Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

generationOn

Home / Teachers / Put Your Hands in Mine (6th Grade)

Put Your Hands in Mine (6th Grade)

Lesson 1:

From Unit Put Your Hands in Mine (6th Grade)

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

6th-8th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Brainstorming; Group Discussions; Social/Cultural Issues; Universal Themes; Vocabulary
PHIL:	1 lesson genOn; Discrimination; Justice; Respect; Tolerance
SOC:	Diversity; Equality

Focus Question(s):

What is a world citizen's responsibility to promote and advocate for justice and kindness?

NOTE: Prior to this lesson, use the Blue Sky Activity in which students envision a better world. If you already have a Blue Sky display, revisit it before beginning this lesson.

Purpose:

The result of this lesson is that students connect the concepts/practices of fairness, justice, tolerance, togetherness, and equality as necessary to the advancement of human and civil rights. Students share ideas about how philanthropic acts can promote the common good and lead to positive social changes.

Duration:

One 50 Minute Class Period

Objectives:

The learner will:

describe the role of young people as agents of change during the civil rights movement.
define and give examples of each of the following terms: philanthropy, tolerance, equality, human rights, civil rights, justice, and togetherness.
identify ways in which he/she can be an agent of change in his/her own communities.

Materials:

A copy of Mighty Times: The Children's March video
(available free at http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-times-childrens-march )
Group copies of Agents of Change (Attachment One)

Handout 1: Agents of Change

Teacher Preparation:

Order a copy of Mighty Times: The Children's March DVD in advance of teaching this lesson. It is available free at http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-times-childrens-march)

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:
As the learners are entering the classroom let them see you counting out coins. Once they are seated ask them what they think you are doing. Accept their responses but the word you are looking for is counting "change." Once someone has mentioned the word "change" write the word on the display board and challenge the learners to think of other possible meanings for the word "change." Having exhausted their thinking, tell them that today they will be studying "change" as it pertains to things being done differently either because what was happening wasn't working anymore or not working effectively enough to meet the desired results.

Show the first 20 minutes of the video The Mighty Times: The Children March and have the learners reflect on the "change" that the Children's March was seeking. Have the learners discuss the role of the young people seeking change in this video.
Have the learners think about ways that they can be agents of change for the common good and what they would have to do to promote positive change. Encourage as many answers as possible.
Arrange the learners in groups of three or four and distribute copies of Attachment One: Agents of Change. Have the groups read and follow the directions.
Determine that each group revealed the word "changes" when reading down the list of seven words. Write each of the words on the display board and have groups share their definitions and an example. Guide the groups toward an appropriate definition of each word using the following definitions.
- Civil Rights
  What this word means to us: Definition: (pl. n) Rights guaranteed to citizens; the specific rights provided by the 13th and 14th amendments of the United States Constitution)
- pHilanthropy
  What this word means to us: Definition: (n) 1. The giving of one’s time, talent or treasure for the sake of another- or for the common good – Robert Payton, 2. Voluntary action for the public good -Robert Payton, 3. Voluntary giving, voluntary service, and voluntary association, primarily for the benefit of others – Robert Payton, 4. Giving and serving –Richard J. Bentley and Luana G. Nissan, 5. Active effort to promote human welfare, 6. A tradition, a spirit, and a sector of society – Maurice G. Gurin and Jon Van Til
- tolerAnce
  What this word means to us: Definition: (adj) to recognize and respect the opinions and rights of others; to endure; to put up with; to suffer – toleration (n), tolerance (adj.), tolerant (adj.)
- togetherNess
  What this word means to us: Definition: (n) with each other; combined action ; in agreement or harmony with others.
- human riGhts
  What this word means to us: Definition (n) Inalienable moral entitlement attached to all persons equally, simply by virtue of their humanity, irrespective of race, nationality, or membership of any particular social group. They specify the minimum conditions for human dignity and a tolerable life.
- Equailty
  What this word means to us: Definition: (n.) Of the same measurement, quantity, or value as another; having the same privileges or rights.
- juStice
  What this word means to us: Definition: (n) The principle of moral or ideal rightness; conformity to the law; the abstract principal by which right and wrong are defined; a judge
Conclude this lesson by having each group share their examples and discuss how these words might be inspirational in describing the "changes" the class hopes to make during this year's King Day event.

Assessment:

Observe the learner's involvement in class and group discussions as well as the appropriateness of the responses on the Attachment One: Agents of Change.

Learning Link(s): (click to view)

Have an idea for a Learning Link?

Submit your idea here.

If your Link is accepted for publication on the Web site you will be credited with your name, school, and city.

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.

