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Heroism—Opportunities for Action

Lesson 4:

From Unit Heroism In Literature

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ART:	Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary; Visual Arts: Perform
ELA:	Group Discussions; Research; Response to Text/Others; Writing Mechanics; Writing Process
PHIL:	Advocacy; Community; Foundations; Nonprofit Organizations; Service Project
SOC:	10 genOn; 11 genOn; 2 genOn; Group Discussions; Inquiry; Primary/Secondary Sources

Purpose:

Students will be provided the opportunity to reflect cognitively and effectively upon concepts acquired during the first three lessons by producing a manual of service opportunities within their community. Increasing individual student awareness of opportunities to positively benefit others within their community will be demonstrated through their research and commitment to sharing their manual with members of the local school community and community at large.

Duration:

Approximately Three Fifty-Five Minute Class Periods (One block of time for either a service organization informational session or service opportunity, or to hear speaker(s) invited to the classroom.)

Objectives:

The learners will:

demonstrate personal advocacy through a service learning activity.
identify service opportunities within varied community settings related to personal interest.
compile and publish a service guide that includes opportunities for young people to access as a resource.
create an artistic reflection to express his/her personal effective response to ideas encountered throughout the unit.

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Students will explore and acquire information about opportunities for young people to provide service. As a result of their investigation, students will compile the information into a community resource manual to be placed with the guidance counselor and the library or media center. Attachment Two will serve as a guide to record contacts and information.

Materials:

Attachment One: America’s Second Harvest
Attachment Two: Guide to Record Contact and Information
Phone books, computers with Internet access
Small white drawing paper for sketch
Binding materials
Word processing availability and software
Laminating sheets - optional but beneficial
Art materials such as crayons, oil pastels, paints (teacher choice and/or availability)

Handout 1: AMERICA'S SECOND HARVEST
Handout 2: Guide to Record Contact and Information
Handout 3: Rubric for Character Sketch

Instructional Procedure(s):

Instructor Note: Either schedule a volunteer opportunity for your class at a local food bank or volunteer center or have a representative of one or more service organizations speak to your class(es).

Anticipatory Set:
Write the following prompt on the whiteboard or overhead: “Heroism is a philanthropic action.” Discuss the statement.
Within the context of pairs or small groups, students will respond to the following prompts for pre-service reflection:

What heroic actions portrayed in our reading of Greek and British mythology reflected heroism for the common good? Check for understanding of philanthropy. Individuals or groups giving of their time, talent and/or treasure to benefit the common good (benefit of society).
Recall three examples of ordinary individuals acting philanthropically from Lesson One: “What Is a Hero?” Heroism in Greek Mythology and Lesson Two: Heroism in English Myth.
Describe philanthropic activities with which you, your friends and family are or have been involved.
How do indiviuals commit to philanthropy?
Do you think that our community needs to be aware of non-profit philanthropy resources?
Name as many foundations or non-profit organizations as you can.
How best can we prepare a knowledge base of philanthropy in our community? Share the prompt responses with the others in the class with a class recorder
Preparation for Service:
Needs Assessment:
The students should brainstorm causes or social concerns that have significant meaning to them. This generated list will serve as the foundation for their service. Students should put the needs into categories. Each class may generate different needs, however the following example may be helpful:
- Youth Needs
  Recreation
  Health Services
  Counseling
  Nutrition
- Senior Citizens
  Transportation
  Adult Day Care
  Nutrition
  Friendship
- Education and Local Schools
  Tutorial Help
  Technology
  Early Childhood programs
  Conflict Resolution
Give each member of the class Attachment One: America’s Second Harvest that describes a nationwide hunger relief program. Read and discuss with the class. There are many chapters that welcome student volunteers.
Ask students about their reflections on hunger in the United States and the world. Ask them to recall school and community food drives. Ask what the commitment should be (just at holidays, all the time).
Identify and discuss other community programs and what the role of that program has in the community. Develop ways individuals/ students could give of their time, talent or treasure or act as an advocate.
Have the students select peer groups of three or four students to begin compiling their community resource manual.
Before the close of each class session, have the students reflect on the activities of the day: what they did, what needs to be done, how they assess the group progress.
Develop with the class a template to be used for consistent reporting and presentation in their manual so that each group covers the same or very close to the same information.
Develop a class outline for the manual that includes a table of contents, index and credits. Each group must develop the same amount of information about the organization it has chosen. The following should be included: name of the organization or group, purpose or mission statement, volunteer opportunities available, address, phone number, key personnel, clientele, history, services provided, who is eligible for services, how one can obtain help from the organization, opportunities for volunteering. The information should also include a persuasive statement about support for this organization.
Research Session(s):
Use Attachment Two: Guide to Record Contact and Information, which will provide students the opportunity to contact organizations and individuals in preparation for selecting the organization or program that their group will include in the manual. While much more detail will be needed, the preliminary information will be helpful in organizing their information and selection. This initial stage may be done using the Internet, local phone book, as well as governmental and social service agencies.
- Major internet sites to use are:
- www.guidestar.com
- www.secondharvest.org
- http://www.comnet.org/
A cover page will be included with the information compiled in the guide. The cover page for each agency or organization will include an appealing visual depicting the purpose or mission statement of the organization.
Each group selects a member to act as a final team member to compile the manual.
Each group peer edits the manual until the editing is complete.
Final compilation of the manual
Evaluation for Final Reflection:

