These Learning Links provide ten quick-and-easy, five-minute mini-lessons to promote student thought and dialogue about service and civic engagement. You may use as many of them as you wish, and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the common good) and to reinforce the lesson focus. These Learning Links also promote the development of character traits, civic engagement, and student leadership. As appropriate to your grade level, it is recommended that students play an active leadership role in presenting these mini-lessons to their classmates. 

1. Read: Jenny was ready for a new bike. Her old one was too small for her. She could no longer pedal it comfortably. She had finally saved up enough money to buy a new one. She went to her mom to talk it over. Her mother suggested that Jenny put her old bike up for sale. If she sold it maybe she would not have to spend all her money she had saved to buy a new bike. Jenny told her mom that she was thinking about donating it. Jenny’s mom was curious. Jenny explained that at school they had read about a man who takes old and used bikes. He fixes  them for children with handicaps. Jenny then asked her mom if she could give her old bike to that man. Mother smiled her agreement. “That would be a great idea!” she said.
   
   Discuss: Why do you think Jenny wanted to give her bike away rather than sell it for money? What items might we donate to our drive event that could be sold at a garage sale for money? Why would someone choose to donate these items to our drive? Why do you think Jenny’s mother smiled at Jenny’s decision to donate her bike rather than sell it?
   
    
2. Read: Aaron comes to school every day without having eaten breakfast. I’m not sure if he always buys a school lunch. At night he is given a dollar or two to get food from a fast food place near his home. I’m pretty sure that Aaron goes to bed hungry. I didn’t know all this at first even though he sits next to me in school and we play together at recess. One day I saw him take a partially eaten apple out of the lunchroom trash. He ate it hoping no one would see. But I saw it. I thought about saying something to my friends. But I didn’t. I was afraid they’d just make fun of him. Maybe they would even call him names. So I kept it to myself. When I got home that night, I told my mom. She suggested that we would put an extra sandwich and a piece of fruit in my lunch from now on. Now everyday at lunch I sit next to Aaron. I look into my lunch bag and exclaim that for some reason my mom must have packed double! I ask Aaron if he’d like my “extra” sandwich or piece of fruit. He usually accepts my offer. I want him to think that he is helping me out by eating my “extras”.
   
   Discuss: Do you think there are other people like Aaron in the world who are hungry? How do you think the person telling this story felt when he saw what Aaron did in the lunch room? As we bring our food for our drive why is it important that we be careful not to make someone feel badly about not being able to bring food? What can we do to avoid making fun of hungry people or calling them names?
   
    
3. Read: When people say that they are hungry, it can mean two very different things. First, it can mean they have a need for food. This is how we feel when we haven’t eaten for a long time. Our stomachs may even growl. We might feel dizzy or weak. Do you know that there are many people in the world whose stomachs growl all the time? That’s because they are hungry and need food. The other kind of hungry is when we have a craving. This is how we feel when we see a candy bar that we like. Maybe it’s when we smell popcorn at the movie theatre or pizza at a ball game. It’s not that we need to eat; it’s just that we want to eat.
   
   Discuss: Why is it so important to help feed those who need food rather than those who just crave food? Why is it important that hungry people be able to eat food other than candy bars, popcorn, and desserts?
   
    
4. Read: Part of the fun of traveling is getting to eat and enjoy all sorts of foods you're not used to eating. A simple trip to the corner market or grocery store in a foreign land can keep you amused for hours. Have you ever eaten “mthonda” In Zambia? They are lightly fried caterpillars. How about field mice boiled and dried in the sun for a few days (but don’t eat the tail, it’s considered bad luck for those still in school)? How about pizza in a cone? Pickled snake head fish? Cow lung? Crab Spawn Cakes? Candied Salmon? You get the picture? Unusual food!
   
   Discuss: Why might donating items such as these, be okay if we lived in areas where these types of food are popular? Why might it not be okay to donate these types of food to our school’s drive? What are some things we need to remember when we think about what to donate to our school’s drive?
   
