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: Jeremy got really sick. He even had to go home from school. His mother put him right to bed. While Jeremy slept his mother called the doctor. The doctor told her that what Jeremy had some other boys and girls also have. The doctor her that she would write a prescription for medicine for Jeremy. The prescription should make him feel better very soon. Two days later Jeremy was feeling well enough to go back to school. Everybody was happy to see him feeling so much better.
   
   Discuss: People who are hungry do not always feel well. How can our drive event be like a prescription for them? How might what we bring for our Drive help them to feel better? How do you think we will feel when we give these people the items we have collected during our drive event? How do you think they will feel?
   
    
2. Read: One day Alexis went to the store with her Dad. When it came time to pay for the groceries, the clerk at the checkout asked her dad if he’d like to buy a dinner for someone. The clerk said that all Dad had to do was donate one dollar. It would provide a meal for one homeless person at the shelter. The dollar would be added to the grocery bill. Dad said, “Sure, and I’ll buy one meal and one for each member of my family, too.” Alexis’ dad told the clerk to add five dollars to our grocery bill, since there were five people in their family. Alexis really felt proud of her dad for doing that. That day she learned two valuable lessons. First she learned that sometimes even giving just a little really helps people in need and the second thing she learned was_______?
   
   Discuss: What do you think might have been the second valuable lesson that Alexis learned? Why do you think Alexis felt proud of her father that day? How do you think most kids will feel after donating to our drive?
   
    
3. Read: Mr. Hamilton always kept his bird feeder filled especially during the winter. We would often see him tromp through the deep snow to the bird feeder from our kitchen window. Sometimes it would be snowing so hard that we could barely make out him going to the bird feeder. Sometimes it was so bitterly cold that I wondered why he would go out in the snow for just for a few birds.
   
   One day while I was helping shovel the sidewalk leading to our front door, I saw Mr. Hamilton heading for the bird feeder. I stuck my shovel in the snow and walked over to him. “Mr. Hamilton, why do you always fill this bird feeder?” I asked. “We watch you go out in all kinds of weather. And for what?  Just a few old birds that aren’t smart enough to fly south for the winter?”
   
   Mr. Hamilton stopped pouring the seeds into the feeder long enough to be sure that he had my attention. Then he said, “Son, sometimes you’ve got to help those who can’t help themselves.”
   
   I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out.
   
   Discuss: Why do you think Mr. Hamilton was so persistent and faithful in keeping his bird feeder full of food for the birds? In what ways is our drive helping those who can’t always help themselves? What do you think the young boy in this story might have said if the words would have out?
   
    
4. Read: Eric got new glasses. He showed the class his new glasses during show- and- tell. He said that the new glasses helped him to see better. Eric also told the class about his neighbor Mrs. Baldwin. She was blind. Even though she wears glasses they do not help her to see. Mrs. Baldwin’s husband refuses to wear glasses even though they could help him see better. Mrs. Baldwin was concerned because her husband thinks he doesn’t need glasses.
   
   Discuss: Sometimes people just don’t see that others are in need of help. Sometimes people choose not to see those in need of help. How is our service project helping us to see those in need of help? How can we encourage those who do not see a need to participate in our event? How can we encourage those who choose not to see a need to participate in our event?
   
    
5. Read: Most people who have pets really like them. They take good care of them. They play with them and exercise them. Most pet owners make sure that their pet gets just the right amount of proper food. In fact, pet owners spend over $1,000 a year on their pets. Pets are important. So are people. Sometimes our pets eat better than the people who live in other places in the world. That is why it is important that we share our human food with others.
   
   Discuss: Our drive is all about sharing human food with others. We have to take care of our pets because most of them cannot take care of themselves. Sometimes people can’t take care of themselves. Why is it important that we help them?
   
