Our Unique Legacy of Giving
How do communities impact individuals, and how can individuals impact a community?
Photo Credit: Nursing Home Visits by RJH School is licensed under CC by 2.0
The story of one philanthropic community inspires students to tell the story of their own people and places. Students create stories and use the stories as a gift to others. Although it uses a video about West Michigan, this unit is easily adapted to any community, urban or rural.
Students watch the documentary The Gift of All: a Community of Givers and identify the motivations and attributes of the generous people interviewed. Students read, summarize, and report on short biographies of philanthropists. Student writing includes metaphors and journal reflections.
In this lesson, students explore their personal responsibility to the community. They recognize that everyone has something to give, and that includes them. Students brainstorm local philanthropists and positive traits of their own communities. They assess local needs and make a plan to address one need through volunteering or advocacy at a later date.
In this lesson, students create a gift of story modeled after the documentary The Gift of All. The students will research and/or interview a local philanthropist. Each student will write a biography telling the story of the philanthropist. They share the completed biography with an elementary student, teaching that student about philanthropy and the value of giving to the community.