Running Head: CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

Civic & Social Responsibility

Dana Davidson
Florida Atlantic University

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

Civic and Social Responsibility

Civic and social responsibility can be defined in a number of ways. According to Gallay
(2006), social responsibility is defined as reflecting concerns that extend beyond personal
wants, needs, or gains (as cited in Wray-Lake and Syvertsen, 2011). In other words, it is a duty
to help alleviate the concerns of others outside of oneself. There are many positive outcomes
associated with teaching civic and social responsibility to adolescents. Not only does civic
engagement help society, but it also benefits the individual partaking in it. Student experiences
within their local communities can change a person for the better, enriching childrens lives and
giving meaning to things they may have once felt were unimportant (Bonsall, Harris & Marczak
2002). Successful programs allow adolescents to learn leadership skills while helping the
community. In their study, Brunelle, Danish and Forneris (2007) found that participants who took
part in a social responsibility training program learned how to set appropriate goals for
themselves, and gained more self confidence in achieving those goals (p.51). Undoubtedly, civic
and social responsibility curriculums teach valued attitudes and behaviors, and should be actively
promoted within our schools.
According to the ASCA National Model, there are three student competencies that need
to be addressed by counselors in the school system; they include academic, career, and
social/emotional development (ASCA National Model). Civic and social responsibility is
included under the umbrella term of social/emotional development. Counselors are in a position
to reach adolescents through classroom guidance lessons and school wide programs, in order to
further this cause. Engaging young adults in community efforts will provide them with positive
personal social and emotional development that they will take with them into adulthood.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

One way to implement a successful civic and social responsibility program is through the
use of mentors. Bonsall et al. (2002) explain this by stating that the primary goal of mentor
programs is to help participants gain an understanding of community problems, the
organizational and governmental processes, and to learn about leadership opportunities (p.90).
Additionally, when putting together a program it is crucial to advise educators to identify staff
positions, institutionalize the leadership program, build relationships in the community, select
responsible participants, tailor the program to school needs, use flexible scheduling, ensure that
community involvement is structured, and implement training programs (Bonsall et al., 2002).
Moreover, As Jongh and Prinsloo (2004) make clear, that in order to ensure a meaningful
experience for students and the community, education on civic and social responsibility should
embrace a curriculum of critique, possibility, and engagement. All in all, if civic and social
responsibilities are not addressed and taught in the school system, there is likelihood that the
community members of tomorrow will be detached from the publics issues, and therefore cause
a negative ripple effect in our society.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

References
ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs. American School
Counselor Association.
Bonsall, D.L., Harris, R.A., & Marczak, J.N. (2002). The community as a classroom. New
Directions for Student Services, 100, 85-95.
Brunelle, J., Danish, S.J., & Forneris, T. (2007). The impact of a sport-based life skill program
on adolescent prosocial values. Applied Developmental Science, 11(1), 43-45.
Jongh, D. de., & Prinsloo, P. (2004). Why teach corporate citizenship differently? Journal of
Corporate Citizenship, 18, 113122.
Wray-Lake, L., & Syvertsen, A.K. (2011). The developmental roots of social responsibility in
childhood and adolescence. In C.A. Flanagan & B.D. Christens (Eds.), Youth civic
development: Work at the cutting edge. New directions for child and adolescent
development, 134, 11-25.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

MHS 6423 Classroom Guidance Format

Title of Unit: Civic & Social Responsibility
Focus of lesson: Defining what it means to be a responsible
______________member of a community.

Grade level: 8
Lesson: # 1 of 3

National standard development area(s): Academic

Career
Personal/Social
National Standard(s): C - Students will understand the relationship of academics to the world
of work and to life at home in the community.
National Standards Competencies:
C1.2 Seek co-curricular and community experiences to enhance the school
experience
C1.5 Understand that school success is the preparation to make the transition from
student to community member
Sunshine State Standard(s): SS.8.C.1, Standard 1 : The student will evaluate the roles, rights,
and responsibilities of United States citizens and determine methods of active participation in
society, government, and the political system.
Purpose
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain what the quote about civic responsibility means to them
State responsibilities of community citizens
Relate to the topic of community responsibility by sharing their volunteer
experiences
Formulate a definition of a responsible community member in groups
Specify what volunteer services they are interested in pursuing
Materials *

Notebook Paper & Pencils

Computer with Internet Access
Prezi link: https://prezi.com/4llo1yonbzyt/concern-for-man-and-his-fatemust-always-form-the-chief-int/
Sticky Notes
Large sheets of white paper for groups, or printer paper

Classroom
Describe what techniques you plan to use to manage individual and class
Management behaviors:
Individual: 3 strikes system of discipline: first two offenses earns a
verbal warning from teacher, third offense earns a detention.
Class: Attention signal (Teacher: hand in the air and says can I have
your attention, please? Students: Hand in the air and silent, eyes on
teacher), Thumbs up, thumbs down for clarification of
material/directions, Fist to Five (silent time-check. Students hold up
between 0 (fist) to 5 fingers to demonstrate silently how many additional
minutes they need to work.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

Introduction
*

Activity I

Write this quote on the board:

1. Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all
technical endeavors Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams
and equations." - Albert Einstein
Ask students to answer the following questions on a sheet of
notebook paper:
1. What is your reaction to this quote? What feelings does it evoke?
2. What do you think this quote means?
Large Group
Step 1: Show slideshow/video clips of people volunteering
Step 2: Ask students to name some responsibilities of citizens (paying taxes,
voting, obeying the laws, giving back to the community, etc.)
Step 3: Discussion on volunteering experience: Ask students if they have ever
volunteered before, and if so, to describe their experience(s).