    
5. Read: April had a list of chores to do at home each day. The list included making her bed in the morning before school. She had to feed and fill the water bowl for Astro, the family dog. And for each family meal she had to help set and clear the table. April admitted that she doesn’t always feel like doing her chores. When she would start to complain to her brother and her sister, they would share with her all of the chores they had to do. “It’s just not fair!” she complained to her mother one day.
   
   “What’s not fair?”  Her mother asked.
   
   “That I have to do all this work,” moaned April.
   
   “Who do you think should be responsible for doing this work?” her mother asked. “If not you, who?
   
   Discuss: How do you think April answered her mother’s questions, Who do you think should be responsible for doing this work? If not you, who? Sometimes when people are asked to help, they complain. They say that it’s not fair. It’s not their responsibility. How might we respond to someone who says it’s not fair or it’s not my responsibility to be involved in our drive event?
   
    
6. Read: Once upon a time in a deep, deep forest there lived a troll. He seldom left his home because people would stare and call him names. He didn’t like that at all. So he stayed to himself. Having two cows, some chickens, and a vegetable garden meant that he did not have to go into town very often. That suited him just fine. One day while working in his garden, he thought he heard someone crying. He looked around to see where the sound was coming from. Slowly he approached the sound. It was someone crying. It was a little girl curled up in a ball at the edge of his garden! He was afraid he would frighten her. “But what if she is lost or hurt?” he thought to himself. So he tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned to look at him with her eyes filled with tears. “What’s the matter? He asked her. She certainly didn’t seem to be afraid of him. She told him that she was lost and very hungry. The troll thought of the milk he had in his refrigerator and of the cookies he had baked just that morning. “Come with me and I’ll get you something to eat and then we’ll get you home. “He called after her as he headed for his house. She followed still showing no fear.
   
   As she sipped the milk and munched on her third cookie, she told the troll that her parents were King Andrew and Queen Antoinette. She was a princess and lived with them in the castle not so far from where they were now. “I guess I wandered off trying to catch an orange and blue butterfly.” she said.
   
   The troll grew frightened that a princess was in his house. Surely someone would be looking for her. If they found her with him they would surely think that he meant her harm. They might even throw him into jail. As soon as the princess ate her fourth cookie and second glass of milk, he led her to the edge of the deep, deep forest. He pointed her toward the castle where she lived. Before she turned to go, she hugged the troll and thanked him for his kindness to her. Then she left. The troll smiled to himself, which is something he rarely did.
   
   Days turned into weeks and the troll all but forgot about the little princess. Then one day a knock came on his door and a loud voice commanded that it be opened. No one ever came to visit him. With fear and trembling the troll slowly opened the door. There stood the princess with a man and woman both wearing crowns and many men with spears and bows and arrows behind them. Everyone was smiling.
   
   The princess, pointing at the troll turned to the crowd behind her yelled, “He’s the wonderful man I’ve been telling you about.” At that point everyone...
   
   Discuss: Well, what do you think everyone one did? Why do you think so? Do you think the troll would have treated the little girl differently if he knew from the beginning that she was a princess? Why do think the little girl was not afraid of the troll like ever one else seemed to be? During our drive event could it be possible that someone we help might be or might have been a very important person? Why do you think the troll smiled to himself after he fed and helped the little girl find her way home? How do you think we might feel after showing kindness to someone during our drive?
   
    
7. Read: Some people think it brings them good luck to carry around a rabbit’s foot. Some people think for good luck you need to find a four-leaf clover. Some think it’s good luck to see a spider spinning its web in the morning. Others think a frog in your house will bring you good luck. Still others think that crossing your fingers when you make a wish will make that wish come true. There are all sorts of superstitions around “good luck”. But there is a proven way to bring “good luck” your way. To bring “good luck” you need to plan ahead. You need to not be afraid to try something new. You need to be open to seeing things differently. You need to have good friends. You need to make the best of bad situations and move on. Doing all these things pretty much guarantees “good luck” will come your way.
   