    
6. Read: Ms. Teasdale asked her second grade class what their favorite food was. Brady said he loved banana splits. Amy said she loved Twinkies. Austen‘s favorite was pizza, while Jenny claimed a double fudge ice cream cone. Casey opted for tacos while Cameron chose pancakes with syrup. Everyone in the class began to groan. The sound of all this good food was making them hungry. Then Ms. Teasdale asked the class how many of them recalled being hungry before they started sharing their favorite food. Everyone agreed that they weren’t thinking about being hungry until everyone started to share their favorite food.  She told them that many people were hungry all the time. Many of them never tasted any of the food the class had just mentioned as their favorite.
   
   Discuss: Do you find this hard to believe? Why or why not? How is our drive trying to help hungry people? Why is it easier to eat banana sundaes and double fudge ice cones than food that is good for us? Do you think we are lucky to have choices in what we eat? Why do you think many people don’t have these choices?
   
    
7. Read: At the center of any target is what is called a bull’s-eye. People who shoot at targets for practice or fun try to hit the bull’s-eye. Maybe you have played a game of darts. The object of the game is to throw a dart and try to have it stick in the center of the target- the bull’s-eye. The closer you are to the bull’s- eye the more points you score. Not everyone can hit the bull’s-eye every time. It takes lots and lots of practice. But it is fun to see how close you can come.
   
   Discuss: The bull’s-eye for our drive is that we collect enough food (clothing) items to feed (clothe) everyone in the world. That would take a lot of practice and be very difficult to do. Why is it important that we do what we can even though it won’t be perfect? Do you think we can have fun away? Why or why not?
   
    
8. Read: Karen loved to read the comics in the newspaper. She didn’t always understand them, but she was always able to find someone in her family to tell her what they meant. As she was looking over the comic page an article on the opposite page caught her eye. The title was First Class Citizens.  Karen’s class was just talking about what it meant to be a good citizen. She asked her mother if she could read the article to her. Mom loved to hear Karen read.
   The article was about a young man dressed in military clothing, a young woman who was going to have a baby, and two businessmen. The young man and woman had just boarded the airplane. They were about to pass through the First Class section of the plane on their way to their seats in the back. The First Class section at the front of the plane is usually reserved for business people who fly often. These seats are very comfortable. Special food and beverage items are available to those who sit in these seats. Usually these items are not available to the rest of the passengers. Sometimes other people who are willing and able to pay lots more money can sit in this section as well. As the couple was passing through First Class the two men dressed in business suits stopped them. “We would like you to take our seats and we will go back and sit in yours.” they offered. Surprised and grateful the young couple accepted the offer. The newspaper called this a selfless act of kindness.
   
   Discuss: Why do you think these businessmen would give up their First Class seats to go sit in the back of the plane? Why do you think the newspaper chose the title of the article First Class Citizens? What do you think a selfless act of kindness means? In what ways is our being involved in our service project helping make us First Class Citizens? How is our event another example of a selfless act of kindness?
   
    
9. Read: A Fable: One dark and dreary morning a little redbird awoke. She said to herself, “Today I want to do something really special.” At breakfast she told her mother her plan. Mother smiled. So off the little redbird went looking to do something really special.
   
   While flying over the treetops she noticed a small squirrel scampering about. The redbird landed near the little squirrel.“I’ve lost my mother,” the squirrel cried.
   
   “I’ll fly through the trees to look for her,” the little redbird said. And so she did. Soon the little squirrel was reunited with his mother.
   
   Again the little redbird flew off still looking for something really special to do. Soon the little redbird noticed a mother robin trying to mend her nest. The little redbird landed close to the nest and noticed four little baby robins. “I need to mend my nest before my children fall out of it, but I can’t leave them to get any straw,” the mother robin said.
   
   “I’ll bring you some straw,” the little redbird said. And so she did and soon the nest was repaired.
   
   Still looking for something really special to do, the redbird flew off once again. It wasn’t long before she noticed a mother deer and her two fawns. They looked tired and weak. “My children are so thirsty and I can’t find any water for them,” the mother deer said looking sad and worried.
   
   “You stay here and I’ll fly above the trees. It’s easier to see where the lakes and ponds are from up there.” And with that she flew off. Soon she was able to lead the mother deer and her two fawns to a small lake. Feeling a bit sad, the little redbird headed for home.
   