Activity II

Small Group (2-6)

Divide Class into groups of 4
Step 1: On sticky notes, students will record words that they associate with
responsibility and place it on their groups paper without talking
Step 2: On sticky notes, students will record words that they associate with
community and place it on their groups paper without talking
Step 3: Students will brainstorm with their group to define what it means to be a
responsible citizen of a community
Step 4: 1 representative from the group will share the definition with the class

Closure: *

Reflection *

Ask students the following questions, and discuss as a class:

1. What are some ways that volunteering can teach you skills or give you
knowledge about your community?
2. What areas of interest or types of volunteering are you interested in?
Students may demonstrate mastery by participating in classroom discussions and
the small group activity II.
Instruction was differentiated based on the assessment of student learning needs
in the form of large group work and small group work. Learning styles addressed
in this lesson were visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Finally, learning needs of
both introverts and extraverts were addressed by providing the opportunity to
participate in verbal discussions, or written assignments within large and small
group assignments.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

MHS 6423 Classroom Guidance Format

Title of Unit: Civic and Social Responsibility
Focus of lesson: Defining Service

Grade level: 8
Lesson: # 2 of 3

National standard development area(s): Academic

Career
Personal/Social
National Standard(s): *
A
B
C
National Standards Competencies: A:A3.2 Demonstrate the ability to work independently, as
well as the
ability to work cooperatively with other students
A:C1.2 Seek co-curricular and community experiences to enhance the
school experience
A:C1.3 Understand the relationship between learning and work
Sunshine State Standard(s): *SS 8.C.1 The student will evaluate the roles, rights, and
responsibilities of United States citizens and determine methods of active participation in society,
government, and the political
Purpose

Materials *

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Identify what civil service means individually
Conclude people can serve their communities in different ways

Copy of Worksheet (attached below)

Pens/Pencils

Classroom
Describe what techniques you plan to use to manage individual and class
Management behaviors:
Individual: 3 strikes system of discipline: first two offenses earns a
verbal warning from teacher, third offense earns a detention.
Class: Attention signal (Teacher: hand in the air and says can I have
your attention, please? Students: Hand in the air and silent, eyes on
teacher), Thumbs up, thumbs down for clarification of
material/directions, Fist to Five (silent time-check. Students hold up
between 0 (fist) to 5 fingers to demonstrate silently how many additional
minutes they need to work.
Introduction
*

Write this question on the board:

How do you define service?
Give Students a minute to write down a brief definition
Share as a class

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

Activity I

Large Group
Step 1: Hand out Defining Service worksheet.
Explain that today we are going to take a look at examples of Civil/Civic Service
activities and students are going to rank them 1-15 based on importance.
Remind students that there are no right or wrong answers.
Step 2: Select one of the items for discussion and have students get up out of
their seats, and line up in the front of the room according to how they ranked that
item (in order from 1 to 15)
Step 3: Discuss with the students the reason(s) why they ranked the items the
way that they did.
Repeat the process with two or three other items.

Activity II

Small Group (2 6)
Step 1: Pair share the following questions:
What in your history, family background, or past experiences caused you
to choose the order that you did?
Was their a degree of personal sacrifice involved that lead you to rank
items in the way you did?
Step 2: Share as a group.

Closure: *

At the close of the lesson, ask students the following questions: Are there any
circumstances under which you would change their rankings? How do your
definitions of service relate to civic responsibility? How will you take what you
learned today and use it in the real world?

Reflection *

Students may demonstrate mastery by participating in classroom discussions, the

large group activity, and the small group activity. Additionally, they will be
completing the Service Worksheet, which allows students to demonstrate their
likes and dislikes regarding service and also discuss what they like and why.
Instruction was differentiated based on the assessment of student learning needs
in the form of large group work and small group work. Learning styles addressed
in this lesson were visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Finally, learning needs of
both introverts and extraverts were addressed by providing the opportunity to
participate in verbal discussions, or written assignments within large and small
group assignments.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

How Do You Define Service?
People define service in many different ways. Represented below are some examples
of service. Study the list carefully. Place a 1 next to the action that most closely models your
personal philosophy of service. Place a 2 next to the action that is the second closest to your
philosophy of service, and so on, until you have ranked every item up to 15.

