M/J Engaged Citizenship through Service Learning 2   (#2104020)

General Notes

This course provides an introduction and applications to service-learning and civic responsibility. Academic, personal, and career skills needed for effective service-learning project implementation will be taught and applied through structured service projects that meet real school and/or community needs. Students will actively participate in meaningful service-learning experiences of at least 25 hours' duration.

The content should include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Students, working individually or in small or large groups, will investigate, quantify, and choose among issues and needs that can be addressed.
2. Students will design and then implement one or more service-learning projects to address identified needs through direct, indirect, advocacy, or research-focused action. Projects will involve meaningful partnerships.
3. Students will conduct reflection activities to measure and record information about the service-learning activities and their impacts.
4. Students will demonstrate KSAs (knowledge, skills, or abilities) gained from projects through project-developed products and public presentations that educate others about the needs/issues addressed, activities conducted, impacts measured, and/or how others can also meet needs through service.

All of the above activities may be counted toward the service-learning 25-hour requirement. Activities can range widely and occur within or beyond the school and regular school hours. For more information about service-learning, see the Florida Department of Education Web site at www.fldoe.org/Family/learnserve.asp.

Mathematics Benchmark Guidance - Social Studies instruction should include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events and concepts using mathematical tables, charts, and graphs.

Language Arts benchmarks are addressed as students read, write, create documents, and make public presentations about needs and activities to address them. Social Studies benchmarks include analyzing community issues, coming up with solutions, and conducting service projects. Math benchmarks are met as students chart and graph data as part of issue investigation, project design, demonstration, and/or reflection. Health and Physical Education are addressed as projects include discussion and learning related to safety, liability, interpersonal skills, conflict avoidance, appraising outcomes and impacts on others, maintaining appropriate behavior, etc., in the students' interaction with others.

After successfully completing this course, the student will:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of service-learning, the types of service-learning, and its importance in a participatory democracy.
2. Demonstrate the ability to identify school/community needs and propose solutions that can be implemented through service-learning.
3. Demonstrate the ability to identify and analyze different points of view to gain an understanding of diverse backgrounds and perspectives and their value.
4. Demonstrate the ability to investigate significant needs, plan and implement service-learning projects to address them, evaluate project effectiveness, and present the information to an authentic audience.
5. Demonstrate use of effective self-assessment and reflection strategies (e.g., verbal, written, artistic, and non-verbal activities to demonstrate learning, understanding, and changes in students' knowledge, skills and/or abilities).
6. Demonstrate effective use of facilitative communication skills (e.g., writing, speaking, listening, questioning, paraphrasing, non-verbal communication, non-judgmental response).
7. Provide documentation of activities and the minimum 25 hours of participation in one or more approved service-learning project.

For this second-level middle school course, the expectation is that students will not only conduct more service-learning hours than students in the first level but will also demonstrate responsibility and leadership in project investigation, design, and implementation.