Citizenship Action Projects

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Citizenship Action Projects
C. A. P.

• Kids can change the world!

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Inspiration

• The history of every country
• begins in the heart
• of a man or a woman.
• Willa Cather (O Pioneers)

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• If you dont like the way the world is, you
  change it one step at a time.
• Marian Wright Edelman

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• "It is from numberless, diverse
• acts of courage and belief
• that human history is shaped.
• Each time a person stands up for an ideal
• or acts to improve the lot of others
• or strikes out against injustice,
• he or she sends a tiny ripple of hope.
• Robert F. Kennedy

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• We must remember that one determined person
• can make a significant difference
• and that a small group of determined people
• can change the course of history.
• Sonia Johnson

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• Service is the rent we pay for living.
• Marian Wright Edelman

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• Lifes most urgent question is,
• what are you doing for others?
• Martin Luther King, Jr.

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• We sometimes feel that what we do
• is just a drop in the ocean,
• but the ocean would be less because of the
  missing drop.
• Mother Theresa of Calcutta

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• Hundreds and thousands of young people
• around the world
• can break through
• these walls.
• You can change the world.
• Dr. Jane Goodall

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• We overwhelm children with all the suffering
• and evil in the world, but do we enable them to
  act?  Sister Joan Magnetti, cited in Thomas
  Lickonas Educating for Character

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Citizenship Action Projects in History Class at
the Episcopal Academy
C. A. P.

• As our final class project,
• I ask my students to think about a real-world
  problem they care about and act to change it for
  the better.

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• One of my history students asked, What does the
  C.A.P. project have to do with history?
• Great question!
• I share my inspirations with them,
• and I also say,
• I want you to make history by taking action to
  improve the lives of the people, plants, and
  animals around you.
• Be a thinking, caring, and active citizen, and
  YOU will be making history of your own.

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I invite you to help your students put their
dreams into action.
C. A. P.

• Sample directions for students are below

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Goals
C. A. P.

• CAP off our year studying American History by
  making some history yourself!
• Goal To see the positive effects of your own
  individual efforts on the world around you.
• To see the cumulative effects of the sincere
  efforts of many active citizens.

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Task
C. A. P.

• Identify a problem in your home, school,
  community, country, or the world at large.
• Identify a way you can work actively to improve
  the situation.
• Make a plan and carry it out alone or with
  others, for a long or short time period.
• Report on your project to the class.
• Make a poster (8 ½ by 11) by hand or using
  computer telling about your project.

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Problems Possibilities Home
C. A. P.
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School
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Community
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Country
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World
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Timeline for project
C. A. P.

• March 10 through April 19 THINK! Gather ideas.
• Talk to your teachers, family, and friends.
• April 20 Share your idea for a CAP project.
• FROM March 10 through May 24 Do the project at
  any point during this time period!
• DUE Wednesday, May 18 One paragraph project
  description (standard writing format).
• Wednesday, May 25 Present project to class
  (tell them what you did _at_3 minutes).
• Wednesday, May 25 Handmade or computer-made
  poster due when you talk to class.

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Kids Share Project Ideas
C. A. P.

• About a month after making the assignment, take a
  class period to have kids share CAP ideas.
• Lead the discussion and elaborate on their
  thinking. Ask them why issues are important.
• Help students understand why proposals may or may
  not work. Present alternatives to fundraising.
• Invite classmates to work together on similar
  projects.
• Allow students to change plans and projects.
  Student interest is key!

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Sample paragraph book donations

• When I first received this assignment I began
  to think of ideas and right away I thought of
  donating books to one of my dads hospitals,
  because they are in need of books.
• My plan to collect books is to give out flyers
  to my friends and neighbors (which I have done).
  Then I will collect the books on May 20th and
  deliver them to the hospital on May 23rd. So far
  I have given out the flyers and I have also
  collected some book donations from a few people.
  I feel that my donations will help the hospital
  patients get through their stay at the hospital a
  little bit better and also help the hospital.
  This is a great opportunity to meet your
  community.
• --Nicole
• Nicole collected and donated 1000 books!

