From books and research, young people read about the Aztec Empire practice of human sacrifice, which was seen as a gift to help the community. Discuss the concept of sacrifice for the common good and debate individual rights and community responsibility when taking action for the common good.
When we take action for the common good, we give up something: a little time or money that might have been spent on something else. Youth explore different forms of sacrifice for the common good and answer the question: When is a sacrifice justified and necessary, and when is it too much or a violation of individual rights?
Continuing from the previous lesson, the young people learn the next four of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. They are challenged to apply the principles to their everyday lives in a way that enhances the communities to which they belong.
Learners develop an understanding of the seven principles of Kwanzaa through artistic applications. They are challenged to apply the principles to their everyday lives in a way that enhances the communities to which they belong.
Through storytelling, children recognize that their actions and behaviors have an impact and become memories for future generations.
In this lesson, a picture books raises awareness of the importance of memories to the people of all ages that make up a community. The children learn the definition of philanthropy and identify an act of philanthropy in the literature book Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.
Children learn that the community has four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family. The children may walk through an area in their local community to identify which sector is represented by different places. As an alternative, they may look at a local map.
The children recognize they form a community when they are brought together for a common purpose. They are encouraged to be philanthropic within interest groups, schools, and families to build trust and for the common good of the community.
This lesson introduces the definition of a community and explores how communities come together to help or address a need.
Photo credit: Woodward Downtown by Becky McCray is licensed under CC BY 2.0
With the Nobel Peace Prize as an example of an award given for improvements to the common good, the young people list descriptors of people and organizations in their community or families who exhibit generosity and promote peace in some form.