How do we build caring community? The following activities may be used at the beginning of the school year to get to know your students and throughout the year to foster a classroom and community of caring, respect, and involvement that leads to a better civil society. We all have something to give - time, talent, or treasure - toward building community.
Get to know your students and what they care about with this group envisioning activity. The students understand themselves and their community and imagine a better world. Then discuss first steps they can take.
This activity will help students discover their giving passion. The first step to meaningful philanthropy is identifying issues that really matter to us. In this activity, students follow their hearts...or rather their heartbreaks to discover what they are passionate about.
Learning to Give lessons are poised to help students identify and develop their spark. Your spark is what makes you thrive. But what is it? How do you find it? How do you help your students find theirs? What do you do to nurture it? View this resource to learn how to spark your students.
Within the context of studying student rights and responsibilities in a school environment, students participate in the development of some classroom rules. After creating the rules, students maintain the rules through participation in a classroom council that will hear complaints and recommend needed changes. This unit addresses the philanthropic themes of public discourse and problem solving for the common good.
This lesson starts at the beginning of the school year as part of the classroom procedures to support the classroom community. Students “do for others” on their birthdays with an act of kindness of their choosing with very little help from home.
This resource provides tips for incorporating morning meetings that help you and your students build community.
Add service to your teaching calendar by aligning philanthropy lessons and service-learning projects to monthly events. This guide helps you maximize teachable moments and connect students to community through service.
We all have power to make a difference. In this simulation activity, students learn they can take action to make the world a better place. This activity involves having students get out of their seats and meet together in an open area of the classroom.
These activities and games will help you educate, equip and empower your students to build community, trust and open communication in the classroom, as well as in the greater community.