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Sample paragraph save raptors

• A problem I am trying to solve is the
  endangerment of raptors, or birds of prey. This
  is a national problem because most raptors are
  endangered. My plan is to educate people about
  raptors, specifically a snowy owl I gave money to
  rehabilitate. Mostly, the people I am going to
  talk to are the students at the C.A.P. Fair and
  in class. I have collected all of my information
  about my owl and several interesting facts about
  raptor endangerment. I am planning to make a
  small poster, along with the required one, that I
  can show some pictures of my owl and other
  raptors. I feel that my actions will only
  interest some bird-lovers, but not that many
  people. I feel this because many people dont
  usually think about saving the animals.
• -- John
• Johns project did interest his classmates. He
  continues to work at a raptor center in Vermont
  each summer.

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Sample paragraph recycling

• I think that the problem in this community is
  recycling. People may see the recycling bins and
  every once in a while put a bottle or piece of
  paper in them, but their hearts are not in it.
  To help out this cause, I decided to make signs
  all over the school to support recycling. With
  creative and colorful signs I plan to get more
  people into recycling. So far, I have created 2
  beautiful signs to put up. I will get some of my
  friends to help me make some more. I feel that my
  actions will make people of the school think more
  about recycling. So next time at lunch, instead
  of putting that Vitamin Water in the trash, a
  student could save it for the recycling bin for
  bottles. My actions are prominent to school
  because Im promoting recycling in a fun way.
• --Asia

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Sample paragraph park cleanup

• Have you ever gone to your local park to play
  basketball or football? If you have, you
  probably have heard and felt the crunch you hear
  and feel when you step on trash. All over
  Gladwyne Park there was trash. My plan was (I
  have already executed the plan) to pick up all
  the trash in Gladwyne Park. As of now I have
  cleaned up the park (as of April 29th) and made
  it look better overall. Next, I hope to pick up
  trash every time I go there. I feel good that
  now every time someone sees the close-to-trash
  less park they think that it is well kept. When
  there was trash all over the ground it made the
  community seem irresponsible, now they dont look
  like that. I think my actions made a
  medium-sized impact in my community its a
  noticeable but not stunning difference. I would
  have made a bigger dent if I got people all over
  the township to clean their parks, but I feel as
  if I have done a good deed. Overall, I feel good
  about this project and the things I have done.
  Will

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Sample paragraph fund a schoolchild in Colombia

• For the C.A.P. project Sophia, Devi, and I
  raised money and awareness for a school in
  Colombia, South America. The school is basically
  for anyone, however it is especially for children
  whose guardians cannot afford much. We had a bake
  sale in order to raise money in order to send one
  child to school. Next, we plan to send the money
  to the school.
• I feel very good about what we have done and am
  very proud to be sending a child to school. I
  also think that what we have done is important
  for many reasons. First is that we saw we have
  much more than many people, and I have learned to
  appreciate what I have even more. Second is that
  I saw that by just doing something little and fun
  you can make a big difference. Lastly is that if
  I know I have just sent a child to school it
  feels like I have made a huge difference in the
  world because I am basically giving someone an
  education. --Polina

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Poster Instructions
C. A. P.

• Poster Components Use this as a checklist
• for your poster.
• 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet.
• Colorful headline naming project or problem.
• Your name and class.
• Two-sentence description of problem.
• List or paragraph describing the action you took.
  
• Picture (at least one!) hand-drawn, photograph,
  or clip-art.
• A motto, original or borrowed (with citation if
  borrowed), expressing your feelings about
  completing this project. The motto should serve
  as inspiration to all who read your poster.

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Sample Posters
C. A. P.
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JohnMrs. CannonF HistoryDue 5/25/05
Citizenship Action Project
The Problem The problem I am trying to fix is
that people dont pay any attention to how
bird-of-prey, raptors, are becoming endangered.
Also, people dont realize how important raptors
are to the environment, to the food-chain, to be
exact.
My Actions I took actions where I gathered
information about raptors and a particular snowy
owl, whom I gave 25 to rehabilitate in a raptor
center. Then, I am going to present a
mini-presentation about raptors and my snowy owl
to the 6th grade at the C.A.P. Fair. If I can,
after C.A.P. is over, I would like to go to VINS,
or Vermont Institute of Natural Science, and try
and present there, since I am moving less than
two hours away.
Motto The only good raptor, is a live one.
Other raptors need to be protected, as well as
owls.
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(No Transcript)
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Love your project!

