This lesson will explore the contributions made by Clara Barton as a nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. This is an example of the women from the Industrial Era making a difference through contributions to society. This lesson incorporates a service project connecting the students to...

The students explore family traditions of giving. Using the book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt as a springboard, they discuss traditions of philanthropy in community.

Students read stories about caring for others, then they create quilts to donate to community organizations.

Learners recognize that famous philanthropists started with small acts of kindness before they performed the influential acts that we remember them for. Students define caring through discussion of examples and writing an acrostic.

Learners will identify qualities that exemplify philanthropists and recognize those qualities in a local philanthropist.

Learners will research the lives of key Americans, from the colonial period through Reconstruction, who advanced science and improved the common good. Learner research will be summarized using the obituary literary format.

The purpose of this unit is to recall that storytelling is a tradition and learn that quilt making is an American tradition. The learner will understand that working collectively brings about change, and that shared values help build communities. They will recognize the value of conflict...

Using literature and research, learners will identify acts of philanthropy that occurred during the Civil War era.

Learners will describe the significant impact that philanthropists have made in American civil and political life.