   “How did your day go?” mother asked as the little redbird entered the kitchen for a glass of milk.
   
   “Oh, it was okay. I just couldn’t find something really special to do.”
   
   Discuss: Do you think the little redbird was right when she said that she couldn’t find something really special to do? How do you think the little squirrel felt after the little redbird helped him find his mother? How do you think the mother robin felt after the little redbird helped her mend her nest? How do you think the mother deer felt after the little redbird found water for her fawns? Sometimes we think we have to do really special things. Or we have to do many things to make a difference. How is bringing just one food item to our drive doing a really special thing?
   
    
10. Read: Do you think you could tell the difference between the footprints left by a bird and those left by a leopard? Could tell the difference between those left by dog and those left by an elephant? What about those left by a lizard and those left by a kitten? Do you think you could tell the difference between the footprints left by a woman from Chicago and a woman from New York? How about those left by a rich and important person and those left by a not so rich or important person? Do you think you could tell the difference between the footprints left by a hungry person and those left by a person who has just eaten a good meal?
    
    Discuss: Sometimes it’s easy to see differences. Sometimes it’s not so easy. Through our drive, we hope to get our collected items to people who need them. Why is it not always easy to know who these people in need are? Why might it be important to have someone help us distribute the items we collect during our drive?
     

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 cut out a snowflake. Remind students that no two snowflakes are alike, so all snowflake designs will be acceptable. Have the students, using a crayon or marker; write a word on their snowflake that represents how they felt while participating in the Event activity.  When each student has completed placing their “feeling” word on their snowflake, have them each share their word with the class. After everyone has had an opportunity to share, place all the snowflakes on display to simulate a snowman and titled the display e.g. “Building Together”, “A Magical Snowman”, etc. Share that just as it takes lots of snow flakes to build a snowman it takes a lot of helping hands to make a service project a success.

ACTIVITY TWO:
Give the students an 8 ½” x 11”-sheet of multi-colored construction paper, a pair scissors, a glue stick/paste and a variety of old magazines and newspapers.  Tell them that they will have a designated amount of time to go through these magazines and newspapers to cut out pictures and /or words that could be used to describe their involvement in the recent Event.  Once they have cut out pictures or words, tell them to place their name somewhere on the construction paper and then glue the pictures and/or words they cut out to the construction paper being careful not to cover up their name.  Display these in the classroom and if time allows have each student share the contents of his or her collage with the rest of the class.

ACTIVITY THREE:
Give each student two pop sickle sticks and a cut out of a happy face and a sad face. Have them attach/glue each face to one end of each of the pop sickle sticks.  Tell the students that they are going to be asked to “vote” on a series of questions and they can register their “vote” by holding up one of their two faces.  (NOTE: You may choose to add that the students can hold up both faces, if they are unsure of their answer/or if they feel that their answer could be both a happy face and a sad face.)

Questions:

1. How did you first feel about doing this Event?
2. How did you feel while you were doing this Event?
3. How did you feel after the Event was over?
4. How do you think what you did made other people feel? 
5. How do you think the ‘face of our world’ would look if no one did these things?
6. How do you think the ‘face of our world’ would look if everyone was giving and sharing?

From the student’s votes create a one-dimensional block graph on a display board or use actual building blocks to show how students responded to each of the questions.  Discuss what the graph would tell someone who might be looking at it for information about the Event.

ACTIVITY FOUR:
Arrange the class into four groups. Have one group mime some of the activities they actually did during the Event, while the rest of the class tries to guess the activities.  Have the second group mime how they felt while being involved/working in the Event, while the rest of the class tries to guess their feelings.  Have the third group mime how they would feel if they were the ones being helped/received the cards, etc., while the rest of the class tries to guess their feelings.  And finally, have the fourth group mime different activities they might be able to do the next time that would also be helpful, while the rest of the class tries to guess the activities.  Discuss with the class how well they thought they did in identifying the various mimes and what they learned from doing this activity.