Alignment

Standard 4: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in social studies.

Indicator 11: Teachers promote the basic principles of being a citizen as vital to the development of responsible members of society by promoting an understanding of character development, including: Responsibility, Integrity, Self-discipline, Caring, Respect, Perseverance, Courage, and Citizenship.

This service learning activity promotes student awareness of  people who are in less fortunate situations. The students care about the kids in the hospital that they are sending these blankets to, and write them letters. The letters were personal, and respectful. They wanted to tell these kids that they were thinking about them, and wanted them to be happy over the holiday season. Many students claimed they could relate to having a hard time, or even being in the hospital. I encouraged the class that doing community service projects like this one was one way to be a responsible citizen.  

Standard 7 : Elementary teachers use developmentally appropriate strategies to design and deliver instruction in all areas of the elementary curriculum.

Indicator 7: Teachers develop and use a variety of formal and alternative assessment strategies as an integral part of instruction and learning appropriate for assessing individual, peer, team, and collaborative skills.

During this lesson, students are using writing as a form of learning about responsible citizenship, as they express themselves through their cards. This strategy allows the students to practice skills through a developmentally appropriate avenue, they are writing, but they are writing to be heard, rather than just to write. What they are saying has meaning to them, and therefore, students will put an honest effect into their work.

Standard 11: Elementary teachers connect social studies with the broad curriculum. Teachers use the scope and sequence of the social studies curriculum to teach skills through the integration of the social studies content with the areas listed below.

Indicator 1: Teachers incorporate communication in their lessons.

This community service project has students involved in creating blankets for kids in the hospital as well as sending them letters. Even though they are not expecting a letter back, they are communicating with a child who is less fortunate than they are. Many of these students are coming from less fortunate homes, and can relate to these kids having a hard time. The cards they wrote were touching, honest, and a common theme was for these children to have hope, a message many of these kids need to hear.

Standard 16: Elementary teachers develop as leaders in their schools and communities by staying informed about educational policy issues and supporting professional development. Elementary teachers participate in co-curricular activities, provide leadership in student and curriculum involvement, and connect these activities to the development of citizenship ideals in their students.

Indicator 1: When developing as leaders in their schools and communities, elementary teachers involve students in activities outside the classroom.

Allowing students to communicate and send gifts to kids who are in the hospital, involves them in the community to develop within them the idea of leadership. Students who are active in community service, and see the value of being a responsible citizen, will in turn become responsible leaders in the community in the future.

Indicator 7: Teachers encourage participation in civic and volunteer activities.

Through my enthusiam in service learning, as well as my introduction of the project, I am conveying to students the importance in the participation of community service. Students in my class have observed my organization of this project, and can now follow my model and become involved in civic and volunteer activities of their own.