• Its important to work on something you really
  care about, using your unique talents and gifts!

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CAP FAIR
C. A. P.

• Students each present their project results and
  posters to the class. They answer questions from
  their classmates and give out handouts of
  background information.
• However, the real excitement is for them to
  educate the wider school community.
• To that end, organize a CAP FAIR and invite
  fellow students, faculty, administration, and
  parents.

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EA CAP FAIR 2005

• Create a bulletin board of all the posters.
  Students should create copies of their posters to
  serve as handouts during the fair. Also, they
  may want to have posters, photos, and other
  props.
• Set up tables for students to use for
  presentations.

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Bulletin Board of Posters
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Students take pride in sharing their projects
with visitors.
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Students educate their classmates and demonstrate
projects.
A student teaches classmates about saving the
raptors.
Hand-drawn comics make placemats for homeless
shelters and food kitchens.
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Think and act globally.
One of the children has an aunt who runs a school
in Colombia. She inspired her classmates to join
her in fundraising for school tuition.
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Think and act locally.
Clean-up of historic mansion was inspired by a
grandmother on the mansion board of trustees.
Family adopts a highway, inspired by a childs
project.
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Help animals or people.
Students buy plastic bracelets to support animal
shelters.
Students order hand-made bracelets to support
cancer research.
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Charity begins at.
A granddaughter paints and plants flowerpots for
the residents of her grandmothers nursing home.
A student raises recycling awareness in our
school.
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Discuss How many of you feel you have made a
positive difference?
C. A. P.
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C. A. P.

• Kids Reactions
• If two people you loved were diagnosed with
  breast cancer (as were both of my grandmothers),
  wouldnt you want to try and help the rest of the
  people who have this horrible disease? I am
  proud that I raised so much money for breast
  cancer research by selling my one-of-a-kind
  pink-beaded bracelets. I donated 100 of my
  sales to help research breast cancer treatment. -
  Chloe
• It was fun working with my friends for a good
  cause. We could have been sitting at home
  watching television that Saturday, but instead we
  were out in the cold having a lot of fun.
  Picking up trash was disgusting, but we helped
  the environment around us. - Kati
• I gave serious thought to what I am passionate
  about. My conclusion was I am a huge animal
  lover. I designed my bracelets at
  reminderband.com to raise money for the Fund
  for Animals. We are not just talking dogs and
  cats here! They help animal protection and
  rescue all around the world. I am feeling very
  good about myself because I am helping abandoned,
  lonely, injured, orphaned, and unloved animals. -
  Maddie

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More Kids Reactions

• I think it is great to turn something I love to
  do into a commitment for society. I would
  normally think a project like this is boring, and
  I did until Will suggested making comics. I
  think its helpful for both us and the children
  at the shelter that we are working together for
  the greater good.- Graham
• I personally feel great about what I am doing. I
  think this is important because America is the
  fattest country in the world, and if I can help
  educate people over the years the percentages
  will drop. - Paul
• When I think about the fact that I sent a child
  to school, I feel amazed. I gave a child an
  education. I gave that child a part of their
  future. - Sophia
• Who knows, they can be the future leaders of the
  world. One thing Id like to change is for more
  people to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of
  happiness. - Devi

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Website support

• Roots and Shoots Founded by Jane Goodall, the
  Roots and Shoots program inspires youth of all
  ages to make a difference by becoming involved in
  their communities.
• Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation Creates the
  opportunity for young people to understand the
  world and translate that understanding into
  positive action.
• The Giraffe Project Moving people to stick their
  necks out for the common good. A story-based K-12
  curriculum that teaches courageous compassion and
  active citizenship.
• Peace Jam The goal of PeaceJam is to inspire a
  new generation of peacemakers who will transform
  their local communities, themselves and the
  world.

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Think. Care. Act. Be good. Do good.
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Contact information

• Susan Gelber Cannon
• Episcopal Academy Middle School
• 376 N. Latches Lane
• Merion, PA 19066
• cannon_at_ea1785.org
• Visit my website and prowl around!
• Sue Cannon at the Episcopal Academy