   Discuss: Most people would prefer “good luck” as opposed to “bad luck”. Most people would prefer to sit back and hope for “good luck”. But can we really do that and expect it to come our way? During our service event we are hoping for “good luck”. What do each of us need to do to make our drive be successful?
   
    
8. Read: One day Doc Skybeck, a local veterinarian, was called to the Beadock’s farm. It seemed that one of Mr. Beadock’s horses was not feeling well. Upon the vets arrival he went right to work to see what might be the problem. After running some test, he determined that the horse was dehydrated. This meant that the horse was lacking water. He told Mr. Beadock to see that the horse got plenty of water to drink. Two days went by. Again Mr. Beadock called to have Doc Skybeck return to his farm. The horse was not drinking water. It was looking much worse.
   
   “How can I make him drink when he doesn’t seem to want to?” Mr. Beadock asked the vet. “Every morning I give him a bucket of fresh water in his stall. When I come back in the afternoon it’s still there, untouched!”
   
   “Try salting the oats,” the vet said.
   
   Two days passed and Mr. Beadock once again called Doc Skybeck but this time to tell him the horse was drinking water and looking much better.
   
   Discuss: Why do you think Doc Skybeck’s suggestion of putting salt on the oats worked? Sometimes people choose not to do what is good for them or for others. We want to get as many students involved in our drive as possible. What are some ways that we might “salt the oats” so everyone will want to take part?
   
    
9. Read: At no other time during the year is so much pumpkin pie eaten as during the fall holiday season. The early Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin. Then they wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on an open fire. They tasted very good. It was the Pilgrims, who were the first to make what we call today pumpkin pie.  However, these very first pumpkin pies looked a lot different back then. The pies had no pie-shape crusts to put the pumpkin filling in. The pilgrims would slice off the pumpkin top. They would remove the seeds. And then they would fill the insides with milk, spices, and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes. When fully cooked the insides of the pumpkin were eaten with a long handled spoon. Today we bake pumpkin pies in pie shells! As of 2006, The Guinness Book of World Records reported the biggest pumpkin pie ever made weighed 2,020 pounds. It was baked by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers from Ohio.
   
   Discuss:  The New Bremen Newspaper did not report what happened to the  record-breaking pie. If our class was asked what to do with the pie, what might  some of our suggestions be and why? Some might say that squashing cars with  big pumpkins is a waste of food. Do you agree? Why or why not? In what ways  do you see food being wasted in our school? How might our service event be a  way of not wasting food? www.newbremen.com/PDF/NB_SEPT2006.pdf
   
    
10. Read: A warm coat! Sounds nice and cozy, doesn’t it? Especially on a cold day. One day, Lois Pavlow of San Francisco found herself staring at a coat hanging in her closet. She decided that she no longer needed it. She wanted to give it to someone who could use it. She thought about giving it to one of the agencies who would charge a small fee for the coat. This way, someone in need of a coat could actually afford to buy it. But Lois didn’t want people to have to pay anything for her coat. She wanted to give it away for free. She knew that there were some people who could not afford to pay anything for a warm coat. So, she started One Warm Coat. This program tries to give every man, woman, and child who needs one, a warm coat for free. People who want to do the same thing can donate their coats to the One Warm Coat program in their area.
    
    Discuss:  Some agencies accept donated items. They then resell them for very little money. The money these agencies collect from sales helps to run their programs and pay for their employees. Why might this also be a good way for people in need to get what they need? Why do you think Lois wanted to give her coat away for free? Our drive is a “give away for free” event.  Why do you think we have chosen to give away our donations for free? 
    www.onewarmcoat.com

Reflection plays a very important role in promoting student learning. The following suggested activities are ways to help students reflect on their learning after they have participated in a service event.  Choose one or more of the activities most appropriate to the service event and your students.

