California Department of Education
Gaining by Giving
Community service is a win-win! Scholars discover how to gain valuable career skills through helping others using a lesson about volunteer work. Second in a six-part career and college readiness series, the activities focus on...
Curated OER
Fame, Fortune, and Philanthropy
With your middle schoolers, develop concepts such as philanthropy, civic responsibility, community service, and common good. Discuss famous philanthropists and what we can each give of our time, talent and treasure to better our...
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Working for the Common Good
Students explore the concept of nation building. For this Peace Corps lesson, students examine primary source documents from corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic to determine what it means to work for the common good.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "When Giving Is All We Have" by Alberto Ríos
What makes giving meaningful? Class members discuss this question, then listen to Alberto Rios reading his poem, "When Giving Is All We Have." Finally, the class considers what the poet says about the question.
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Definition of Philanthropy
Students discover philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students read literature and discuss occurrences of people sharing their time, talent, and treasure. Students respond, in writing, to the theme of philanthropy in a...
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Philanthropy and Citizenship-Hand in Hand
High schoolers define philanthropy and evaluate how the government would functin without the help of volunteers. They write song lyrics, participate in a class discussion, and complete a Venn diagram.
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Volunteering Requires Freedom of Choice
Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy lesson, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we choose ways to...
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Hmmm-What is Philanthropy?
High schoolers develop an understanding of philanthropy through definition and actions. Students to get to know themselves and their classmates by engaging in activities imbedded in this lesson. They investigate the types of...
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National Volunteer Week Celebrations
Encourage and recognize volunteering's power for positive change!
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Creating Volunteers
Students discuss the benefits of volunteering. In this creating volunteers lesson plan, students consider philanthropic actions and opportunity costs. Students create a song and visual aid about being a volunteer.
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Working for the Common Good
Students discuss the concept of the common good. Using primary source documents, they read accounts from volunteers in the Dominican Republic and discuss how they work for the common good. They reflect on the topic in their journals to...
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Philanthropy Framework
Students become community philanthropists. In this social studies lesson, students learn the definition of philanthropy and apply it to Martin Luther King, Jr. The next day, students complete 3 T-charts for 3 historical figures. Finally,...
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Philanthropy in Your Community
Students brainstorm how an action to benefit others is a type of philanthropy. They
identify the commonwealth approach to philanthropy,
plan and carry out a philanthropic action in their community and
reflect how their action qualifies...
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Introduction to Philanthropy-Recognizing Good Citizenship and Philanthropy in Our Community
Students explore the term philanthropy and recognize it in everyday situations. They list three philanthropic activities occurring in their own home, in their classroom, or in their school. Students identify at least one act they might...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin, Working for the Common Good
Young scholars examine Benjamin Franklin's community service in Philadelphia. For this American history famous heroes instructional activity, learners make text-to-self-and-world connections between the Philadelphia community service...
Visa
Kindness Counts: Understanding Charitable Giving
Financial literacy is generally focused on personal spending and saving, but consider an opportunity to talk to your pupils about how charitable giving can also factor into money management and how it can enhance life for both oneself...
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Ask a Volunteer!
Students investigate the motivation of volunteers. In this philanthropy lesson, students interview school volunteers on why they volunteer and write thank-you letters to them
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This Land is Your Land: Volunteering in the Community
Students discover what a Relief Office does. In this volunteer activity, students investigate what a Relief Office does, and who helps run it. Students discuss ways he/she could become a volunteer.
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Philanthropy and You
Students define and discuss philanthropy. They research a philanthropist and write a three-paragraph essay summarizing what they have learned , including their own roles as philanthropists. They also plan and initiate personal acts of...
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Singing as a Way of Giving
Students perform songs from previous philanthropy lessons. In this music instructional activity, students create a video of songs and give it to a local shelter. Students are encouraged to be creative and sing songs such as "What Can I...
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Volunteering Our Time
Young scholars participate in a service learning project. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students volunteer their time at a local soup kitchen and reflect upon the experience in a journal.
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Giving Cheer
Pupils explore kind behavior. In this values development and literacy instructional activity, students listen to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, then generate a class list of ways the tree helped the boy and ways in which the boy...
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Create a Volunteer Spirit
Learners evaluate how volunteering helps others. In this philanthropy lesson, students define what a volunteer is and brainstorm a group volunteer project to implement in the school. Learners write an essay describing how volunteering...
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Philanthropy and Philanthropists' Qualities
Students explore the meaning of the term "philanthropy" and the qualities that philanthropists share, especially good character and personal virtue. They list and describe how three volunteer groups act for the common good and summarize...