Service Learning Project
Title: “Helping Homelessness in a Struggling Economy”
Area of Service: Environment and Civic Responsibility
Grades: 9-12
Subject Area: Economics/Civics and Government
Unit Description:
Students will pair with Habitat for Humanity in their community. Students will get into groups of 4 to do this project. Students will work with Habitat to help determine the costs that are involved with building a house and research cost effective ways of building these houses. Students will use the Internet to do this research, along with working with the Habitat individuals to figure out what a good cost effective solution would be in building the houses. Furthermore, students will conduct an interview with the Habitat volunteers to get a “hands on” account of the way that houses are financed. Students will place their reports on their wikis.
Next, students will interview families that have received homes through Habitat for Humanity to create “poster families,” and build support and recognition for Habitat. The students can chose a variety of ways to create these “Faces of Habitat.” Students have the choice to do a podcast, with uploading the audio of their interview. Students can also do a video blog with a video of the interview. Students can take pictures and write a story on their blog. Or students can create an “article,” in which they could e-mail out to individuals. By interviewing the families, and finding out their biographies, students are able to understand who the families are that receive the housing, and understand how their situation occurred. Biographies are very important for understanding the past and moving forward to the future, and it is necessary for any social studies student to be exposed to recording the biographies of others.
Students will then tie in what they have learned with Urban Economics. Students will write a post on their wiki tying in the details of the families and the costs, with how homelessness and poverty affects cities, as learned about in the urban aspect of economics. Students will research the effects of homelessness on a city, and what can lead to this issue. Students will then propose a solution to the problem. They will write this and post this in their wiki.
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards:
SS.912.C.2.5: Conduct a service project to further the public good.
SS.912.C.2.3: Experience the responsibilities of citizens at the local, state, or federal levels.
SS.912.C.2.2: Evaluate the importance of political participation and civic participation.
NETS Standards:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
Technologies and Web Applications Applied:
Students will be using a wiki to complete their cost assignments. They also will have the choice of any type of technology to complete their biography and advocacy assignment. They will be able to chose from a podcast, a blog, a wiki, an article, or etc. to make their Habitat advocacy assignment. They will also be using technology to figure out the cost benefits of building homes in different ways.
Assessment:
Part 1- Research and participation- Each group will be graded on the participation within the group. The group will be graded on the research and conclusions they present about the cost analysis of financing a home, and the solutions they present.
Part 2- Interview and Response- Each group will be graded on quality of interview and creativity if the technology and response they present. Students will be graded on the quality of they information they include, and the neatness of the presentation.
Part 3- Individual wiki- Each student will tie in what they have learned with the economics that have been presented in class. Students will individually draw conclusions about urban economics and will present this on their wiki. They will link homelessness to economic downturn, and create conclusions based on their analysis. They will be graded on the content of what they produce.
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