Service Learning Plan

Title of Project:   Read it! Recycle it!

Grade Level:  2nd

Number of Students Participating: 17

Contributed by:

            Teacher: Erin King

            School:  Silver Grove Elementary

            District or County: Silver Grove Independent School District

Overview/Description of Project: In this project, students will learn why it is important to recycle and will set out to inform community members.  They will teach others what can be recycled and an easy way for them to incorporate recycling into their homes and daily lives. 

Goals: Students will learn what items can be recycled. They will create a flyer to inform the community members how they can incorporate recycling.  Students will pass the flyers out to the community and will help organize a recycling program within the school.

Core Content Areas:

SS-EP-1.3.2

Students will identify and give examples of good citizenship at home, at school and in the community (e.g., helping with chores, obeying rules, participating in community service projects such as recycling, conserving natural resources, donating food/supplies) and explain why civic engagement in the community is important.

W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Service Learning Project Members

a.  Students and Teachers:  All 2^nd grade students and teacher will be involved in the project to learn how important and easy recycling is. 

b.  Parents will be informed of our project prior to beginning.  Parents will be encouraged to set up a recycling station in their home.

Timeline:

Timeline	Activity
Week 1	·         Read fiction and non-fiction books. ·         Play sorting game. ·         Learn community resources available for recycling. ·         Journal Entry: List 3 items that you can recycle.
Week 2	·         Groups will begin rough draft for flyer. ·         Journal Entry: Name two items you recycled this week.
Week 3	·         Groups will publish flyer. ·         Journal Entry:  Why do you think some people do not recycle?
Week 4	·         Flyers will be circulated in the community. ·         Journal Entry:  Describe how your family could recycle more items.
Week 5	·         A “Community Clean Up” will take place. Students will pick up trash and recycle appropriate items. ·         Journal Entry:  Describe three items you found and recycled during the “Community Clean Up.”
Week 6	·         Survey and data results will be calculated. ·         Journal Entry:  Based on the survey results, do you think more people are recycling since we began our project?
Week 7	·         Digital Story/Commercial will be produced. ·         Journal Entry:  Explain your favorite part of our service learning project.
Week 8	·         Celebrations will take place.  Community newspaper will be contacted, selected journal entries will be displayed in the school library and public library, digital story will be available on the school website.

Benefits for Students:

·         Students will learn the importance of recycling and how to implement recycling into their home.

·         Students will learn what a responsible citizens role is in the community.

·         Students will use digital media.

·         Students will inform community members.

Measuring Success:

·         A survey of various community members will be conducted after flyers have been circulated in the community.

·         Journal Entries

·         Digital Stories

Celebration:

To celebrate our service learning project, students will publish their survey results in the local and school newspaper.  The digital story will be posted on the school website and will be shown at the monthly school board meeting.  Selected journal entries will be displayed I the school and public library

Blog Reflection

Video:

Permanent Change

I have developed my Professional Growth Plan to help me grow in the area of writing.   Therefore, I was super excited to find the "Writer's Checklist."  My students always struggle with conventions and word choices when writing.  This checklist is something that could be kept in their writing folder.  I would give them a copy of it for each piece they are writing as well as have a class size poster hanging in the room for everyday writing.  Hopefully this tool will help them remember to add the correct conventions and help them organize their writing.  How will this permanently change my teaching? After the skills are taught explicitly, I will expect the students to carry this over to their writing.  I will spend less time during conferencing talking about punctuation and staying on topic.   

Here is the link to the page...click on Another Checklist for First Grade Writer's Workshop to open the word document.

http://www.carlscorner.us.com/Write.htm

3 Engaging Strategies

Hello! I am currently a 1st grade teacher. I have taught 1st grade for the last 4 years and I LOVE it! I find it difficult to engage and guide my students during "Writing Workshop."  Therefore, I have chosen to read the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing.  Three strategies I currently use to engage my students are:

1.  I create a ton of visual displays.  I use pictures and vary the colors I use to engage my students and to make it easier for them to refer back to the visual aid at a later time.  6+1 Traits of Writing suggests creating a poster with pictures that represent each of the writing traits.

2.  My students use choice boards during literacy workstations.  Since they are choosing their activity, they are more actively engaged.

3.  Technology! I have a Smartboard in my classroom and I use it to present almost all of my information.  The information is delivered in an interactive manner, which engages the learner.