October 22, 2010

By: Jesse T. from Philadelphia, PA
Comments: 16

Posted By: Jesse Todd
On: 6/17/2008 9:43:37 PM

As a culmination to our service learning program at Constitution High School, we took had our students to a nearby park for a field day. En route to the park, service groups engaged in a community-oriented scavenger hunt with their teacher mentors. For example, students had to locate evidence of recycling, take a picture or sketch something beautiful, find evidence of homelessness, etc. I feel that this was successful in getting students to continue to develop an awareness of their surroundings and to think of the needs of the larger community. Additionally, the questions were such that they involved all service projects in the school, so students started to think about their peers' topics in addition to their own. Kudos to Miranda for leading our service program and organizing this wonderful activity. This is the type of lesson that can be easily adapted for a different school or environment. Jesse Todd

Posted By: Lisa Morein
On: 6/19/2008 9:12:34 AM

Hi Jesse this is Lisa from CHAD. I especially like that you had students approach the scavenger hunt holistically. By seeing the city from various perspectives, students also begin to see how our city functions, for better or for worse.

Posted By: Amanda Turner
On: 6/20/2008 9:58:21 AM

This sounds like a wonderful field study to participate in within the first couple weeks of school. My new Design Team members would really get to experience what the purpose is behind our team. This gives them a new way to look at their community. That's not always an easy concept to get across to middle school students. Thanks for the advice.

Posted By: Aisha Madhi
On: 6/27/2008 3:23:08 PM

I agree with Jesse, the community scavenger hunt activity was really successful and lots of fun because it was differentiated to meet the interests/abilities of students. The project inspired students to think critically about problems in the community, while exploring the role of municipal agencies in addressing those issues (some more successfully than others). I think that your idea of beginning the year with a community scavenger hunt is a great way to kick off the school year Amanda!

Posted By: Shari Baerga
On: 6/27/2008 5:50:17 PM

Nice! This is a lesson that can be used at the beginning to gain interest or at the end to remind students of the importance of reflecting on the community around us. I also like it because it is an easy way to get students engaged and to be active participants in their community, as well as gain a greater understanding of how the community works .

Posted By: Ashlee Scott
On: 6/28/2008 3:53:36 PM

I think this is a great lesson plan idea. It naturally contains differentiation for students as they use different approaches to complete the task. I especially enjoy the fact that the students were encouraged to make connections based on their observations and findigs. I think that students should have the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills whenever possible. I may have to adapt this lesson for my use on a school trip in the near future. Congratulations on your success!

Posted By: Joyce Perdue
On: 6/30/2008 11:07:33 PM

Did you document this trip with photos? What a cool way to make a PowerPoint to share with new students next year as well as others about hwat you are doing in your school!!