Read: In 1965, Cesar Chavez led a protest that touched people all over the world. In California at the time, migrant farm workers picked grapes and vegetables in terrible working conditions. They worked long hours, sacrificing family time and personal time for small wages and no health insurance. They used short tools that forced them to bend over and affected their long-term physical health. They didn’t have daycare for their children, and children stayed in the fields where they were hurt by poisonous pesticides. Cesar Chavez used a nonviolent grape boycott to raise awareness about working conditions and to get the farm owners to listen. People all over the world heard Chavez speak about the grape boycott. When they went to the grocery store, they chose not to buy grapes in support of the migrant farmers. It worked! The farm owners lost money and, after five years, decided they would make some positive changes for their workers.

Discuss: Why do you think the grape boycott worked? If you had heard the stories about the migrant workers, would you have chosen to skip over the grapes until the problem was solved? What if your favorite food was on a boycott list? Would it be hard to give up? Have you heard about unfair working conditions in the news lately? Is there anything we can do to help people today? What does Martin Luther King, Jr. Day have to do with personal choices?

Read: Have you heard the saying, “Everyone lives downstream”? Do you wonder how that can be if you don’t live near a stream? When water flows downstream, it carries with it particles and silt from weathering rocks. A river or stream carries materials in its current and drops the materials when the current slows or turns course farther downstream. This is part of nature. But what happens when a river carries pollutants downstream and drops them in a new location? Maybe the pollutants end up in a lake or in your source of drinking water. Many people don’t realize that water in a storm sewer can carry away chemicals from lawn fertilizers and other pollutants and drop them in your local lake or drinking water source. Although these pollutants may seem out of sight, they may be causing problems downstream. And since we all share the limited water resources of the world, we all “live downstream” from someone else. These water pollution issues affect us all.
Discuss: Nobody wants to be on the downstream end of water pollution. But we are all affected by water pollution. Pollution from cars, cities, manufacturing, sewers, landfills, and trash all have the potential to end up in the limited fresh water we have on earth. What can we do to reduce contamination in our water supply? How can young people raise awareness so people and industries clean up their act? How do you think water pollution could be considered an issue of fairness?
Read: In September of 2000, the United Nations, made up of leaders of countries from around the world, agreed to work together to promote peace, justice, and prosperity for all in the world. They set goals as a group to take responsibility to improve the world in eight areas by the year 2015. The eight areas are hunger and poverty, HIV/AIDS, equality, education, child health, mothers’ health, environment, and global partnership. The countries of the United Nations agreed that they have a responsibility to “uphold the principles of human dignity” and a duty to the children of the world.
Discuss: How does working toward justice in the eight named areas help the common good? For example, how is it good for everyone if we cut in half the number of people who are poor and hungry? Or how is it good for everyone if we reduce the loss of environmental resources? How can we help the UN in one of the areas listed? Can young people help the UN reach their goals by 2015? What do these areas have to do with human dignity?
(United Nations Millennium Declaration, 2000)
Read: A preschool child is full of possibilities. The young child learns from interactions with others. Positive experiences help preschoolers develop self-esteem and knowledge. Research shows that preschool experiences should include playing, talking, listening to music, and being read to. The more experience preschool children gain, the stronger they grow in readiness for school and life.
Discussion: What time and talent could you share with preschoolers to help them grow strong and healthy? Do you think a sixth grader can make a difference in the life of children who don’t hear books or music at home? Can a sixth grader model good communication and fair play to a four-year-old? Do you know any preschoolers who you could have a positive impact on? How does interacting with a preschooler help the common good?
(Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D., 2000)
Read: Going to school is a basic right, but over 90 million school-age children do not have that chance. Most of the children who do not attend school live in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. In these areas, boys are more likely to go to school than girls. The main reason is poverty. Poor families cannot afford school costs (uniforms, supplies, and school fees) or must keep children home to work. Families that can only afford to send one child will send a boy before a girl because girls do not have equal rights in many cultures. But educating girls is good for the whole community. Girls who go to school are more likely to be confident and healthy. They have children later in life and are more likely to send their children to school.
Discuss: How is education for girls a civil right? In American history, there are many examples of groups fighting for civil rights, including equal treatment of minorities, equal opportunity for people with disabilities, equal rights for women, and women’s right to vote. What strategies worked for these groups? Would any of these strategies work to demand education for all children and equal opportunities for girls in developing countries?
(UNICEF, 2007).
Read: Walk into any doughnut shop and you’ll see a wide variety of donuts on display. The combinations of frosting, glaze, and toppings not to mention flavors, sizes, and shapes of these pastries provide one with almost too many choices. But no doubt, we all have our favorites. So while we may look at the others and perhaps wonder what they might taste like, we tend to purchase and eat those we are familiar to us.
