Service Learning Project

Group Reflection
As a group for our service learning project we are asking people that we know and people that we see everyday for cans and non nonperishable items. We will be collecting these items and bringing them to locate food shelters for families that need them. We did this because it is important for everyone to have a meal. It is not right that people have cans upon cans of food in their pantry and they never think about donating. Another reason why we do this is because I hope that others around me will get the same idea and will donate also, It is true that it takes a village to make a change.

http://www.foodbankcenc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=getinvolved_fooddrive

http://www.gbfb.org/



Ashley Perin Reflection
I feel like this service learning project had an impact on the greater good. It got people people involved who didn't know how easy it was to help. All it takes is a couple of dollars to buy some canned foods to help people eat and survive. This project impacted my family and friends  because at my neighborhood Christmas Party I had everyone who was coming to my house bring a canned  or non-perishable food idea. I got about 30 cans and some people even brought over a few cans. It is a great thing to see a community coming together to help the greater good.
This is something I do on a regular basis. I like to bring my old clothes to good will instead of selling them to consignment shops or giving them to my friends (who already have a closet full of clothes). I also go to supermarkets and when I see sales I always buy extra canned items and give them to food shelters or to a donation center.
Yes and no to teaching a service learning project. I do think I would teach and have students create a service learning project. I would like to teach third grade so I do not know how helpful they could be. But I could just have them collect cans and clothing at home and bring them in and tell me why they did this. I think it is good for kids to realize that they are lucky to have so much. BUT, on the other side some kids do not have a lot and some parents can not afford to feed their kids three meals. I think i would have to think a lot about what service learning project I would have my students do.

Alyssa's Reflection-


Our service learning project while in a small scale, has an impact on the greater good. Ending homelessness and hunger is a HUGE task that is going to take years to end, if at all. I feel like I am more aware of what is actually going on in the world and what I can do to help my fellow Americans. I think the part of this whole thing that hit me the most was about children and how much children are affected by becoming homeless or being below the poverty line. I think as a teacher, it is important to know who your students are and if you have a student that may be in a situation, its your duty to help them still achieve all that they can, no matter what their economic standing.



I'm looking forward to having more free time, because I really want to do more with homelessness and trying to end it. I want to be able to go to a food pantry or a soup kitchen and really see things from the other side. It's really given me a different perspective on life. I appreciate the little things, and spend less on the stupid things. this whole project has really shown me that not everyone is the same and that some people need help to get back on their feet. The best thing about this whole project is being able to help out. $1 can turn into EIGHT meals, that's amazing to me.


I think that if I were to teach service learning projects in the classroom, I would do a whole class project. Where I want to teach younger kids, I think it would be great to take a field trip to a local park and clean it up. It would be great to help children get involved and to see that what they do is important and I think I would definitely use service learning projects to teach my students to become better people.


Brian Benson's reflection
I feel this service learning project did have an impact on the greater good because anybody could have and still could get involved. It definitely had an impact on me because I would not normally do anything like this on my own. I also think it had an impact on the greater good because although this is by no means going to solve homelessness but it will help more people eat tonight, and that's a start. I will definitely do something like this again because my family usually donates old clothes or coats during the winter months.
I will probably teach and most schools already participate in a school wide service learning project, such as food drives. I would probably focus my service learning lesson around the school wide project. It is important for young students to learn how to be productive members of society and I feel as educators it will be part of our job to teach our students how to do so.

Elizabeth's Reflection:

           Our service learning project had an impact on the greater good.  By having a food drive we were able to collect food and donate to an organization that needs it. Without people donating food, many organizations wouldn’t be able to survive because they depend on the goodness of people. By donating food we are also helping the large amount of hungry and homeless people out there who don’t have enough money to buy food for themselves. And we were also able to educate others on the problem and how to help.

            I would do something like this again because I feel that every bit happens, no matter how big or small it is. Especially since I am more educated on the subject I am now aware of all the ways to help.  In the past I have volunteered at soup kitchens and food pantries and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

            I would teach and have students create their own service learning project because it allows them to get involved in issues that are happening around them.  It also allows them to become educated on a topic that interest them and then be able to take action on it.

            Below is a link to a video from channel 5 new. It is on the problem of hunger in Massachusetts, and the work of The Greater Boston Food Bank. Even though we didn’t donate our food to The Greater Boston Food Bank, this video shows how places like this really need others to volunteer and donate. Every bit helps!

The Greater Boston Food Bank 

-Elizabeth

Reconnection to Homelessness

While I was looking for new news on homelessness I came across this article http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/nov/04/getting-shelter-bed-about-get-harder-homeless/. This article states that homeless single adults in New York City have to prove they have no place to go or they will not be allowed to stay in the shelters. I feel this was a poor decision by the city officials because they are denying shelter to those who may really need it. Another reason I feel it was a poor choice is because the winter is only a few weeks away and the temperature is already dropping well below 50 degrees most nights.

