Service Learning in Grades K-8 by Thomsen Katherine;

Author:Thomsen, Katherine; [Thomsen, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1994307
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2005-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

■ SEARCH YOUR CURRICULUM FOR OPPORTUNITIES

The service ideas above would, of course, need to be connected to the curriculum in order to become service-learning. Luckily, there are service opportunities inherent in almost all subjects. Teachers just have to seek out the connections. English and language arts are especially easy to connect to service opportunities. Literature about animals, such as the classic Black Beauty, could be one of the curricular connections to collecting for animal shelters. There are many other newer animal-related novels at all reading levels that teachers could integrate into their literature choices.

Stories about Helen Keller could be connected to students’ making tapes for the blind. Students would learn about this influential person in American history, and at the same time develop an understanding of the challenges facing people with limited or no vision.

Students could learn about the work of UNICEF as part of global studies, and then their service of money collection would be more meaningful. The content of health classes on diseases like cancer could be linked to the sale of daffodils, and certainly math could be connected to the project by asking students to make change and to calculate a feasible monetary goal based on the number of staff and students in their building. The possibilities are endless. Students doing advocacy can write letters, reports, and essays and make presentations on particular topics that they are interested in teaching others more about (such as pollution, asthma, environmental protection, etc.).

Social studies and science lend themselves nicely to direct and indirect forms of service-learning. The citizenship aspect of social studies is a perfect place for students to connect service to learning. They can get involved in political issues and advocate for causes they believe in. They can learn about the right to vote, and they can work to remind people to vote during election time. Planting community gardens, cleaning up streams, and protecting ecosystems relate to both citizenship and science topics. These subjects come alive when concepts are applied in real-world settings. Whenever students are involved in planning and decision making there are sure to be opportunities to apply principles of mathematics. Estimating, measuring, and calculating all make more sense when they can be applied to a hands-on project.

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