A number of years ago there was a commercial on TV about two boys and their much younger brother, Mikey. The commercial was about trying to get children to eat different things. Mikey’s older brothers always hesitated about trying anything new when it came to food. They would first test it by having Mikey eat it. Everyone knew, "Mikey will eat anything!” If Mikey ’liked it,’ then the other boys would try it too.
Discuss: How might the wide variety of donuts represent the peoples of the world? How does selecting our favorite donut reflect how we typically choose our friends? How does always selecting our favorite donut reflect how we typically choose the things we like to involve ourselves in? When it comes to our service event, do you think if we try it and like it others might try it and like it too?
Read: “Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you.” Many feel that history does not record the origin of this particular saying because it has always been this way. There is much evidence to suggest that smiling is a normal reaction to certain stimuli and occurs regardless of culture. While the saying may be a bit of a stretch, a smile can be very powerful. Wearing a true smile draws people to one another. Sometimes we are admonished to “smile even if it kills you”. But the physiology of a smile would seem to indicate that smiling actually helps you to live better. It has been proven to diffuse a lot of anger and anxiety that are causes of stress related illnesses and even death. Smiling makes your body and mind feel better not to mention the body and mind of those who are the recipients of your smile. We can also smile in other than physical ways. We can become better listeners and less judgmental. We can be polite toward and encouraging of others. We can be patient with ourselves and others allowing for mistakes. We can seek to understand. We can take notice of the little things that mean so much. As someone once said, “Smile! If you can't lift the corners of your lips, let the middle sag."
Discuss: It seems that smiling is such a little thing and yet it makes such a big difference. How might we use our smile during our service event to enhance our planned efforts? How might we use this information to impress upon those who feel that their involvement in our service event is “just too much work”?
Read: Candice raised her hand to answer the teacher’s question. Her question was, “Who invented the first electric light”? Usually she wasn’t always confident about her answers but this time Candice was pretty sure she knew. So when the teacher called on her to answer, she proudly responded, “Humphry Davy!” Everyone in the class started to laugh. Seems that everyone knew that it was Thomas Alva Edison who invented the first electric lightbulb. Because the class continued to laugh at her, Candice was embarrassed. She felt like leaving the room. The teacher motioned for the class to settle down. She walked down the row and stood next to Candice’s desk. Handing her the book she was holding, the teacher pointed to a section in the book. Then she asked Candice to read it aloud. Everyone readied themselves to once again burst out in laughter when Candice discovered that she was wrong. Candice began reading from the selection... The first electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. This is called an electric arc. The class was silent as the teacher walked back to the front of the room. “You see class,” she said as she turned to face them, “Candice really listened to what I asked. I asked who invented the first electric light, not who invented the first electric light bulb!”
Discuss: Why is listening closely to what others say always a good practice? How important a role might “listening closely” play during our service event? At recess time some of Candice’s classmates came up to her and apologized for laughing at her. They felt badly and wanted to make sure that everything was okay. In what ways is our service event about trying to make sure everything is “okay”?
Read: Lukysa uses her wheelchair to get around. When she was seven years old she rode her bike into the street without looking and into the path of an oncoming car. The accident resulted in her being unable to use her legs for the rest of her life. Now that she is twelve years old she has grown accustomed to her wheelchair. But she admits that having to use it limits her in many ways. “I like to do things like the other children are doing, “she says. “But it’s obvious that I can’t do everything. What’s really sad is that a lot of people think because I am in a wheelchair I can’t do anything. I guess you could call it stereotyping.” While Luksya can’t play basketball or soccer like the other children, she is very involved. She is the Student Council representative for her 6th grade class. She plays the flute in the band and sings in the choir. She acts in the school plays, paints and writes haiku, just to mention a few things. “I have overcome my handicap. I just wish other people could.”
Discuss: Are there some things that you are really good at and some things that you are not so good at? Have you ever been teased because you are good or not so good at something? Lukysa said that she has overcome her handicap. What do you think she means by this? In what ways might ourservice event be a day to overcome stereotypes as well as some of those things that others or we think might limit us?
Read: If asked, most students would say that they don’t care much for rules. They would reason that rules are too restrictive. They tend to limit ones fun and freedom too much. But if these same students thought more deeply about it, they would also have to agree that without rules everyone could find themselves in a lot of unpleasant situations. Have you ever thought about the fact that no “rules” exist in the animal kingdom other than the rules of instinct, speed, and strength. Having these rules pretty much determines what happens to whom. Imagine a human world in which what happens to us would depend solely upon our instincts, our speed, and our strength.
Discuss: If we all lived according to the rules of the animal kingdom, what do you think would happen to people who were not strong or quick to move about? What would someone have to do in order to survive in a world like this? In a civil society, rules protect everyone. They protect the smart and the not so smart, the speedy and the not so speedy, the strong and the not so strong. Rules help our world work effectively and efficiently. How might our service event help our world work more effectively and efficiently?

