These following activities are from The Complete Guide To Service Learning, by Catherine Berger Kaye.
1. Animal Protection and Care
English / Language Arts
- Find books to read ES children to teach respect for animals.
- Write essays from the perspective of endangered animals seeking human assistance.
- Research local, international or governmental agencies from home countries that oversee endangered animals.
- Create multilingual informational brochures about local endangered animals.
- Make presentations to one another or other classes in the target language on a topic related to protecting animals
- Apply the math concepts used to build a small animal shelter or habitat.
- Analyze statistics/create illustrations demonstrating the change in status of endangered animals.
- Visit the Lincoln Nature Reserve, observe the habitat, learn about ecosystems and propose ways to better protect the animals living there.
2. Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty
Science
- Study/present (to younger students?) the effect of hunger on student achievement in school and on adults trying to enter the workforce.
- Research and report out in the target language on the issues of poverty and government programs in a country where this language is spoken.
- Study historical events that led to hunger or homelessness such as the Irish Famine.
- Conduct a demographic and economic study of people who are hungry or homeless in a particular country.
- Find examples of how people who are homeless or living in poverty are depicted in literature (or a book you are currently reading in English class).
- Research myths and facts about homelessness and use them in a persuasive writing piece to share information.
- Adapt literature that features a person who is homeless into a short performance piece with opportunities for discussion with the audience.
3. Safe and Strong Communities
English / Language Arts
- Read and write narratives of everyday people who make community building a priority.
- Write stories or skits that feature characters being bullied or teased and the ways they deal with it.
- Find political cartoons that use images to comment about issues related to crime, violence, bullying, or conflict on the world stage, then create original cartoons.
- Examine the short and long term impact that war has on our natural resources.
- Make multilingual posters that promote peach and peer conflict resolution.
- Follow current events that demonstrate efforts by governments and grassroots organizations to resolve international turmoil; compare strategies and results.
4. Elders
Physical Education
- Learn and teach one another armchair exercises.
- Research athletic competitions and athletic programs for elders.
- Document elders’ memories, photos and stories on a web page.
- Conduct interviews with older people about community history or significant historical events.
- Research and present, in the target language, how elders are regarded by different cultures and countries.
- Learn and perform music enjoyed by a previous generation.
- Study and learn to do traditional or folk art from your own community or region.
5. Social Change
English / Language Arts
- Discuss and write an essay on how young people experience stereotyping and prejudice.
- Compare editorial columns to learn about methods and styles used to persuade public opinion.
- Read a biography about a person who has worked for social change.
- Find out how folk music has been used to communicate social and political messages, inspiring people to learn and to take action.
- Examine local murals as artistic and cultural methods of expressing public opinion, including graffiti.
- Study how Title IX became important legislation that bans sex discrimination in schools, and especially how this impacts school sports.
- Construct a web page that focuses on careers in public service, with links to service agencies and organizations throughout a community.
- Write about famous mathematicians and the impact of their work on society.
- Study the needs of refugees that speak the target language and have migrated to a particular country, focusing on challenges associated with language and prejudice.
6. AIDS Education and Awareness
Social Studies
- Study medieval history and the pattern of scapegoating (irrational intolerance toward certain people or groups) during plagues.
- Compare approaches to AIDS prevention by different governments.
- Study the impact of media coverage, entertainment, and/or mass marketing campaigns to eliminate misconceptions about people living with HIV or AIDS.
- Learn about the body’s regulatory and immune systems and healthy life habits.
- Examine how the AIDS Memorial Quilt has grown as an international project.