Volunteering is what jumps to most people’s minds when they hear Community Contributor. Certainly, volunteering and community service are important examples of being a Community Contributor; however, how we treat each other in our various communities (families, classrooms, social media platforms, neighborhoods, etc.) is an equally important component. Our Community Contributor description and success criteria include both aspects.
Thus, as you think about the authentic ways Community Contributor can play out in your classroom, be sure to consider both aspects. Though service learning (the label given to community service that is built into curricula) may be appropriate and possible in only some classrooms, every classroom can work on norms and behaviors that result in positive, accepting, safe, and vibrant learning environments.
Check It Out
Read the description and review the grade-level checklist for this skill at the Future Ready Skill website.
Learn a Little More
Browse through the collection of resources for this week (below), then select one or two to read thoroughly.
7 Easy Ways Kids Can Give Back (Not only has ideas for building community but also discusses the values that are being instilled in students from giving to our community)
Search Results for “Service Learning” and Edutopia
Blog post about building classroom community at the middle and high school level
Building Community & Friendship in the Elementary Classroom
Scholastic article: Building Classroom Community
14 Examples of High Quality Civic Learning Opportunities
Talking Circles: For Restorative Justice and Beyond (A Teaching Tolerance awardee discusses how Talking Circles empower her middle school students.)Activity/Prompt
Part A: Share one or two ideas or insights from your reading that you think others should consider when incorporating Community Contributor into their work with students. Make sure to clearly reference the resource(s) you are pulling from.
Part B: Which of the success criteria (from your grade level’s student reflection checklist) for Community Contributor can you authentically connect to/reference/integrate in your classroom? In what way(s)?
