Name: Lisa Rakestraw

Subject: ELA/SS

Topic: Volunteering

Pima Course: EDC274

Instructor: Eagleton

Grade Level: 4

Duration: 45 min

List of Materials, Handouts, Rubrics, and other Documents:

Rubric retrieved from: http://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/stories/rubrics/41030130.html Research and Inquiry
Worksheet retrieved from: http://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/stories/worksheets/41030122.html
Purpose/Goal and/or Essential Question(s): How can I help make a positive difference in the world?
Components
Content Standards

Description of Plan
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through
Choose no more than TWO standards per investigation of different aspects of a topic. (4.W.7)
lesson. One standard MUST be an ELA
Discuss ways an individual can contribute to a school or
standard.
community. (S3.C4.PO1)
Students will use the Internet to do research and inquiry on
Learning Objective
Choose ONE objective that leads toward volunteering, then after reading about one way to volunteer will
draw "before" and "after" pictures relating to that volunteer
mastery of the focal standard
activity and list how people help in their organization.
Must be specific, measurable, and

realistic.
Must have at least two parts: learning
and behavior

Show the class We Build Hope

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=200pw5HynJ8), a two-anda-half minute video made to recruit volunteers with the main
capture students interest.
What kind of questions should idea, "It's not how hard life is, it's how strong you can be in the
face of it, and the way to get stronger is to reach out and help
the students ask themselves
people." Brainstorm and chart students' ideas for ways they
after the engagement?
can reach out and help people (and all living things.) Ask if
they would like to explore ways that youth in America can help
others.
Est # of EXPLORATION
Students will connect to (http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/action/ways.html). This
Mins
Describe the hands-on/minds-on website breaks volunteering opportunities into ten categories, such as "Helping in Your
10
activities students will be doing. Neighborhood", "Help Seniors", "Help the Environment" and more. There are links for
how to get started with volunteering and stories, both first and second-hand, of students
List big idea conceptual
questions the teacher will use to making a positive difference. Students will select and read about one way to volunteer.
Est # of ENGAGEMENT
Mins
Describe how the teacher will
7

encourage and/or focus students

What cause is most important to you? Which organization would you choose to work
exploration

with? How are people already helping that cause?

Students will draw "before" and "after" pictures relating to the
volunteer activity of their choice and list three ways that people
Student explanations should
precede introduction of terms or help in that organization.

Est # of EXPLANATION
Mins

10

explanations by the teacher.

What questions or techniques What were conditions like for the people or animals before volunteer organizations
stepped in?
will the teacher use to help
students connect their
exploration to the concept under Why do people need to volunteer in order to help this cause?
examination?

What conflict or problem is behind the cause?

List higher order thinking
questions that teachers will use
to solicit student explanations Where do you think the greatest need lies?
and help them to justify their
explanations.
How do volunteers work together for a cause? Which ones do the main work and which

Checks for Understanding

Various strategies that are ongoing

throughout the entire lesson.
Enables teacher to determine whether
ALL students have "gotten it."

Est # of ELABORATION
Mins

Describe how students will

develop a more sophisticated
understanding of the concept.
What vocabulary will be
introduced and how will it
connect to students
observations?
How is this knowledge applied in
our daily lives?

ones do the support work?

Teacher will walk around, guide and prompt students toward an
understanding of "before" and "after" situations where people
choose to help out.
Teacher will encourage students to ask for help if they get stuck
in their investigation or the activity.
Have students come up with a planning outline of what would
be required to get started helping in an organization.

(I cannot think of any new vocabulary that would be required for

this lesson to be more effective. These concepts are very
simple, yet require thinking that could prove difficult for some
fourth graders (and many adults), which is thinking from others'
points of view and beyond one's own needs.)

Knowing how to plan an outline of what would be needed to

start a new activity is useful for higher learning and
organization. Beyond that, being aware of others in the
community or in the world who need help and not feeling
helpless but rather capable of helping is the beginning of
making a positive difference in the lives others, which
ultimately makes your own life better as well, because when the
people around you are content then you tend to be content too.

Teacher will randomly call on students to share their research

and findings. Teacher will ask for feedback from students who
their understanding throughout chose the same or similar volunteer organizations.

Est # of EVALUATION
Mins
How will students demonstrate
10

and after the lesson?

How will the teacher know that all Determine as a class which of all the volunteer opportunities
students would be most likely to be able to do, least likely to be
students have achieved the
able to do, and whether any could be completed together as a
lesson objective?
How will students assess their class (e.g., collecting canned food or creating an animal
habitat).
own progress?

Is life hard? You bet! But remember, it's not how hard it is it's
Actions or statements made by how strong you can be in the face of it. And what is the way to
get stronger?
teachers AND students that

Est # of Closure:
Mins

summarize lesson objectives.

Essential for helping students "By reaching out to help others."
integrate ideas, make sense out
of what has just been taught, and Yes, and how does reaching out to help others make individuals
to improve their chances of
like you and I get stronger?
retention and transfer.

Various answers.
I look forward to hearing more about whether any of you end
up working with any of these organizations and how you are
working in general to make a positvie difference in the world.
Formative assessment will be on-going throughout the lesson.
Assessment Options
Formative and summative tools that will If students struggle with the before and after picture concept
they may be able to just draw one picture depicting the main
be used as pre- and/or postidea of the volunteer organization. If students struggle to list
assessments.
Alternative options for diverse learners three different ways that people help out in that organization
they may list ways that people help in various organizations.
should also be provided
Have students share in a letter to PBS the ways they are
Differentiation Options
How you will reach diverse learners by
already making a difference, either in their school, their home,
varying the:
or their community.
Content
Brainstorm volunteer activities within the community that are
not listed on the website.
Process
Have students click on the link to one of their peers' choices to
Product
learn more about other peoples' causes and interests.
Have students connect to http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/ and
21st Century Learning
Includes technology as well as the 4 Cs:
in pairs navigate a role-playing game "The Peace Corps
Challenge".
Critical Thinking
Post students' inquiries onto a class blog or class Twitter.
Creativity
If students are investigating the same volunteer organizations
Collaboration
or category they could potentially work together.

Communication

Additional Information: This lesson is adapted from one published by Macmillan McGraw-Hill in
their Reading/Language-Arts Program, Treasures, which can be retrieved from:
http://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/stories/story_lessonlist/41030111.html