2. Service-Learning Fact Sheet

Service-learning is infused in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 in the following courses: English, Social Studies, Science, Math (7, 8, 9) and Family and Consumer Science (6). Students also participate in community-based projects. Wicomico County makes excellent use of Fellows and school-based coordinators as training partners for service-learning.

Breakdown: Students are introduced to service-learning in 6th grade Social Studies and English. This orientation includes preparation, action, and reflection in age appropriate activities. Service-learning projects are also infused in a variety of courses as noted above.

Transfer Policy: Official hours earned follow students from school to school. Hours earned are also reported to other districts. Students who transfer to Wicomico County Public Schools after 10th grade, but before 12th grade, will be required to document 25 hours of service in an approved school and/or community based service for each year enrolled.

A student service-learning semester course is available for interested 11th and 12th grade students.

Reporting: the service-learning status is recorded on each student's report card starting at the end of the 6th grade.

3. Teacher Fellows (see overview)

Cheryl Doughty, 2005, James M. Bennett High School (Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology), Wicomico County, cdoughty@wcboe.org

Family and Consumer Sciences students created hundreds of hand made stuffed bears for the young patients in the Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department. Students acquired and used skills in computer graphing, public relations, child development, textile manufacturing technology, business management and teamwork to create a product that brought comfort to many ill and injured children.

Best Practice 1: Meet a recognized need in the community
When a child needs to go to an emergency room, there is often no time for the caregiver to pack a favorite toy. The visit to the emergency room is usually a long and anxious time for the child and his or her attending caregiver. The emergency staff’s primary role is to provide the appropriate physical care to the child, but this is a difficult task with an anxious patient. With the donation of the handmade bears, the medical staff can now present the bear to the ill or injured child, creating a diversion and a communication tool.
Best Practice 2: Achieve curricular objectives through service-learning
The students were enrolled in a technology course, Introduction to Health and Human Services Technology. The primary curricular objective met by participation in this service-learning project was: Students will utilize the manufacturing process and the principles of continuous improvement, in order to produce a product that meets the needs of a family member.
Best Practice 3: Reflect throughout the service-learning experience
Students reflected on the purpose and process of the service-learning project in several ways. Students participated in group discussions each week to follow the Plan Do Study Act process of continuous improvement. A subgroup of students developed and administered a survey to monitor attitudes and achievements during the project time. After the delivery of the bears, a plus/delta discussion was held with the whole class to determine what parts of the process was rewarding or worthwhile, and what parts of the process could be changed to improve it.
Best Practice 4: Develop student responsibility
Students were responsible for many aspects of the process. Students were involved in choosing the community need they wished to serve. One of the first tasks of the whole class was to create a business manufacturing plan with stakeholder input. The project was designed to be completed with a team approach and students were given the opportunity to “apply” for the team that best suited their needs. They could choose between the public relations / communications team, the sewing machine manufacturing team, the hand work manufacturing team, the creativity / embroidery team, or the resource management team. The public relations team was responsible for documentation of the project for the stakeholders. The resource management team was responsible for management of supplies and tracking attendance and cost of resources.
Best Practice 5: Establish community partnerships
Our community partner was Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
Best Practice 6: Plan ahead for service-learning
My planning included making contact with the community organizations to explore ideas that would meet the needs of my students and curriculum, as well as meet the needs of the organization. I had to acquire funding and the resources needed, such as fabric. I then had to plan the basic process of the teams and the steps toward completion. I was also responsible for presenting the basic plan choices to the students, and facilitating their ability to complete the project. Part of my preparation for the students was to develop “want ads” for the students to use in their selection of a team. I used an “empathy challenge” to motivate them to explore the personal side of how a person served by the agency might feel and what they might need. I proposed, “You are a three year old, who fell off of the jungle gym at school and need stitches in the emergency room. How do you feel? What or who do you need? How will you feel if someone meets your need?”
Best Practice 7: Equip students with knowledge and skills needed for service
Students acquired and used skills in computer graphing, public relations, child development, textile manufacturing technology, business management and teamwork to create a product that brought comfort to many ill and injured children. As the classes competed to produce the most bears, they learned about efficiency of resources, calculating costs, recognizing quality in a textile product, and working together to use the strengths of everyone to meet a common goal. Because these skills were learned in the context of service-learning, the students learned that their individual talents and skills can be used to improve the lives of others in need.

Beverly Durham, 1993, Wicomico High School - Retired

Students Organized for Service (S.O.S.) students receive nine weeks of in-class training on community needs. Then the students choose service projects at a community based service agency. Finally, they report back to the classroom on a regular basis to reflect on their experiences. Reflection component includes a choice of journal writing, watching tapes or looking at pictures of service action and then writing a response, or writing a personal reflection by responding to a quote about service.

Chandler Sickmund, 2006, Wicomico Middle School (Special Education Inclusion), csickmun@wcboe.org

Best Practice 1: What recognized community need was met by your project (e.g. health, education, environmental or public safety need)?

Students created brochures about Pemberton Park to promote the park. Each brochure included the following information about the park: history, ecosystem, top ten reasons for a student to visit the park, and a brief summary of their experience at the park. The students used Microsoft Publisher for their final copy. The brochures were then given to Pemberton Park to be distributed to other young adults who visit the park.

Best Practice 2: How was the project connected to school curriculum (e.g. what course outcomes were met and/or how did the project reinforce or enhance student academic learning)?

Ninety sixth grade students traveled to Pemberton Park in Salisbury, Maryland. Prior to our visit, we studied the history of the park and discussed ways the park is used today. At the park, students learned about the dangers to the environment caused by nutria, the ecosystem surrounding the park, created nature journals, and wrote about the sights, sounds, and feelings each student experienced at the nature center. Students were broken up into groups for each activity. Each group also was able to explore the nature trails. This allowed students to practice reading a map and experience relying on “natural road signs” and instinct.

Best Practice 3: How did you reflect on your experience throughout the project?

When the students returned to school, each student created a brochure featuring Pemberton Park.

Best Practice 4: How did students take leadership roles and take responsibility for the success of the project?

Each student was responsible for designing a brochure that would convey important and interesting information about the park, and also catch the interest of young adults.

Best Practice 5: What community partners did you work with on this project (e.g. non-profits, civic organizations, business that provided donations, etc.)?

Pemberton Park

Best Practice 6: How did you prepare and plan ahead for the project?

A field trip needed to be set up in advance.

Best Practice 7: What knowledge and skills did students develop through this project?

Students learned about the environment, a great resource in their local community, and practiced writing, design, and computer skills.