Key+Elements+of+Service-Learning


==== Service-learning, as defined by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, is "an innovative instructional strategy that actively involves youth in the curriculum through service to their community." Service-learning differs from traditional community service activities in that it intentionally integrates the service experience with the curriculum. Service-learning requires students' participation in organized service that is coordinated with an elementary school, middle school, or high school and the community. In addition to fostering civic responsibility and individual development, service-learning allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum through their participation in the design and implementation of a service-learning project and through their reflection on the experience. ====

==== Service-learning can be incorporated into all disciplines, and it provides a strategy to integrate curriculum across the content areas. The following five key elements of service-learning address what students should know and be able to do as a result of their participation in a service-learning activity or project. All five elements should be present in every service-learning activity and should work in concert to create powerful teaching and learning experiences. ====

====Students will understand how the needs of the community are identified or, when appropriate, will conduct their own community needs assessment. On the basis of their demonstrated understanding of the needs of the community gained through this process, students will actively participate in service that is thoughtfully organized to address community needs. Note that the school may be defined as the community.====

====Example: Third graders, with help from their teacher, have determined that a school beautification project is needed to build a sense of community pride and to improve the physical surroundings of the neighborhood. The class designs and distributes an opinion survey to other students and to the other teachers. //(English-Language Arts Content Standards, Grade Three, Writing 1.1—Create a single paragraph: 1.1a—Develop a topic sentence; 1.1b Include simple supporting facts and details.)//==== ====The students are responsible for tabulating the results of the survey//. (Mathematics Content Standards, Grade Three, Mathematical Reasoning 3.0—Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations.)// On the basis of survey information, the class designs, plans, establishes, and maintains a garden at the school. //(Science Content Standards, Grade Three, Life Sciences 3.a—Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.)// Flowers grown in the garden are used to beautify the school.====

Students will demonstrate their mastery of curriculum content standards through participation in a service-learning activity that is integrated into the curriculum.
====Example: Students in a seventh-grade science class work with their teachers and with staff members from local conservation organizations to design, create, and maintain a garden in a deserted lot behind the school. The lot becomes an on-campus community garden that consists of native California plants and ecosystems and is used as a focal point for the study of geology, ecology, and agriculture. Staff members from the conservation agency provide valuable scientific expertise and assist the class by donating garden supplies, educational materials, and other resources. They participate in discussions with the students about environmental issues that affect them and their community. Through their participation in these discussions and their service experience, students learn academic content standards in life science, physical science, and scientific experimentation.==== ====//(Science Content Standards, Grade Seven, Focus on Life Science 5.a—Students know plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism; 2.a—Students know the differences between the life cycles and reproduction methods of sexual and asexual organisms; 6.a—Students know visible light is a small band within a very broad electromagnetic spectrum. Science Content Standards, Grade Seven, Investigation and Experimentation 7.a—Select and use appropriate tools and technology [including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars] to perform tests, collect data, and display data.)//====

====Students will understand the relationship between the school and the community and the value of school-community partnerships. Students and teachers collaborate with individuals and organizations in the community to develop and implement meaningful service activities that meet the needs of the school and the community.==== ====Example: In conjunction with the school's project-based curriculum, students in sixth grade participate in a six-week project on city planning. Students survey neighborhood needs, visit utility sites throughout the city, and invite city officials to speak in their classroom. For their service project, the students decide to improve services and safety in their school community by designing wheelchair-accessible ramps. Students learn geometry as they design the ramps and are assisted by professional architects and city planners to ensure that the ramps meet all specifications. //(Mathematics Content Standards, Grade Six, Measurement and Geometry 2.1—Identify angles as vertical, adjacent, complementary, or supplementary and provide descriptions of these terms.)// Parents and community members assist the students with the building of a ramp at the school. Students then write essays to reflect on their understanding of the issues of accessibility in their own school and in the community. //(English-Language Arts Content Standards, Grade Six, Writing 1.2—Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions: 1.2a Engage the interest of the reader and state a clear purpose; 1.2b Develop the topic with supporting details and precise verbs, nouns, and adjectives to paint a visual image in the mind of the reader.)//====

====Students will understand and demonstrate civic responsibility through their participation in a service-learning activity that meets a real community need and improves the quality of life in the community.====

==== Example: In an urban high school, ninth-grade science classes for English learners study geology, including lessons on plate tectonic theory and earthquakes. //(Science Content Standards, Grades Nine Through Twelve, Earth Sciences 3.a—Students know features of the ocean floor [magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor topography] provide evidence of plate tectonics; 3.d—Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure their intensity and magnitude.)// The classes visit a natural disaster relief office to understand the scale of natural disasters. The students decide to work with agency staff to raise an awareness of the importance of preparedness in their community, which has been historically unprepared for natural disasters. Students also identify civic policy issues that may impede the community's ability to prepare for natural disasters. //(Science Content Standards, Grades Nine Through Twelve, Investigation and Experimentation 1.m—Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings.)// ====

====In English classes, the students work with their teachers and community members to compile information and instructions about earthquake preparedness in the various languages to be found in their community. This experience provides an excellent opportunity for students to use their knowledge of computers and their publication production skills while reinforcing skills in English-language literacy, science, and business technology. //(English-Language Arts Content Standards, Grades Nine and Ten, Writing 2.6—Write technical documents [e.g., a manual on rules of behavior for conflict resolution, procedures for conducting a meeting, minutes of a meeting]: 2.6a—Report information and convey ideas logically and correctly//. See also 2.6b, 2.6c, and 2.6d.) Students gather materials for earthquake preparedness kits and then travel in teams with representatives from the natural disaster relief office to distribute kits to residents in their neighborhood. Students prepare and make presentations to the faculty, school board, and local civic organizations. //(English-Language Arts Content Standards, Grades Nine and Ten, Listening and Speaking 2.6—Deliver descriptive presentations: 2.6c—Use effective, factual descriptions of appearance, concrete images, shifting perspectives and vantage points, and sensory details.)// These activities provide youths with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge about earthquakes, to promote awareness about the importance of preparedness, and to raise and provide proposed solutions to unresolved issues.====

====Students will understand and reflect on the significance of their service-learning experience and how applying skills and knowledge affects their community, themselves as individuals, and their own learning.====

==== Example: Eleventh-grade students in a U.S. history class select the theme of poverty for the semester-long course. After brainstorming issues related to the theme, students identify community agencies at which they might volunteer throughout the semester. The teacher and staff from a local volunteer center help students identify service placements that match course expectations and community needs with each student's interests. Students volunteer at after-school tutoring programs, child care centers, soup kitchens, and food banks in nearby low-income neighborhoods. Throughout the semester, the teacher assigns readings related to poverty. Each student maintains a journal in which he or she records reflections on the volunteer experience and how it relates to the study of poverty, American democracy, and the people who have been served through the student's volunteerism. ====