(1)  Listening/speaking/purposes. The student listens attentively and engages actively in various oral language experiences. The student is expected to:

(A)  determine the purpose(s) for listening such as to get information, to solve problems, and to enjoy and appreciate (K-3);

(B)  respond appropriately and courteously to directions and questions (K-3);

(C)  participate in rhymes, songs, conversations, and discussions (K-3);

(D)  listen critically to interpret and evaluate (K-3);

(E)  listen responsively to stories and other texts read aloud, including selections from classic and contemporary works (K-3); and

(2)  Listening/speaking/culture. The student listens and speaks to gain knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. The student is expected to:

(A)  connect experiences and ideas with those of others through speaking and listening (K-3); and

(B)  compare language and oral traditions (family stories) that reflect customs, regions, and cultures

Objective 2:  The student will apply knowledge of literaray elements to understand   culturally diverse written texts.

Objective 3:  The student will use a variety of strategies to analyze culturally diverse written texts..

Objective 4:  The student will apply critical-thinking skills to analyze culturally diverse written texts.

.  "Community service helps students make the leap from character lessons to behavior."  (Cohen, 1995)  The purpose of this lesson is to present to the students the characteristics of a good citizen that makes positive contributions to their family and their community.

    In this lesson there are two main objectives for the students:

1.  The learner will identify two or three specific  community service actions that he/she can accomplish to practice good citizenship.

2.   The learner will verbally contract to accomplish one community service action before the end of the 2 week period.

On a marker board or chalkboard the teacher will write the words  community,citizenship,and service to others.  Ask the students what each term means.  Assist the students as they consider all the types of people that live and work in their community.   

As a group have the students create a word web of the members of their community.  The center of the web would contain the title "My Community".  This word web might include police officers, fire fighters, postmen, neighbors, and store owners. (These are just examples.)

Ask the students the following questions.

*Please tell us of something you have done to help one or both of your parents at home?  Did you set the table for dinner or take out the trash ?

*Many churches and even our school collected cans of food to help the local food bank.  Did any of you take cans to one of those food drives?

*Are there any other ways you have helped people?

*Why do we need to help people?

*What is a citizen?

*What do you need to do to become a good citizen?

*What is a community?

*What commnunities do you belong to?

*What are some things that you can do to contribute to your family and your community?

*What do you think the impact will be on your family or community when you do these things?

*Do you feel that you can make a difference in your family and your community by becoming a good citizen?

In this story , "City Green" the communities work together.  Have the students share their experiences  in which  a community worked together for a specific project.

The students will read the story "City Green" by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan.  (Another story that may be used is "The Berestain Bears to the Rescue." ) Allow the students to discuss how the main characters in the story demonstrated good citizenship behavior.  Point out to the students that in "City Green"  Marcy, a girl just like them, started the entire project of turning an ugly lot into a beautiful garden.  The teacher will point out to the students that each of them has the same ability to make a difference in their community.

The teacher will organize the students in groups of four to five students.  Each group will be assigned one laptop computer.  The students will work cooperatively in creating a powerpoint presentation.  Each presentation will consist of five slides. The five slides may consist of the following:

Slide One-Title Page

Slide Two-What is a community?

Slide Three-What is a citizen?  What makes someone a good citizen?

Slide Four-What is community service?

Slide Five- I can help my community and others by doing_______________.

After completing the power point and presenting it to the class  the teacher will explain to the students that they will make a Class Citizenship Tree.  (This tree may resemble an apple tree or an evergreen tree.)  Ask two students to draw and cut out a large tree shape using green posterboard.  Staple this to a bulletin board that has been labeled with the title, "Our Class Citizenship Tree."  

The teacher will write the sentence "I can help others by doing__________" on the chalkboard.  Ask the students to describe, illustrate, or write a completion to the sentence stem.  Describe the analogy of service to others as a gift they can give.  Allow the students to share their ideas for helping others.  The teacher will list the student suggestions.  Some examples of these include  setting the table for dinner, picking up trash on the playground, collecting canned goods for a food drive for families in need,  or helping with a benefit dinner for someone who is extremely ill. 

 The teacher will refer to this class list of good citizenship behaviors, gifts to be given to others.  Each student student will select one action that he/she will agree to complete during the next two weeks.   This is their "gift" to others.  Allow the students time to create a "gift" in the format of either an ornamet or a present to place on the tree.  The teacher may also choose to have the students create a greeting card using folded construction paper.  Either way, the students will write on the ornament, present or greeting card the "gift" that he/she has chosen to do.  The students will write about, draw, or paste pictures cut out of magazines to illustrate the action he/she has chosen.  Encourage the students to decorate their gift with yarn, markers, crayons, ribbons and other items.  Label each gift with the student's name and staple it onto the Class Citizenship Tree.

Extention Activity:

 The teacher will then introduce the website Hugs and Hope to the students.  (www.hugsandhope.org).  After exploring the website on laptops student will be given the opportunity to select the name of a child and create a card for that child.

KNOWLEDGE:  The students will define citizenship, community, and service to others.

COMPREHENSION: After reading the story "City Green"  the student will identify examples of citizenship, community, and service to others.

APPLICATION:  The students will list ways that they are able to contribute to their family and /or community in a power point.

EVALUATION: The students will commit to one or more things that they must do to help either their family or someone else in their community.

ANALYSIS/SYNTHESIS;   After a two week period students will discuss with their class what they did and they will explain the impact of their actions upon either their family or their community.  Students will be given the opportunity to email cards to children that are seriously ill.

Adjusted questions: Students work at different levels, therefore, questioning may need to be adjusted for students to be successful.

Tiered Instruction /Interest Based Investigations /Graphic Organizers

*Beginning of the lesson:   Students will read the story "City Green". Students will be involved in a discussion about community and community service.

*Middle of the lesson:  The students will present a power point  that they created in a group.  In this power point the students will make at least five slides. 

*End of the lesson:  The student will write a paragraph explaining the community service action that they did.  Then the student will describe the impact that their action made on their community.

Laptops

Microsoft Office PowerPoint Program

HugsandHope.org

* children's book with a strong message of service to others

*classroom bulletin board

* green posterboard

*writing and colored construction paper

*glue or tape

*stapler

*scissors

*markers or crayons

*Items to decorate their gifts suchscraps of yarn ,buttons and ribbon.

 *teacher