Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Overview:
Prerequisite Knowledge:
- The students will have prior knowledge of the Civil War from reading Gentle Annie, their Social Studies text, and/or other materials selected by their teacher.
Purpose:
Students will investigate and acquire information about acts of philanthropy that occurred in Michigan during the Civil War era.
Duration:
Several Thirty to Forty-Five Minute Class Periods or ongoing (during the Civil War unit)
Objectives:
The learner will:
- acquire information from books, computer programs, etc., to determine what acts of philanthropy were done by the people of Michigan during the Civil War.
- organize and present their information on a chart, graph, map, or timeline.
- interpret the importance of the information they collect.
Service Experience:
Students will conduct research through books, computer technology, or other means. This information will be collected and presented in one of several selected formats. (See second bullet in Objectives above.)
Materials:
- Access to tradebooks and/or reference books. It will also be helpful if students have access to a computer with an encyclopedia or history program. The computer may be with or without internet access. Other materials will vary according to the presentation format chosen by the teacher and/or students.
- Materials for presentation may include paper, posterboard or art materials.
- Internet: http://users.aol.com/dlharvey/cwmireg.htm
Instructional Procedure(s):
- Anticipatory Set:
Teacher asks students the question:
"What role did Michigan have in the Civil War?"
- Provide direct instruction to students in order to show them how to use the library, how to look up information in books, encyclopedia, on computers, or the Internet. Direct instruction for the accepted format for citing sources will also be necessary.
- Each student (or group of students) will be responsible for contributing one (or more) pieces of information.
- Have students display their information via a brief written description of the act of philanthropy and a picture (drawn and/or colored by the student.)
- Place information on the classroom timeline, in a class book, on a graph, etc. at the discretion of the teacher
- Each student or group will have an opportunity to share their findings with the class.
Assessment:
The students will create a picture that represents the information they acquire as a result of their research. They will write one or two complete sentences to describe the picture. Students will also need to cite the source of their information, using one of the generally accepted forms for bibliographic references.
Cross-Curriculum Extensions:
- Students can begin their own personal "Timeline of Philanthropy," by keeping a journal of their own philanthropic activities, OR
- The entire class could have a separate timeline (of the school year, week, month, etc.) of philanthropic activities. Entries could be added as desired.
Notes for Instruction:
The timeline could take any form. It is helpful to start with the present day and move backward through time. The teacher can place dates on cards around the room. Students can create a family tree beginning with themselves. Parent, grandparent and great-grandparents cards, etc. can then be placed around the room at the corresponding dates. Historical cards can also be placed at appropriate locations.
Bibliographical References:
Civil War Preservation Trust: Education http://www.civilwar.org/education/
Lesson Developed By:
Sally Engleman CioeReeths-Puffer Schools
McMillan Elementary School
Muskegon, MI 49445
Handouts:
Unit Contents:
Overview:Philanthropy in Michigan—Civil War Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- What is Philanthropy?
- 2.
- Forming Opinions
- 3.
- Why Should I Do Philanthropy?
- 4.
- Philanthropic Michiganians of the Civil War
- 5.
- Decision-Making—Who Was Right?
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
(The positive aspect of using this lesson was) relaying Michigan's part in the Civil War. This was wonderful new information.
(The positive aspect of using this lesson was) students were able to become more informed on philanthropy and Civil War in Michigan by aquiring more information from different sources. The students really enjoyed reading about the Civil War in their Social Studies' books, as well as, other sources.
Excellent lesson to relate to core Democratic Values.