Shonkoff,J., & Phillips,D. (Eds.).(2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

UNICEF, 2007, State of the World’s Children.

School/Home Connection:

Encourage the learners to "interview" family members and/or friends who recall the Civil Rights Movement and be prepared to share this information during class discussions.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

If time and interest permits have the learners view the entire video: The Mighty Times: The Children's March and involve the learners in a discussion about how this video might relate to their own King Day Event.
Have the learners draw a graphic design or icon to represent one or more of the seven words in Attachment One: Agents of Change. Place these graphic designs on display as "reminders" during the King Day Event.
Brainstorm ways learners can be agents of change in their classrooms and/or school.

Reflection: (click to view)

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:
Have the students complete the following prompt:
“My experience during this service-learning project was like____________because_________________”
Have each student share his/her writing with the class. Challenge the class to listen for commonalities and differences in relation to their own writing.

ACTIVITY TWO: Assign the students to groups of two or three. Provide each group with a handful of construction blocks or similar manipulative-like construction toys, molding clay, straws, paper, etc. Instruct the groups to talk among themselves about what they did, how they felt, and what impact they think their involvement in this service project might have had. Explain that each group is to create a structure from the materials that represents/symbolizes their experiences. When completed, give each group an opportunity to explain their structure to the rest of the class and how it is intended to represent/symbolize their experiences.

ACTIVITY THREE: Ask the students to consider their favorite sport. Give each student some old newspapers, a pair of scissors, a glue stick/paste, and a sheet of construction paper. On the construction paper, have each of them draw and cut out a piece of sport’s equipment that represents their favorite sport. On their cutout “piece of sport’s equipment” have them add words and phrases cut from their newspapers that will help someone looking at their “piece of sport’s equipment” understand the connections that they are trying to make between their participation in this service project and their participation in their favorite sport. Display the students’ final products and be sure that they are given ample time to do a walk down “The Hall of Famous Sports Equipment” to read what others have written.

ACTIVITY FOUR: From a single piece of large white construction paper, cut out a variety of jig-saw puzzle shapes. Be sure that each student in the classroom gets at least one of these puzzle pieces. Have each student write on their puzzle piece a response to one of these prompts:

What I did in this Event.
How I felt as I was participating in this Event.
What difference did this Event make?

Have the students, using a colored pencil or crayon, lightly color their puzzle piece so as not to cover up what is written on it. Then working as a group, have each student properly place his/her piece into the puzzle as one might put a jigsaw puzzle together. Once the puzzle has been completed, have a couple of students paste/glue the pieces onto a larger piece of paper and display the complete puzzle under the heading, “Working Together to Solve the Puzzle”, or some similar appropriate heading.

Bibliographical References:

DVD Mighty Times: The Children's March

http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-times-childrens-march

Lesson Developed By:

Sharon Gallimore
East NY Family Academy
East NY Family Academy
Brooklyn, NY 11207

Zelda Nathanel
East NY Family Academy
East NY Family Academy
Brooklyn, NY 11207

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Agents of Change

Using this word bank (Philanthropy, Tolerance, Equality, Human Rights, Civil Rights, Justice, Togetherness) write the word(s) that fit in the blanks. When you are finished, a word (reading down) will appear using letters marked by the "x". This word represents what the Civil Rights Movement brought to the world . Discuss and reach a consensus about what each of these words mean and write the group's definition and example in the spaces provided.

___ __ __ __ __      __ __ __ __ __ __ (2 words)                  What this word means to us:
   x

                                                                                                                      An example of this would be:
__   ___ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __                       What this word means to us:
           x

                                                                                                                      An example of this would be:
__ __ __ __ __   ___ __ __ __                                               What this word means to us:
                                         x

                                                                                                                       An example of this would be:
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __   ___ __ __ __                        What this word means to us:
                                                                x

                                                                                                                       An example of this would be:
__ __ __ __ __       __ __  ___ __ __ __    (2 words)      What this word means to us:
                                                             x

                                                                                                                        An example of this would be:
___ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ What this word means to us:
x

An example of this would be:
__ __  ___ __ __ __ __                                                                 What this word means to us:
                 x

                                                                                                                       An example of this would be:

Academic Standards:

State/Country:

Philanthropy Framework:

Unit Contents:

Overview:Put Your Hands in Mine (6th Grade) Summary

Lessons:

1.: Put Your Hands in Mine (6th Grade)

Generated by Points of Light International