From Publishing to Pride: Strengthening Neighborhood Dignity

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Language Arts

Duration of service: 1-2 Months

Character Virtues: Caring, Civic Virtue and Citizenship, Respect

Service Areas: Human Services, Education/Tutoring

Service Learning Project:

Students will be partnered with residents who may have compelling stories to tell about the history and present day community life, for example long-term residents, business owners, local historians and artists. They will interview these residents and draft an article based on the information they gather. This partnership experience will be designed to introduce students to the interview process as well as capture the interview material to reflect the components of factual writing. If possible, photographs can be included. Student articles will appear weekly in the local newspaper. The purpose of these articles is to infuse community pride in local residents and business owners.

Learning Goal: Students will learn the important components of the interview process.

Standard: ELA #1 and #4

Learning Goal: Students will learn the components of factual writing.

Standard: ELA #1 and #4

Community need: There is a lack of community pride due to an increase in unemployment and decrease of local businesses in the area.

Possible Community Partners: long-time residents, business owners, artists, local newspaper, rotary club, Chamber of Commerce, local government offices

Objective: Students will promote positive qualities of the community.

Objective: Students will break down barriers that exist between themselves and other generations.

Character

Virtue: respect

Objective: Students will increase their regard and value of their community.

Virtue: civic virtue and citizenship

Objective: Students will have an increased feeling of belonging, empowerment, and ownership due to their hard work as a result of being advocates for the community.

1. The teacher will reach out to the community in search of residents who may have compelling stories to tell about the history and present day community life, for example long-term residents, business owners, local historians and artists.
2. The teacher will contact the local newspaper in order to have a weekly column published in the paper featuring stories of local residents and to invite an editor or reporter into the classroom to teach the students about article writing.
3. Students will learn/review the components of the interview process and Students will learn/review the process of writing a newspaper article.

Key Service Activities  

1. Students will be partnered with residents who may have compelling stories to tell about the history and present day community life. They will interview these residents.
2. Students will draft, edit and revise an article based on the information they gather that will appear weekly in the local newspaper.. If possible, photographs can be included.

1. (oral) Students will brainstorm the changes in the community that they are aware of/have heard about that are causing deterioration in the local community. Students will brainstorm positive aspects of community life that need to be promoted in order to increase community pride.
2. (oral) Students will share the articles they wrote with each other. Based on what they learn about the community through these articles, they will discuss actions they can take to further improve the community. Responsibility/civic virtue and citizenship
3. (written) Based on what students learn, they will compose a creative piece in which they take on the voice of one of the interviewees. Caring/respect
4. (performance) Students will perform or act out their creative piece. Giving/caring/respect/civic virtue and citizenship

Students’ articles will appear in the local paper. A wall of fame will be created in a public venue featuring a collection of historical pride: the newspaper articles and photographs that the students created as they appear in the local paper. The students will then be able to view others’ work. Students will host a reception for interviewed participants to view the wall of fame.