The final component of this lesson is to provide students time to reflect upon and respond to the effective aspects of learning about heroes and heroism. Students may write, create a visual, dramatize individually or with another student, make up a song, use movement/dance or any other means that will convey their response and feelings about the unit on heroes and the service component.

Celebration:

Students will present their manual to the media center in the school, the counseling center or local library.

Assessment:

Completion of reflection on a daily basis, class participation, evaluate quality of research according to template class designed, evaluate participation in final reflection activity and evaluate peer group participation.

Bibliographical References:

Bradner, Jeanne H. Passionate Volunteerism: The Importance of Volunteerism Today & How Government Nonprofits & Volunteers Can Make It a More Powerful Force. Conversation Pr Inc., October 1993. ISBN: 0963439529
http://www.secondharvest.org/ Source of information packet, Attachment One. The site contains information on local offices and warehouses, volunteer opportunities and services.

Lesson Developed By:

Royal Grewe
Thornapple Kellogg Schools
Thornapple Kellogg High School
Middleville, MI 49010

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

AMERICA'S SECOND HARVEST

AMERICA'S Second Harvest is the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. Through a network of over 200 food banks and food-rescue programs, we provide emergency food assistance to more than 23 million hungry Americans each year, eight million of whom are children.

Last year, America's Second Harvest distributed 1.7 billion pounds of food to needy Americans, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Our goal is to end hunger in America.

The History of America's Second Harvest

The food bank concept began in the late 1960s in Phoenix, Arizona. John Van Hengel, a retired businessman, volunteered at a local soup kitchen. He solicited donations of food products that might otherwise go to waste, and soon was generating more food than the soup kitchen could handle. He decided to set up a warehouse where he could store the donated products and distribute them to charities feeding needy people in Phoenix. The first food bank was then established.

In the early 1970s, several other food banks started in various cities as people learned of the food bank concept and copied it in their communities. In 1976, the federal government gave Van Hengel's food bank a grant to assist in developing food banks throughout the nation. The impetus for growth had been increased by the passage of the 1976 Tax Reform Act, which made it more financially advantageous for companies to donate their products.

By 1979, this federally funded development effort had expanded to include solicitation of food donations and was incorporated formally as America's Second Harvest. America's Second Harvest soon became the clearinghouse for large donations from national corporations. The organization developed food bank standards for storage capacity, quality control and management.

By 1982, federal funding was discontinued. America's Second Harvest increased its pursuit of alternative sources of financial support. In 1984, the America's Second Harvest national office was moved to Chicago, Illinois. The organization continued to grow in terms of the number of food banks and the volume of donated food. The concept and the practice of food banking had been accepted by both the food industry and local social service providers feeding hungry Americans.

With many major cities having food banks by the mid 1980's, network expansion slowed and America's Second Harvest's focus shifted to improving existing programs. Professionalism and efficiency of food bank operations improved dramatically, resulting in a much greater amount of product being distributed by the network.

In 1999, the name of the organization was officially changed to America's Second Harvest with a new focused goal on ending hunger in America. In March of 2000, America's Second Harvest merged efforts with Foodchain - producing the most comprehensive and efficient charitable food distribution organization in the country.

Today, America's Second Harvest is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization addressing the problem of domestic hunger by distributing one billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. With a national network of over 200 affiliated food banks and food-rescue programs throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico, America's Second Harvest serves approximately 50,000 local charitable hunger-relief agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, and Kids Cafes . America's Second Harvest provides emergency food assistance to more than 23 million hungry Americans, including eight million children and four million seniors, each year.

