Service Learning

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Service Learning

• Cornerstone Academy
• SBISD
• Houston, TX

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What is Service Learning?

• Service Learning, as defined by the National and
  Community Service Trust Act (1993), is an
  innovative instructional strategy that actively
  involves youth in the curriculum through service
  to their community.

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How is Service Learning different from Community
Service?

• Service Learning uses community service as the
  vehicle for the attainment of students academic
  goals and objectives
• Students perform a valuable, significant, and
  necessary service which has real and
  self-sustaining consequences to the community
• The needs of the community dictate the service
  being provided
• The goal of the service is to empower students
  and those being served

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Why do Service Learning?

• Research indicates that educators who provide
  opportunities for students to participate in high
  quality service-learning activities across
  schooling years can

• improve student achievement
• build strong relationships between the school and
  community
• promote the development of committed citizens.

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STARS Model

• Exemplary Service Learning projects have these
  five points
• Student Leadership
• Thoughtful Service
• Authentic Learning
• Reflective Practice
• Substantive Partnerships

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What has Cornerstone Academy done in the past?

• WWII History Book project 8th grade LA/SS
• Spring Branch Timeline project 8th grade LA/SS
• Student Lounge project 7th grade Math/Science
• Watershed Testing Project 6th grade
  Math/Science

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WWII History Book project

• 8th grade Social Studies/Language Arts students
  researched and interviewed World War II veterans.
  Students

• transcribed interviews
• wrote biographies
• performed peer-editing activities
• created a book that included all the information

Copies of the book were given to each student and
each participating WWII veteran.
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History Book Project
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Spring Branch Timeline Project

• Students researched the history of Spring Branch
  ISD and its original families through
  organizations such as the High School Alumni
  Association and the districts High School
  Librarians
• Students were required to research world events
  that corresponded to the events throughout the
  history of Spring Branch.
• Students incorporated pictures of the Spring
  Branch history and world history into a timeline.

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Spring Branch Timeline Project
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8th grade Social Studies TEKSWWII History Book
Project and Spring Branch Timeline Project

• 8.30 Social Studies skills. The student applies
  critical-thinking skills to organize and use
  information acquired from a variety of sources
  including electronic technology.
• 8.32 Social Studies skills. The student uses
  problem-solving and decision-making skills,
  working independently and with others, in a
  variety of settings.
• 8.27 Culture. The student understands the
  relationship between the arts and the times
  during which they were created.
• 8.21 Citizenship. The student understands the
  importance of voluntary individual participation
  in the democratic process.

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Student Lounge Project

• In 7th grade Math/Science class, students
  developed and implemented a strategy for
  designing a student lounge. Each group of
  students were not only responsible for designing
  and creating a scale model of the student lounge
  but also were required to meet specified budget
  guidelines. Each project was judged based on
  creativity, accuracy, budget requirements, and
  scale model. Students were able to buy supplies
  and actually design the student lounge according
  to the first place project.

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Student Lounge
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7th grade Math TEKSStudent Lounge Project

• (7.2) Number, operation, and quantitative
  reasoning. The student adds, subtracts,
  multiplies, or divides to solve problems and
  justify solutions.
• The student is expected to 
• (D) use division to find unit rates and ratios
• in proportional relationships such as speed,
  density, price, recipes, and student-teacher
  ratio
• (7.3) Patterns, relationships, and algebraic
  thinking. The student solves problems involving
  proportional relationships.
• The student is expected to
• (A) estimate and find solutions to application
  problems involving percent and
• (B) estimate and find solutions to application
  problems involving proportional relationships
  such as similarity, scaling, unit costs, and
  related measurement units.

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7th grade Math TEKSStudent Lounge Project

• (7.4) Patterns, relationships, and algebraic
  thinking. The student represents a relationship
  in
• numerical, geometric, verbal, and symbolic form.
• The student is expected to (A) generate formulas
  involving conversions, perimeter, area,
  circumference, volume, and scaling.
• (7.9) Measurement. The student solves application
  problems involving estimation and measurement.
  The student is expected to estimate measurements
  and solve application problems involving length
  (including perimeter and circumference), area,
  and volume.

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7th grade Math TEKSStudent Lounge Project

• (7.13) Underlying processes and mathematical
  tools. The student applies Grade 7 mathematics to
  solve problems connected to everyday experiences,
  investigations in other disciplines, and
  activities in and outside of school.
• The student is expected to
• (C) select or develop an appropriate
  problem-solving strategy from a variety of
  different types, including drawing a picture,
  looking for a pattern, systematic guessing and
  checking, acting it out, making a table, working
  a simpler problem, or working backwards to solve
  a problem.

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Watershed Testing Project

• Students will study the health of the Spring
  Branch Science Center Pond, and will be comparing
  similarities and differences in the diversity of
  macro-invertebrates and water chemistry in moving
  water in Spring Branch Creek and still water in
  the Science Center Pond. 
• Students will also be doing a field study to
  compare pond and creek environments, to find out
  what the differences are in physical , chemical,
  and biological characteristics of still and
  moving bodies of water. In addition, we hope to
  find out what the impact of human activities are
  on our watershed, specifically, what are the
  effects of run-off from residential fertilizers
  and detergents on Spring Branch Creek, which is
  located in a heavily impacted urban area. We will
  also compare our urban creek to a more natural
  site Buffalo Bayou. 

