Living In a Community
How does a community form to address issues for the common good?
Photo Credit: Small Town, USA by Andy V. is licensed under CC by 2.0
Youth explore the concept of community and learn about the assets and organizations in their own community. They take a field trip to a local community business district/downtown and learn about the four sectors: business, government, nonprofit, and family.
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
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.
Students explore attributes of the community in which they live. They compare rural, urban and suburban communities and attempt to classify their own community.
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.
The students select a community service learning project based on interests and abilities, and school/community needs. They plan and carry out the project.