WHO IS HUNGRY IN AMERICA?

Despite a thriving economy in recent years and reports of welfare reform success stories, 23.3 million Americans sought emergency food assistance from America's Second Harvest in 2001. The USDA recently reported that during the period 1996-1998, some 10 million U.S. households did not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs.

For many Americans, wages have simply not risen enough in the last years to cover the increased cost of living, and food has become an unaffordable luxury. Of those people seeking emergency food relief, more than one-third (36%) had to choose between buying food or paying for housing. Although the prevalence of hunger varies regionally, America's Second Harvest has found through its national Hunger Study that a great number of the people we serve are seniors and a greater number still are under the age of 18. These findings reflect the diversity of who is hungry in America today.

Childhood Hunger

As a nation, we have a special responsibility to vulnerable populations, including children. Children are in special need of proper nutrition to help them avoid the consequences undernutrition can have on their economic security as adults.

In November of 2001, America's Second Harvest released its third and most comprehensive study of hunger in the United States: Hunger in America 2001 . The following are some key findings of the study regarding children our country:

Over 9 million children are the recipients of food from either a pantry, kitchen or shelter within the network of America's Second Harvest.
Among all members of client households, 9.1% of pantry recipients are ages 0 to 5; 7.7% are shelter clients.
75.7% of all client households with children under the age of 18 are food insecure; an estimated 2.6 million households.
Among all members of client households, 18.4% of kitchen clients stated that their child/children had skipped meals within the last 12 months because there wasn't enough money for food.
22.2% of shelter clients indicated that their child/children was/were hungry at least once during the previous 12 months but couldn't afford more food.

26.3% of all client households stated that their child/children were sometimes or often not eating enough during the previous 12 months because they just couldn't afford enough food; an estimated 0.9 million households.

Among all client households with at least one child under the age of 18, 63.2% utilize the school lunch program and 49.9% the school breakfast program.
52.5% of all client households with at least one child age 0 to 5 are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); an increase from 31% in 1997.
61.9% of agencies run feeding programs that target children only: Kids Cafes, youth after-school programs, child day care programs, and summer camps for low-income clients.
46.2% of pantry programs indicated there are "many more children in the summer," while 68.2% of kitchen programs indicated an increase during the same time of year.

Be A Volunteer

Help tutor children who come to the local Kids Cafe for a hot meal.
Help repackage donated food for use at food pantries and emergency shelters.
Bring youth groups to the food bank to help sort salvaged food. This can be a great way to teach kids about how their own volunteer work can strengthen their community.
Work with businesses in the community to encourage them to donate to the food bank. As a customer your efforts are particularly meaningful and persuasive.
Help prepare and serve food at a local community feeding center or Kids Cafe .
Help transport food to charitable agencies and the hungry people who use their services.
Share your skills with people coming to feeding centers. In the hours between school and dinner, teach a child how to use a computer or how to do CPR.

Handout 2Print Handout 2

Guide to Record Contact and Information

My need or social concern to be addressed: __________________________________________

Organization that serves the cause/social concern	Person and method of contact	How can the organization be served? What are the opportunities for high school volunteers?

Handout 3Print Handout 3

Rubric for Character Sketch

	Superior	Good	Fair	Unacceptable
Personal Qualities	Includes 4-5 significant personal qualities	Includes 2-3 significant personal qualities	Includes 1 significant quality	Does not include significant personal qualities
Actions	Includes 4-5 actions which reflect heroism for the common good	Includes 2-3 actions which reflect heroism for the common good	Includes 1 action which reflects heroism for the common good	Does not include actions which reflect heroism for the common good.
Setting/Context	Includes 4-5 elements describing the setting that presented opposing forces and obstacles	Includes 2-3 elements describing the setting that presented opposing forces and obstacles	Includes 1 element describing the setting that presented opposing forces and obstacles	Does not include elements describing the setting that presented opposing forces and obstacles
Sketch	Depicts 4-5 elements. These can be taken from any of the 3 above categories.	Depicts 2-3 elements. These can be taken from any of the 3 above categories.	Depicts 1 element. These can be taken from any of the 3 above categories.	Does not depict any elements.
Mechanics	Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the poster.	There is 1 error in capitalization or punctuation.	There are 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.	There are more than 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.
Graphics/ Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Graphics -Clarity	Graphics are all in focus and the content easily viewed.	Most graphics are in focus and the content easily viewed.	Graphics are somewhat in focus and the content is somewhat evident.	Many graphics are not clear or are too small.