ACTIVITY ONE:
Provide each student with a cutout of a green, orange, yellow, and blue gum ball (a circle). On each green gum ball have the students write what they did during the Event activity.  On each orange gum have them write what impact they felt they made because of what they did. On the yellow gum ball have the students write a word that represents how they felt. On the blue gum ball have the students write something that they might do in the future to be helpful. Have students share their “gum balls” with a partner.  After their sharing, have the students come to the display area and place their four gum balls inside the outline of a glass topped gum ball machine.  (NOTE: Each gum ball should be displayed so that what is written on it can be easily read.)  Should the “Gum ball Machine” not be “filled up,” encourage the students to add additional blue gum balls as they think of additional activities they could do to be of service.

ACTIVITY TWO:
Have the students share what chores they are responsible for doing around their home.  Record these responses on a display board for all to see.  Have the students look for commonalities and differences.  Lead the students in a discussion that explores why doing these chores might be helpful to everyone in the family; how they contribute to the “common good” of the family.  Now, lead the students in a discussion about the Event and have them explain what it is they did during the Event.  Record their responses next to their “chores” responses on the display board.  Lead the students in a discussion that explores the importance of doing their “chores” as a member of the community; why taking part in the Event might be helpful to their family, school, and/or community.

Ask the students how they feel about doing their “chores” around the house.  Record their responses on the display board. Then encourage them to share how they felt while being involved in the Event and have them compare their “chore” feelings with their “Event” feelings. Note similarities and differences and encourage them to draw some conclusions.

ACTIVITY THREE:
Draw a clock face on the display board without its numbers and Label it “What Time Is It?”  Randomly, read the statements below and instruct students to raise their hands if they know what time it is (hour)?  They are to determine the correct time by the clue found in the statements.  Once a student correctly identifies the time (hour) from the clue, they are to share something from their experience with the Event.  Capture one or two key words or phrases that “summarize” the student comments and record these key words/concepts, along with the correctly identified number in the appropriate hour position that the number occupies on the clock face.  (Note: Use the ‘time cues’ suggested or ones that might be more appropriate to your present classroom academic instruction.

Time Clues:

1. How many people are flying an airplane when a pilot is flying solo?    
   (1 o’clock)
2. How many people are there singing in a duet/How many people does it take to tango?    
   (2 o’clock)
3. The minimum number of legs you need on a chair in order for it to stay upright/The right side half of a figure eight/Number of blind mice who ran after the farmer’s wife.   
   (3 o’clock)
4. The number of “downs” you get to move the football 10 yards/The number that is called out when a golfer is concerned that someone might be hit by the golf ball.    
   (4 o’clock)
5. The number of digits that make up a hand or a foot/Number of players on a basketball team that can be playing on the floor at the same time   
   (5 o’clock)
6. A half-dozen/The highest number one can shake on a single die   
   (6 o’clock)
7. The number of days in a week/A half of a decade plus two         
   (7 o’clock)
8. The figure of some race tracks/The shape of a snowman           
   (8 o’clock)
9. Three triples/One year short of a decade/A baseball team         
   (9 o’clock)
10. The highest score for an Olympic diver/A decade    
    (10 o’clock)
11. The last hour of the morning before noon/The hour before midnight     
    (11 o’clock)
12. Eggs are usually sold in this quantity/How old is the oldest pre-teen in the world?    
    (12 o’clock)

Once the numbers and key words/phrases have been placed on the clock, label the clock “Time for Philanthropy.”  Ask the students to summarize what they heard in the way of key words and phrases.  Asking “Do you have time for philanthropy?” might be a good question when considering helpful acts of kindness and justice.

ACTIVITY FOUR:
Show the students a variety of pictures of various candy bars (or have a variety of candy bars on display).  Ask the students to think about their favorite candy bar.  Have them share what it is about their "pictured" candy bar that appeal to them.
For example:

1. How do they feel while they are thinking about their favorite candy bar?
2. How do they feel while they are actually eating their favorite candy bar?
3. How do they feel after they have actually eaten their favorite candy bar?
4. Do they think that they might eat another of those candy bars in the future?
5. Do they think they might try a different kind of candy bar in the future?

Have the students think about and share with the class how eating their favorite candy bar and their having been involved in this most recent service project might be alike.  Conclude this reflection by having the students share their favorite part about this service project and explain why.