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Watershed Testing Project

• We will also consider the impact of Spring Branch
  Creek on the Buffalo Bayou watershed, and
  Galveston Bay, and how the students can educate
  their families and the community about what goes
  down storm drains, and its impact on Galveston
  Bay. One idea is to get permission from the city
  to stencil symbols such as a fish on the curb
  beside storm drains to remind the community not
  to dump chemicals, lawn clippings, etc in the
  storm drains.

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6th grade Science TEKSWatershed Testing Project

• (6.1)Scientific processes. The student conducts
  field and laboratory investigations using safe,
  environmentally appropriate, and ethical
  practices. The student is expected to (A)
  demonstrate safe practices during field and
  laboratory investigations and (B) make wise
  choices in the use and conservation of resources
  and the disposal or recycling of materials.
• (6.2)Scientific processes. The student uses
  scientific inquiry methods during field and
  laboratory investigations. The student is
  expected to (A) plan and implement investigative
  procedures including asking questions,
  formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting
  and using equipment and technology (B) collect
  data by observing and measuring

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6th grade Science TEKSWatershed Testing Project

• (C) analyze and interpret information to
  construct reasonable explanations from direct and
  indirect evidence (D) communicate valid
  conclusions and (E) construct graphs, tables,
  maps, and charts using tools including computers
  to organize, examine, and evaluate data.
• (6.3)Scientific processes. The student uses
  critical thinking and scientific problem solving
  to make informed decisions. The student is
  expected to (A) analyze, review, and critique
  scientific explanations, including hypotheses and
  theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses
  using scientific evidence and information (B)
  draw inferences based on data related to
  promotional materials for products and services
  (C) represent the natural world using models and
  identify their limitations

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6th grade Science TEKSWatershed Testing Project

• (6.4)Scientific processes. The student knows how
  to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct
  science inquiry. The student is expected to (A)
  collect, analyze, and record information using
  tools including beakers, petri dishes, meter
  sticks, graduated cylinders, weather instruments,
  timing devices, hot plates, test tubes, safety
  goggles, spring scales, magnets, balances,
  microscopes, telescopes, thermometers,
  calculators, field equipment, compasses,
  computers, and computer probes and (B) identify
  patterns in collected information using percent,
  average, range, and frequency.

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6th grade Science TEKSWatershed Testing Project

• (6.6)Science concepts. The student knows that
  there is a relationship between force and motion.
  The student is expected to (C) identify forces
  that shape features of the Earth including
  uplifting, movement of water, and volcanic
  activity.
• (6.14) Science concepts. The student knows the
  structures and functions of Earth systems. The
  student is expected to (B) identify
  relationships between groundwater and surface
  water in a watershed

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Watershed Project Community Partners

• David Dignum-Esri
• Provided ArcView software
• Ruthanne Funk-Exxon
• Geologist that uses ArcView and performs water
  quality studies
• Andre Balley-Harris County
• Harris County data

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Future Service Learning Projects

• MS Project 7th grade Math/Science

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Multiple Sclerosis Project

• Students research information about the disease,
  Multiple Sclerosis
• Students initiate and brainstorm ideas of how
  they can help to provide a self-sustaining
  relationship with a local and/or national
  community partner
• Students will take a field trip to a local
  research lab and/or local hospital
• A physical therapist will come into the classroom
  to share recent research and information about
  careers in the health science field

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Multiple Sclerosis Project

• In Science, students will be studying the actual
  effects of the disease in relation to the human
  body and the skeletal, muscular, and nervous
  systems.
• In Language Arts, the students will write
  proposal letters to local partners and/or
  businesses with ideas of how to help and/or
  requesting financial aid.

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Multiple Sclerosis Project

• Students will also create informational brochures
  to distribute to the community in English and
  Spanish.
• Students will also have the opportunity to ride
  in the MS150 bike race from Houston to Austin.
• Community Partners will teach a MS150
  organizational C.E.S.I.T. class

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7th grade Science TEKS Multiple Sclerosis
Project

• 7.9) Science concepts. The student knows the
  relationship between structure and function in
  living systems. The student is expected to (A)
  identify the systems of the human organism and
  describe their functions and (B) describe how
  organisms maintain stable internal conditions
  while living in changing external environments.

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7th grade Science TEKS Multiple Sclerosis
Project

• (7.11) Science concepts. The student knows that
  the responses of organisms are caused by internal
  or external stimuli. The student is expected to
  (A) analyze changes in organisms such as a fever
  or vomiting that may result from internal
  stimuli and (B) identify responses in organisms
  to external stimuli found in the environment such
  as the presence or absence of light.
• (8.6) Science concepts. The student knows that
  interdependence occurs among living systems. The
  student is expected to (A) describe interactions
  among systems in the human organism

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How are we giving back to the community?/How is
the community giving back to us?

• WWII History Book project Students give their
  time to interview local war veterans and vice
  versa. Community members are given a personal
  copy of the student produced history book.
• Student Lounge project Our school environment
  has been improved via student leadership. A
  local interior designer taught a C.E.S.I.T. class
  in order for the lounge to be completed.

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How are we giving back to the community?/How is
the community giving back to us?

• Spring Branch Timeline project Students used
  community resources for research and produced a
  life size timeline to be displayed for the entire
  community.
• Watershed Testing project In the future, the
  project will be extended to analyzing the effects
  of air pollution of various organisms. 6th grade
  students will work with SBISD elementary students
  and teach them how to complete the survey and
  count lichens. Students will create a map of
  their data and post it to the web to share with a
  school in Connecticut and the world. The
  students will also be working with a community
  volunteer from Exxon to learn about GIS mapping.