This lesson focuses on eight levels of tzedakah (charity) that were identified by a great Jewish thinker known as Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Students will investigate various ways to give charity and gain an appreciation of how people give of their time, talent or treasure. They will...
In this lesson, learners read primary documents that illustrate the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States related to philanthropy (government by the people, advocacy, civil rights, shared power). We have a long history of demanding civil rights for a population that was...
Students view primary documents to explore public policy on service. They make meaning of the government role and citizen responsibility in civic action. They make a personal plan of service based on their available time, talent, and treasure.
While reviewing the expectations for immigrants to become citizens, young people learn about their own rights and civic responsibility. They learn that freedom isn't free. It was purchased by service and requires continued responsibility of citizens to uphold the rights and expectations of the...
This lesson introduces the learner to some of the resources--individual, organizational (for profit and non profit), and governmental-- available to provide forewarning/alert, preparedness programs, as well as relief during and in the aftermath of natural disasters.
This lesson focuses on the meaning and benefits of gratitude. Teens research one aspect of gratitude in order to understand its relationship to health, happiness, or generosity. For their service project, they decide how they can 'deliver gratitude' to a deserving person or group. They will then...
Students will learn the fundamental principles of parliamentary procedure and use the procedure to create a plan for a service project in the community.
Students gain empathy and use language to describe the mixed feelings that come with being new to a community. They watch and discuss video clips and compare character traits. Then they read a book and discuss how the book guides them to welcome new students to the classroom as the year...
In this lesson, the learners write a story about philanthropists, modeled after the documentary The Gift of All. They research or interview a local philanthropist. Each learner writes a biography telling the story of the philanthropist. They share the completed biography with an...
Young people get outside and play in nature and recognize the beauty of diverse living things in their environment. Their service project is to take action to protect nature and share nature with someone else.