_______Helping to start an after-school program for children whose parents

work during the day
_______Joining the armed forces
_______Providing dinner once a week at a homeless shelter
_______Talking with a friend about a social issue of importance to you
_______Working for a candidate in a local election
_______Walking a frail person across a busy street
_______Chaining yourself to an old growth tree as loggers enter the forest
_______Leaving your car at home and biking to work every day
_______Donating money to a local charity
_______Giving blood
_______Tutoring a migrant worker
_______Visiting different houses of worship (churches, synagogues, mosques,
temples) every week to learn about different religions in the community
_______Adopting a child
_______Working as a state legislator
_______Voting

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

10

MHS6423ClassroomGuidanceFormat
Title of Unit: Civic & Social Responsibility
Focus of lesson: Civic Responsibility- Meeting a
Community Need

Grade level: 8
Lesson: # 3 of 3

National standard development area(s): Academic

Career
Personal/Social
National Standard(s): *
A
B
C
National Standards Competencies: A:C1.2 Seek co-curricular and community experiences to
enhance the school experience
A:C1.3 Understand the relationship between learning and work
Sunshine State Standard(s): * SS 8.C.1The student will evaluate the roles, rights, and
responsibilities of United States citizens and determine methods of active participation in
society, government, and the political system.
Purpose

Materials *

The purpose of this lesson is to have students focus on what civic

responsibility is all about and to come up with an action which expresses
civic responsibility.
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Describe what civic responsibility means
Identify a specific local need in the community
Brainstorm ways to meet the aforementioned need
Formulate a plan to meet the need

Classroom
Management

Quotes referring to civic responsibility on individual cards

Taking Action in Our Community Handout (See link):
http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/NSOC/2007_NSOC_Winners
/SHA_Taking_Action_Lesson.pdf
Poster paper
Colored pens/markers

Describe what techniques you plan to use to manage individual and class
behaviors.
Individual: 3 strikes system of discipline: first two offenses earns a
verbal warning from teacher, third offense earns a detention.
Class: Attention signal (Teacher: hand in the air and says can I have
your attention, please? Students: Hand in the air and silent, eyes on
teacher), Thumbs up, thumbs down for clarification of
material/directions, Fist to Five (silent time-check. Students hold up
between 0 [fist] to 5 fingers to demonstrate silently how many
additional minutes they need to work).

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

11

Introduction *

Watch this video and answer the following questions:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WzRtWb70Qs
- What is one project mentioned in this video:
- Protecting endangered species, developing literacy, building
sustainable business
- What was the overall message of this video?
- By changing the world, the world changed them
- A small change can cause a ripple effect
- Civil/Civic service can change lives and give hope

Activity I

Large Group:

Activity II

Step 1: Distribute a quote card to every student, and have students

share quotes with one another.
Debrief the experience: What struck you? What did you learn?

Step 2: Brainstorm local problems and causes of these problems as a

class. Record information on board. Students may use their smartphones or tablets to research 1 problem in the community, if school
policy permits.

Step 3: Explain that as a class, students are going to look at these

problems and see how they can take action.

Small Group (2 6)

Step 1: Distribute Taking Action in Our Community handout.

Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 and have them work on
______the handout.

Closure: *

Step 2 Have each group write out brief response to Steps 1, 2, 3 on

poster paper and display it around the room.
Have students share in their groups.

Step 3: Each group works on Step 4 and writes out brief responses to
Step 4 on poster paper and displays it around the room and then share.
Discuss as a class.

Step 4: Class moves to a decision on the action and the plan by

voting.

Students will answer the following questions on a piece of paper, share with a
partner, and then share out with the class:
What is the best way to monitor the execution of this plan?
What did you learn?

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

Reflection *

12

How can you use what you learned?

Students may demonstrate mastery by participating in classroom discussions

and the small group activity II. Additionally, they will be filling out the
Taking Action in our Community Worksheet, which proves that the students
understand what it means to take responsibility, identify community needs,
and take action with these needs.
Instruction was differentiated based on the assessment of student learning
needs in the form of large group work and small group work. Learning styles
addressed in this lesson were visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Finally,
learning needs of both introverts and extraverts were addressed by providing
the opportunity to participate in verbal discussions, or written assignments
within large and small group assignments.

CIVIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CLASSROOM LESSONS

13

Examples of Quote Cards- Can change if preferred.

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask
what you can do for your country.
John F. Kennedy

In the face of impossible odds, people who

love this country can change it.
Barack Obama

Im just trying to do my part to save the

world.
J. Cornell Michel, Jordan's Brains: A
Zombie Evolution

A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends

upon the character of the user.
Theodore Roosevelt

"Before I got into politics, I didn't know

whether what I was doing even mattered. Now
I know. One person can make a difference. I
think it's something every person can learn.
The main thing is, you can't be afraid."
--Dennis Kucinich

From what we get, we can make a living; what

we give, however, makes a life."

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the

truth, they can be depended upon to meet any
national crisis. The great point is to bring them
the real facts.
--Abraham Lincoln

From the first moment of life, men ought to

begin learning to deserve to live; and, as at the
instant of birth we partake of the rights of
citizenship, that instant ought to be the
beginning of the exercise of our duty." --Jean
Jacques Rousseau

"How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait

a single moment before starting to improve the
world."
Frank, Anne

"Responsibility is the price every man must

pay for freedom."
Hamilton, Edith German-born American
classicist (18671963)