Students identify causes they care about and related nonprofits or community resources. They use writing as a tool to make a difference, using persuasive writing techniques.
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Unit: Writers as Activists
Unit: Community Health and Safety
Participants gain exposure to how citizens organize in response to a need. They observe the benefits of group cooperation. They review data they have collected from surveys and work in collaborative groups to identify focus areas for the service-learning project.
Unit: Let's Make Lemonade
Now that the need they want to address is identified, the children meet people in the community who address the need and others who may want to help them with their fundraiser.
Unit: Women of the Industrial Era
This lesson explores the contributions made by Clara Barton as a nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. Her work is an example of the women from the Industrial Era making a difference through contributions to society. This lesson incorporates a service project connecting youth to the Red...
Unit: My Country, My Community
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...
Unit: Stitch in Time for the Common Good
Learners explore that government and non-profit organizations together help bring about breakthroughs in modern science and medicine. These contributions to the common good require the support of philanthropists, large and small.
Unit: Mighty Pens: Writers for Positive Change
This lesson guides learners as they inform a public audience about philanthropic acts that enhance the common good. The learners write newspaper articles that describe acts of service and volunteerism in their community.
Unit: Grow Involved 9-12
Writing letters to government officials is an effective way to take a stand on an issue. Young people use advocacy as a form of service.
In this lesson, young people compare the communications and strategies of Malcolm X with those of Martin Luther King, Jr. They discuss the causes, effects, and ways to address racism through a discussion forum. They plan and hold the forum in the community.
Unit: Walk a Mile in My Moccasins
Using words of Native Peoples, youth explore examples of the philanthropic attitudes and traditions.