Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Purpose:
Duration:
Two to Three Forty-Minute Class Periods
Objectives:
The learner will:
- describe the concept of community within the classroom and the school.
- list philanthropic acts they can complete without permission from the teacher.
- memorize and sing two songs about philanthropic acts.
Materials:
- Piano or keyboard to play songs
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Recall ABCs Alphabody activity and actions that went with letters from the last lesson. Ask students if any of these acts of philanthropy need permission from a teacher or another person in order to complete. Discuss why or why not.
- Introduce the concept of community. Explain that a community is a town, city, suburb, or other place where people live and work together. It is also a group having common interests and likes. Ask students to give examples of a community of which they are a part such as a neighborhood, classroom, school, church, etc. Ask students how easy it would be to see acts of philanthropy being done in their own community.
- Briefly involve students in a discussion about times that a student would need permission from the teacher to complete an act of philanthropy, e.g., inappropriate time, interrupting someone else, etc.
- Brainstorm a list of philanthropic acts that students could do in the classroom, school or playground that would not need permission from the teacher.
- Teach the song "What Can I Do for You?" Begin with the chorus and have students echo the words a phrase at a time. Next, echo the phrases together (each line). Then echo sing the lines and finally sing the complete chorus. Follow the same method to teach the verses. Discuss how this song fits the idea of philanthropy in the community.
Teacher Note: It is best to teach small parts of new songs each session. Review at the beginning of each class and add to the song until you finish it. That may mean that you teach the chorus one day, the first verse next session, and the second verse the third day. Throw in a few old songs that the students know well so that they don't get too overwhelmed.
- Teach the song "Random Acts of Kindness." Follow the same procedure as for the first song.
Assessment:
Catch students doing philanthropic acts in the classroom. Make sure to call attention to the act, especially when they did not ask permission to complete it.
Listen to the students as they sing. When they have had the opportunity to sing the entire song several times, challenge them to sing it without your help. You can assess how well they have learned the songs by listening.
School/Home Connection:
Send a note home explaining the simple philanthropic acts that the students have been involved with in the classroom and school. Ask the parents to tally philanthropic acts they observe at home and return the tally to school at the end of a specified time period. The goal is to make these small acts a new habit! Have students look at their tally and challenge them to increase their number of philanthropic acts in the next week.
Cross-Curriculum Extensions:
- Find/search out other songs that reference acts of philanthropy. Have students identify these acts.
- Students could graph their philanthropic acts as a math lesson.
Bibliographical References:
- Kelley, Rick. "What Can I Do for You?" <http://learningtogive.org>, Resource Room, Past K-12 Project Newsletters, Oct. 2000, Insert, (scroll to the bottom)
- Kelley, Rick. "Random Acts of Kindness." <http://learningtogive.org> Resource Room, Past K-12 Project Newsletters, May 2000, Insert, (scroll to the bottom)
Lesson Developed By:
Jennifer O'TooleBuchanan Community Schools
Moccasin Elementary School
Buchanan, MI 49107
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
"What Can I Do For You?" by Rick Kelley
Handout 2Print Handout 2
"Random Acts of Kindness?" by Rick Kelley
Unit Contents:
Overview:Phil Up on the Arts Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Alphabody ABCs of Giving
- 2.
- What Can I Do for You?
- 3.
- Swimmy
- 4.
- Singing as a Way of Giving
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely use this information for nonprofit (noncommercial), educational purposes only. Copyright must be acknowledged on all copies.
Comments
It was good for the students to focus on the variety of communities they are a part of (we made a web). We charted the philanthropic acts they could perform in various settings (the web and chart are good study skills to add).
My students learned about various community helpers that exist in their neighorbood. We also discussed their responsibilities and what we can do to help our classmates and our family members. We illustrated their thoughts.