Context: I completed this assignment for the Social Studies block II class, under the instruction of Dr. Oldendorf. I constructed a social studies lesson for my service learning project. I taught the lesson in a first grade class at Cove Creek School. The students visited the local nursing home as completion of this lesson. This lesson was taught with fellow block II students who are also interning at Cove Creek with their kindergarten classes.

Impact: I created this lesson with the help and advisement of my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Johnson. This lesson helps students give back to the community. This activity made my first grade students into better citizens. Therefore, this lesson taught about giving to others who are less fortunate. The students were read to from a children's book about a young boy and his grandparent living in a nursing home. As a result, the students made “happy fall” cards and decorations for a local nursing home for this lesson. The students really enjoyed meeting their nursing home buddies and will continue to keep in touch and keep this project going.

Alignment: Through the completion of this project I have met the following NCDPI standards:

Standard 4: Elementary teacher have abroad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in social studies.

Indicator 3: Teachers know and understand the developmental progression from the individual to the nation: self and family, home and school, neighborhoods, communities, state, nation.

I met this standard by introducing the topic of good citizenship, and helping others to my students. Students understand that even though they are a first grader they can still be apart of a big cause in their neighborhood and communities. Students make nursing home residence cards.

Indicator 11: Teachers promote the basic principles of being a citizen as vital to the development of responsible member of society by promoting an understanding of character development, including: Responsibility, integrity, self-discipline, caring, respect, perseverance, courage, and citizenship.

I met this standard by making my students participate in activities to be good citizens. They learned about caring for people who may not have family to care about them. We also spoke about how to treat older people with respect.

Standard 16: Elementary teacher develop as leaders in the schools an 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.

I met this standard by involving students in this lesson outside of the classroom. We took the students to the nursing home to get to meet their nursing home buddy and to share with them their cards, gifts, and decoration they had made for them. Students were able to make a connection with their buddy and learn more about them.

Indicator 9: teachers understand the importance of collaborating with colleagues to strengthen content, research, and pedagogy as well as with the community to provide quality instruction that meets state competencies.

I met this standard by collaborating with fellow teachers and fellow block II interns to complete this project. We met and discussed what we would do for this project to make sure that everyone would be involved each class was over a different decoration for the nursing home.