Students learn effective techniques and complete prewriting activities for writing a persuasive essay. As a culmination of the unit, students choose one of the three styles of writing--news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay--to write, edit, and publish about their experience with...
Lead a discussion about the power of words to include, instruct, and inspire action. Participants analyze quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, about being open and inclusive. Design social justice posters to teach others about what they learned. ...
Students play a simulation game that illustrates their power to take action for the good of others.
In this one period lesson, students learn about people and children who are homeless and make bedtime bags for children in shelters as their service project.
"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody." - Lily Tomlin...
Students explore the legacy of George H. W. Bush and how he has contributed to the common good as part of his lifelong commitment to service and through his Points of Light initiative. The students work in small groups to answer questions and present to the class for discussion. Each student...
Students explore what it means to be responsible citizens and identify ways they are (or can be) responsible at home, in school, and in the community. They create a survey related to people's perceptions of community health and poll members of the community to identify needs....
Junkanoo is a Bahamian Festival that takes place in December. The festival was started by slaves who were restoring some of their native customs that they left behind in Africa. Junkanoo is a nice example of artistic expression communicating aspects of a...
Students read and share information about service and volunteering in different cultures. They compare and contrast the work and mission of four famous philanthropists: Cesar Chavez, George Washington Carver, Sunderlal Buhuguna, and Abdul Sattar Edhi. They identify the motivations, impact, and...
In the first lesson of this three-lesson unit, the students define bullying and identify the effects of bullying behavior on the individuals involved and the larger community. The students create a survey or use another method to collect and report on the perceived status of bullying behavior at...
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce middle school learners to the complex economic world of responsible credit use, including installment credit and credit cards. The learners will identify the uses as well as the abuses of various forms of credit, including installment loans and credit...