibilities, but journaling is assessed only on whether it was completed. In Lesson Three: Why I Serve, see Attachment One: Why I Serve Rubric for assessing student presentations.

School/Home Connection:

In Lesson One: Observing First Impressions, give each student a briefing paper to read as homework and summarize (write four key bullet points). The briefing papers present the views and traditions from different groups on giving and serving. Each paper provides one group's perspective. Print out the papers or provide students with the handout of the Internet links.