From my teaching experience I have not seen anything in the curriculum that is related to citizenship or any topic the students are interested in pursuing. This may be because I am in a third grade classroom and some of the students may not understand how to do a citizenship project. I also do not feel there is space for it because the school was deemed a level 4 school and has strict guidelines they must follow. But I feel it is something that should be added to curriculums because it anytime a student gets to investigate a topic of their choice they are going to be more involved and focused in their work. You could engage your students in class by presenting them with a list of topics and seeing which students have interest in each topic. Much like how the blog topics were presented with us in class. I would also allow students to provide their own topics if they had a topic in mind that I did not mention. I would engage my students in the topic by having them do a project on their topic. I would give them plenty of time to utilize the computer lab in the school as well.

I feel the school I am in is following the NCSS definition of social studies. Every morning the school recites the school pledge in which they say they will respect the differences of others and I will treat others the way I want to be treated. The school also educates the students on different ethnicities, people with special abilities, and other topics such as littering through their short-stories. I do think that getting involved with issues can help reach the goal of social studies because it shows students how to be a productive and active member of society. Getting involved also helps students become more and educated of these issues and topics. I do think this project has got me connected because it helped show me how different topics can be easily connected and taught/learned at the same time. For example, we will be looking at how unemployment and homelessness is related. This requires us to learn about both homelessness and unemployment at the same time.

-Brian

Service Learning Project:

For our service learning project as a group we are going to serve dinner at My Brothers Table in Lynn, Massachusetts. We haven’t contacted anyone yet but are going to soon. We are planning to go the last week in November.

The contact information is:

My Brother's Table
98 Willow Street
Lynn, Massachusetts
01901


Main Phone: 781-595-3224
Fax Line: 781-595-3224

Reconnection:

While I was looking online to reconnect with my topic I found two interesting articles and videos on the Good Morning America website. One is about foreclosures and the other is about food stamps. These two topics are both closely related to homelessness and contain interesting information.  

Nearly 15 Percent of U.S. Receives Food Stamps

 

2010 Had Record 2.9 Million Foreclosures

 

From my experience teaching I have not really seen citizenship and getting involved in issues that the students are interested in connected to the curriculum. I’m not sure if this is because I am in a second grade classroom and this can be difficult to do. Or this may be because there is not space for it. Personally as a teacher I would make space for it because I feel it is important to have the students involved in issues going on around them and that interest them. I would make space for this by connecting it to something we are learning about in class already or have an outside assignment/project be done. Finding out what the students are interested could be done in a class discussion or their interest could come out in the classroom while taking part in a lesson or activity. Then I would try to engage the students in topics that are relevant and interest them.



In the school I am at I do see the school promoting civic competence. This is done because every morning the entire school says the school pledge. The school pledge has students say that they will appreciate the differences in others, make good choices, think before speaking or acting and treat others the way they would like to be treated.  In the pledge it is teaching the students positive ways to act in the school community. And these qualities encouraged in school are then used outside of the school and the outside community. Overall, the students are taught how to act in order to be active and understanding individuals.


I do think getting involved with issues can reach the goal of social studies because it helps show students that they can make a positive change by being an active member in society.
I do think this current event project gets me connected to as a teacher what I should be as a learner and modeling inquiry. This is because the current event project has shown me how you can take a current event and connect it to other things. Also exploring an issues that is interesting to you allows you to learn more and also take action to on that issue.


-Elizabeth

Teaching Strategy

 
Approaches To Discussion

Four Kinds of approaches to discussion:

- Responding to a problem.

- Responding to an observation.

- Responding to a narrative.

- Reflecting on classroom activities.

One approach that would work best for the topic of homelessness would be responding to an observation. This could be done my presenting a group of people with a picture of a family at a food pantry, then ask: Where do you think this family is and why do you think they are here? This would be a good way to start the discussion because people usually have the wrong ideas about why people are homeless and have stereotypes of people who are homeless. 

The Best Practices To Facilitate A Discussion 

- Use a combination of group and whole-class discussions, even on one topic. As an example, provide the stimulus, put the students in groups, and then debrief through a whole-class discussion.

- The focus is not on what you will say, but on how you will respond to students’ propositions and questions.

- If a class discussion is not going well because of lack of energy or enthusiasm, stop and discuss the situation with the students.

- Instead of responding, ask another student what he or she thinks. 

The four questions asked:

 

     - Do you think it’s their own fault that they are here? Or do you think there is another reason?

     - Do you feel as if the parents should be able to provide for their own family? Or do you think there is something beyond their control which is affecting them being able to afford food?

     - Do you feel bad for these people? If so why or why not?

     - If you saw a family like this on the streets would you help them?

How it will be done:The best practices listed above could be incorporated in the discussion on the four questions. First the questions, along with the picture, will be presented to students in small groups. While this is going on the teacher should walk around and make sure the discussion is going well, if not the teacher should stop and discuss with students. But while discussing with students the teacher should try to get the students to express their own ideas and options, this could be done by the teacher asking what they think instead of responding. When the class is ready each group will present their ideas, findings, and questions for the class. The teacher should respond by respecting the students positions and questions.

Service Learning 

For our service learning project we are doing it at My Brothers Table. As a group we all have to figure out a night that works best for everyone to go serve dinner. And as individuals we have to sign up for the walk which is on October 23^rd.

I chose this photo to add to our blog because it signifies one of the problems I see with our society. The people in the line are waiting for food, standing in front of a sign that says "There's no way like the American Way". I took that as, "you're not American because you can't afford your own food"... there are a lot of people that think that way, and it's sad.