These Learning Links provide ten quick-and-easy, five-minute mini-lessons to promote student thought and dialogue about service and civic engagement. You may use as many of them as you wish, and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the common good) and to reinforce the lesson focus. These Learning Links also promote the development of character traits, civic engagement, and student leadership. As appropriate to your grade level, it is recommended that students play an active leadership role in presenting these mini-lessons to their classmates.

1. Read: Jessie received $10.00 from his grandmother for his 10th birthday. The rule in Jessie’s home is that part of any money earned or received as a gift, must be placed into each of three little banks. These banks are labeled: Spending, Saving, and Donating. Jessie keeps the banks in his bedroom. Once the money has been divided and placed in each of these banks it can only be used for that purpose. Jessie already had $12.00 in his “Spending” bank. With the $10.00 from his grandmother he hoped to buy a video game that cost $21.95. The problem was if he were to buy the video game he would only have five cents left to divide between the other two banks. Both of these banks were now empty. Jessie had put his “Savings” money in the bank to earn some interest. He also gave the money in his “Donating” bank to the local mission to provided meals for four homeless people during the holidays. To add to Jessie’s problem, his school had just announced their Penny Drive. Each class was hoping for everyone in their class to give some money. If everyone in his class gave some money to the Drive, the class would receive the 100% Participation Award given by the principal.
   
   Discuss: What do you think Jessie should do and why? Sometimes we have to make choices about how to use our money. Is this always easy to do? Why or why not? Why do you think someone would choose to donate their money  rather than spend it or save it? Should Jessie donate some of his money to his school’s Penny Drive? Why or why not?
   
    
2. Read:  She smiled and said “Good Morning” to me as I boarded her bus. She couldn’t know my sorrow, but her greeting lifted my spirits a touch. I stood and held a strap and as the bus started off. A gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and offered me his seat. I declined his offer with a half smile and a muffled, “Thanks anyway.” He couldn’t know my sorrow, but his offer lifted my spirits a bit higher. Leaving the bus I stopped at my usual newsstand to buy the morning paper. I found I was five cents short on change as I counted it out. A total stranger handed me a nickel. He couldn’t know my sorrow, but his kindness lifted by spirits even higher. I turned to thank him, but he was gone. Tucking my paper under my arm I pulled my coat a bit tighter against the brisk autumn air. I noticed that the sun was coming up. It couldn’t know my sorrow, but my spirit was beginning to soar.
   
   Discuss: Bruce Barton, a former American Congressman, once said, "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, a chance word, a tap on the shoulder, or a nickel dropped on a newsstand by a stranger, I am tempted to think-there are no little things." Why might overcoming the seemingly unimportance of small contributions be our biggest challenge in promoting our Penny Drive?  What are some strategies we can use to help everyone see that there are no little things? How might our donation help to lift spirits?
   
    
3. Read: For his last five birthdays, Cole Hodges, 11, of Richmond, Virginia, has encouraged his family and friends to give gifts to charity instead of to him. Inspired by what he saw as a need (his friend’ sister had cancer) he’s been giving up receiving birthday presents since he was six. With his mom's help, he started a web site to reach more of kids his age to do the same. "It's not as hard as you think it might be to give up presents," Cole admits. “The kid who donates his birthday gifts benefits the most, even though a lot of kids think it's a sacrifice. It makes you feel good to help other people. Since you can donate to any group that needs help, anyone can benefit,” he says. “Most of the stuff you get is stuff you don't need anyway, and the people you help need it.” When asked what advice he would give to someone who is thinking of getting involved in philanthropy or volunteering, Cole says, “Just do it!”
   
   Discuss: What might motivate someone to join with Cole in giving up birthday presents for charity? Do you think most kids would find it hard to give up their presents? Why or why not? Why might some students find it difficult to contribute to our Penny Drive? How might we be able to help them see the benefits of doing so?
   
    
4. Read: One of the main reasons why individuals give is because they are asked. The chance for success doubles when a donor is asked by someone he or she knows to contribute to a cause. The second main reason that individuals give is that the giving opportunity motivates them to give. They support what they believe in and they truly want to make a positive difference. For some, giving is the result of an expectation, with peer pressure being a prime motivator, while others may give just for the fun of it and because they are able to do so. For yet others giving offers them an opportunity to become a part of something bigger than themselves; something that they feel good about for having played a role.
   
