Students explore the concept of community and perform a service in order to recognize their responsibility to their community. The students take a field trip to a local community business district/downtown and learn about the four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family.

Service Experience

Based on community needs as well as students’ interests and abilities, the class chooses a service project to carry out. Some community projects may include fixing up a park, helping at the library, helping those in need, building bird houses for the nature center and making banners or posters to teach others about a need. See Extension in Lesson One: What Is a Community? Choose an animal, such as a polar bear, a whale or an otter. Gather information about the animal and find out what organizations are doing to help the animal. Is there some way that the class can help, such as adopt an animal or raise money for the helping organization? Go to <http://wildlifeadoption.defenders.org/site/RedirectHandler?key=adopt_adwordshome>to read about adopting an animal for the class. For a donation of $25, the class will receive a plush animal and a monthly newsletter. See Extension in Lesson Two: Our Classroom Is a Community. Students can brainstorm a list of philanthropic acts they can do in the community without permission, such as picking up trash. Choose one act to carry out as a group.

Lessons in This Unit

What Is a Community?

Unit:

Living In a Community

Lesson 1 of 5

Grades:

This lesson introduces the definition of a community and challenges students to explore the characteristics of their own community.

Photo credit: Woodward Downtown by Becky McCray is licensed under  CC BY 2.0

Subjects

Our Classroom Is a Community

Unit:

Living In a Community

Lesson 2 of 5

Grades:

The students recognize that their classroom is a community because the students are brought together for a common purpose. The students are encouraged to be philanthropic within their classroom, school and family. They analyze how philanthropy and trust affect the common good of the community.

Subjects

Exporing Our Community

Unit:

Living In a Community

Lesson 3 of 5

Grades:

Students explore attributes of the community in which they live. They compare rural, urban and suburban communities and attempt to classify their own community.

Subjects

Profit and Nonprofit Organizations

Unit:

Living In a Community

Lesson 4 of 5

Grades:

Students learn that the community has four sectors: business, government, nonprofit and family. The students take a walk through a central business district in their local community and identify which sector funds or is represented by different buildings, business, parks and so on.

Subjects

Providing Service for a Nonprofit

Unit:

Living In a Community

Lesson 5 of 5

Grades:

The students select a community service learning project based on interests and abilities, and school/community needs. They plan and carry out the project.

Subjects

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Living In a Community

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