Read 'n' Give -- Planning Our Book Drive

Grades: 
3, 4, 5
Keywords & Concepts: 

Learners plan and carry out a book drive to benefit children in their community who may not have access to many books at home.

Duration 
PrintOne 45-Minute Session
Objectives 

The learner will:

  • plan and carry out the steps of the service project in collaboration with a partner organization.
Materials 
  • Boxes
  • Paper for posters
  • copies of handouts: Project Plan and Read 'n' Give Event Kit 
Home Connection 

Students work with their families to determine which gently used books they will donate. They may discuss which books make good choices for this project and why.

Instructions

Print
  1. Anticipatory Set:

    Read about "Little Free Libraries" and how they make books available to people to read and share. Ask whether this model gets books to children in all the neighborhoods of a community. Share with the learners what the partner organization identified as the local book needs. 

  2. Use the handouts to work together to plan the details of a book drive that collects and distributes books where they are needed in the community.

  3. Through brainstorming, they plan the following:

    • what is the need
    • how they will collect books
    • who should participate
    • what books are needed
    • the condition they should be in
    • where the books will be donated
    • the timeframe
    • what organizations or other schools to partner with
  4. With a plan in place, they may make posters or signs to spread awareness about the event.

  5. Begin the book drive and carry out the plans according to the timeline they established.

  6. Distribute the collected books and celebrate with the children and read the collected books together.

Philanthropy Framework

  1. Strand PHIL.IV Volunteering and Service
    1. Standard VS 01. Needs Assessment
      1. Benchmark E.1 Identify a need in the school, local community, state, nation, or world.
      2. Benchmark E.2 Research the need in the school, neighborhood, local community, state, nation, or world.
    2. Standard VS 02. Service and Learning
      1. Benchmark E.1 Select a service project based on interests, abilities, and research.
    3. Standard VS 03. Providing Service
      1. Benchmark E.1 Provide a needed service.
      2. Benchmark E.2 Describe the goals of the project and their impact.
      3. Benchmark E.3 Describe the task and the student role.
      4. Benchmark E.4 Demonstrate the skills needed for the successful performance of the volunteer job.
      5. Benchmark E.6 Describe the procedures and the importance of sensitivity to the people with whom students are working.
    4. Standard VS 04. Raising Private Resources
      1. Benchmark E.3 Describe a service plan.
    5. Standard VS 05. Integrating the Service Experience into Learning
      1. Benchmark E.3 Identify outcomes from the service.