   Discuss: As you think about your role in our school’s Penny Drive, what has motivated you to become involved? How might we motivate our peers to involve themselves in our Penny Drive? Do you think one motivation for giving is any more or less important than another? If so why? If not, why not?
   www.nps.gov/partnerships/
   fundraising_individuals_motivations.htm
   
    
5. Read: One day a beggar asked of a wise man, “If one is not able to drop coins into a collection box for the poor does it mean that he is not a compassionate person?” The wise man did not hesitate in giving his response. “When one considers giving money to a cause, the purpose of which is to serve the highest good for all, one must also remember that giving money is only one of many ways to serve the highest good, certainly not the only way. We can give of our time; our information and knowledge. We can give of our talents and skills; our acknowledgment and appreciation. We can give encouragement; our thoughts and thoughtfulness, even our touch and nearness. So if you are unable to share your shekel or pence with those less fortunate than yourself, even still you can share your compassion for the highest good of all.”
   
   Discuss: Why might a beggar have asked this question of the wise man? What does the wise man’s response have to say about those who find it difficult to give money to worthy causes? How might the wise man’s response help us better understand all the ways that we can contribute during our Penny Drive event?
   
    
6. Read: He was skateboarding down the sidewalk near his school, listening to his music. He saw his elderly neighbor Mrs. Atkins. She was struggling with a young Maple tree that was about five feet tall.  It had just been delivered from the local Garden Shop. After digging a hole for it, Mrs. Atkins was now trying to drag the tree to its final resting spot. Being sensitive to her struggles, he stopped and offered to help. “Here, let me help you with that.”
   
   Mrs. Atkins seemed more than willing to accept his offer and stepped away from the tree. He took hold of it and easily placed it were it was to be. Curious, as together they started to replace the dirt around the tree, he asked, “So why are you planting this tree? My mom told me that you sold this house and you are planning to move into Roselawn Rest Home in a couple of weeks?”
   
   Mrs. Atkins stopped for a moment and looking deeply into his eyes and said, “You don’t plant a tree because you expect to use its shade today. You plant it for tomorrow.”
   
   Discuss: In what ways might our Penny Drive event be like Mrs. Atkin’s planting her tree? What do you think might have motivated her to do what she did? As we consider our Penny Drive event how might we share with others the fact that the results of our efforts may not be immediately known or felt?
   
    
7. Read: Kennedy was only nine years old when baby Kaeden was born. Life started out poorly for baby Kaeden. He was born with a hole in his heart. He spent a lot of time in the hospital and so did Kennedy. She saw a lot of sick children and sad parents in the hospital waiting room. She knew she wanted to help them somehow. She and her mom decided that instead of birthday presents for Kaeden, if people would be willing to give money to the Penn State Children’s Hospital, they could help kids just like Kaeden. That was the beginning of a fund raiser now known as Kisses for Kaeden. Each year, Kennedy and a dozen or so of her friends put on yellow smiley-face t-shirts and raise money with lemonade stands, bake sales, garage sales and things like that. In the first three years of Kisses for Kaeden, Kennedy and her “merry band of very young volunteers” worked over 2,100 hours to raise $42,000 for charity. During that time they also collected over 1,500 stuffed animals to give to the local police department. The police give these stuffed animals to young children who are frightened or injured. “I’m just a regular kid,” says Kennedy. “There are so many people who need things to feel better, or just live and eat, I want to help.”
   www.volunteersolutions.org/
   lancaster/org/6827204.html
   
   Discuss: What do you think caused Kennedy to want to help? How do you think she convinced her friends to join her? Why do you think people refer to Kennedy and her helpers as a “merry band of very young volunteers”? In what way are we just regular kids? During our Penny Drive event, how are we helping meet the needs of people and make them feel better?
   
    
8. Read: Michael Berg spent many, many years studying the teachings of philosophy and spiritual masters. In his book, entitled The Secret, he translates the wisdom of the ages into one little secret. A secret that, as he says, “…will unlock the source of all joy and fulfillment.” The secret is this, the only way to achieve true joy and fulfillment is by becoming a being of sharing.
   
   Discuss: Can you identify with “the secret”? Have there been occasions in your life when you could say that this secret has proven true for you or someone you know? Think about the ads that you read in the newspaper or see on TV. Are most about “getting/receiving” or about “giving/sharing”? One popular car ad reads “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness isn’t spending it right.” So, which “secret” is truly the secret? Getting or giving? How might involvement in our Penny Drive be a ‘test’ to reveal the true secret?
   
