Students define community and recognize that a class or after-school group is a community because the members share interests and goals and work together.  Focus Questions:  What is a community and what is my role? What is health and why is it important?

Students will summarize the words of Rachel Carson and describe the impact one woman writer had on the world and our environment by reading Part I of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Al Gore's 1994 introduction to the latest printing of the book.

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...

Participants define philanthropy as givng time, talent or treasure and taking action for the common good. They identify philanthropy in a read-aloud story and the regional news.

Although the problems of the environment seem overwhelming, if each person does a little, the problems can be reduced.  Even small contributions make an impact on the environment. Students choose ways they can make an impact through their small...

Young people learn about the contributions made by Benjamin Franklin to the common good. They categorize his accomplishments in the nonprofit, business, and government sectors. They select a quote from Franklin that they would like to apply to their own lives.

With guidance from a local environmental agency, prepare the youth in advance of volunteering their time to clean up a lake or river for the common good. Arrange a field trip that includes picking up trash and recording the data. 

To introduce students to a variety of specific nonprofits and their representatives who address topics such as the organization's mission, financial support, and work.