    
9. Read:  Terran wants to give the money his class collects during their Penny Drive to the Humane Society. He likes animals and the Humane Society takes care of homeless animals. Phan suggested that the money be given to Benny Saunders. Benny’s little brother was having a very expensive operation. Les suggested that the money go to support victims of Hurricane Katrina. Anita thought the class should give the money to buy new instruments for the school band. There usually are many needs. And there usually is not enough money collected to give to all of them. So choices have to be made. Where will the money be given? Often these are not easy decisions. But they are very important ones. When a group collects money for a cause, everyone needs to be involved in choosing the cause. Sometimes this means that members of the group will have to compromise. To compromise means that everyone agrees to accept a little less than what they wanted to begin with.
   
   Discuss: Why is it important that everyone feels that they have been involved in deciding where the money from our Penny Drive should be given? Why is being willing to compromise so important? How can we encourage everyone to participate in our Penny Drive and in the decision where to give the money.
   
    
10. Read: The Book of One Thousand and One Nights contains a famous Arabic fairy tale. It is called the Aladdin’s Lamp. Aladdin’s lamp was a magical lamp. If it was properly rubbed a genie would appear and grant the wishes of the owner. In The Brothers Grimm there is a fairy tale story about a Frog Prince. In the story a princess changes a frog into handsome prince by kissing it. Cinderella is another example of a fairy tale. You will recall that this is a story of a young girl who is poorly treated by her step-mother and step-sisters. While they all planned to attend a party at which the local handsome prince would select his new wife, Cinderella had to stay at home and work. After everyone left for the party, Cinderella was hard at work on her assigned household chores, a fairy appeared. The fairy told her that she was there to grant her wish to attend the Prince’s party. Cinderella could not believe that this was possible. She was poor, ragged, and lacked any means of getting there. Despite her protests, the fairy told Cinderella that she needed to go out and find a pumpkin, her cat, and seven mice. Cinderella did as she was told. When she gave them to the fairy, the fairy at once turned six of the mice into horses and one into a coachman. She turned the pumpkin into a grand chariot in which Cinderella would ride in her new gown to the princes’ party. And I’m sure you know the rest of the story.
    
    Discuss: Each of these stories is about magic, but it’s not about magic that just happens all on its own. What is the magic in each of these stories? What had to happen before the magic was able to do what it did? As we approach our Penny Drive in what ways are we hoping to create a “little magic” with what we collect? In order for us to create a “little magic” can we just wish and hope that it happens, or do we need to do something to bring it about? What do we need to do to make our Penny Drive “wish” become true?
     

Reflection plays a very important role in promoting student learning. The following suggested activities are ways to help students reflect on their learning after they have participated in a service event.  Choose one or more of the activities most appropriate to the service event and your students.

ACTIVITY ONE:
Have the students complete the following prompt:
“My experience during this service project activity was like____________because_________________”
Have each student share his/her writing with the class. Challenge the class to listen for commonalities and differences in relation to their own writing.

ACTIVITY TWO: Assign the students to groups of two or three.  Provide each group with a handful of construction blocks or similar manipulative-like construction toys, molding clay, straws, paper, etc. Instruct the groups to talk among themselves about what they did, how they felt, and what impact they think their involvement in this service project might have had.  Explain that each group is to create a structure from the materials that represents/symbolizes their experiences.  When completed, give each group an opportunity to explain their structure to the rest of the class and how it is intended to represent/symbolize their experiences.

ACTIVITY THREE: Ask the students to consider their favorite sport. Give each student some old newspapers, a pair of scissors, a glue stick/paste, and a sheet of construction paper. On the construction paper, have each of them draw and cut out a piece of sport’s equipment that represents their favorite sport.  On their cutout “piece of sport’s equipment” have them add words and phrases cut from their newspapers that will help someone looking at their “piece of sport’s equipment” understand the connections that they are trying to make between their participation in this service project and their participation in their favorite sport.  Display the students’ final products and be sure that they are given ample time to do a walk down “The Hall of Famous Sports Equipment” to read what others have written.

ACTIVITY FOUR: From a single piece of large white construction paper, cut out a variety of jig-saw puzzle shapes. Be sure that each student in the classroom gets at least one of these puzzle pieces. Have each student write on their puzzle piece a response to one of these prompts:

What I did in this Event.
How I felt as I was participating in this Event.
What difference did this Event make?
 

Have the students, using a colored pencil or crayon, lightly color their puzzle piece so as not to cover up what is written on it.  Then working as a group, have each student properly place his/her piece into the puzzle as one might put a jigsaw puzzle together.  Once the puzzle has been completed, have a couple of students paste/glue the pieces onto a larger piece of paper and display the complete puzzle under the heading, “Working Together to Solve the Puzzle”, or some similar appropriate heading.