~News~

 

Calling all Middle School Teachers! Youth as Citizen Scientists: Data, Insight, and Action through Service-Learning Grant Opportunity!

 

WWSU has been offered the chance to work with KIDS Consortium and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance through the Youth as Citizen Scientists: Data, Insight, and Action through Service-Learning Grant.  Priorities for the school-based grant include:

 

·              1) Promoting the use of high-quality service-learning to address STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) objectives in middle schools with high percentages of      youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

·              2) Expanding the use of service-learning as a teaching strategy to increase students’ motivation to learn, community problem-solving skills, and readiness for careers and      post-secondary education; and

·              3) Engaging young people in service-learning activities that address community needs in order to build healthier communities.

 

Sites will be asked to:

·              1) Identify a team of at least 4 middle-level STEM teachers to participate in local service-learning professional development sessions beginning in the fall/winter of 2009 and      attend a 3-day Institute during the summer of 2010.

·              2)  Implement STEM-related service-learning projects with their students during the 2009-10 and 2010-2011 school years, with ongoing technical assistance from KIDS      Consortium in year one, and KIDS and MMSA experts in year two.

·             3) Participate in ongoing email and other electronic discussions about the service-learning/STEM projects throughout the school year.

·                   4) Complete project summaries at the end of each school year.

·              5) Participate in evaluations to assess the integration of SL into STEM-related teaching and the resulting impacts on students.

·              6) Participate in a 2-day Reflective Institute during the summer of 2011.

·              7) Help disseminate the SL/STEM Guide and model projects to state and national audiences at regional and national STEM and SL conferences.

 

Participating schools/teachers will receive:

·              1) Free professional development from KIDS Consortium and MMSA (valued at $1000) and the opportunity for continuing education credits and possibly graduate credits          for the Summer Institute.

·              2) Free service-learning and STEM planning and curriculum resources

·              3) All lodging expenses covered for professional development

·              4) Service-learning grant awards ($8,000-$16,000 per site/year) to support project implementation, including: transportation, supplies, substitutes, and teacher stipends

·              5) The opportunity to collaborate with two nationally respected education professional development organizations and colleagues from 3-4 other states

·              6) Individualized support and technical support throughout the projects

 

If you are a middle-school teacher interested in participating in this great opportunity, please contact Amanda Cardenas, the WWSU SL Vista , at cardenaa@harwood.org.

---

 

 

Youth Service America Launches New Online Service-Learning Tool for Teachers

 

Youth Service America, America's Promise Alliance, and State Farm® Companies Foundation recently unveiled an important new resource for teachers seeking to learn how to incorporate service-learning into their lessons. GoToServiceLearning.org is an interactive Web site housing a database of quality service-learning lesson plans from across the country, all tied to state academic standards.

 

In a year where the need for volunteer service and civic engagement has received increased attention, the ability to offer all students an opportunity to combine academics and service as a way to improve their communities has never been more important. GoToServiceLearning.org makes this possibility a reality.

 

At GoToServiceLearning.org, teachers can search service-learning lesson plans across the K-12 spectrum using parameters such as academic content, service-learning themes, and grade level. Renowned service-learning expert and consultant Cathryn Berger Kaye, who served as primary advisor to the site's development, explains the key purpose of this new resource: "This easy-to-use Web site invites teachers to learn from the experiences of their peers and then to upload their own service-learning success stories."

 

To find service-learning lesson plans or to upload your own, visit www.GoToServiceLearning.org

---

Grant Opportunity

 

Youth Service America is currently accepting applications for State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants to support service-learning projects that culminate on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010. School and community educators across the United States and Canada (select provinces) can apply for up to $1,000 in funding for youth-led projects. State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning grant applicants are encouraged to develop Semester of Service projects that launch on Martin Luther King Day of Service, January 18, 2010, and culminate on the weekend of GYSD, April 23-25, 2010. For the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant application, please visit, www.YSA.org/grants

If you have questions about the grant program, please e-mail grants@ysa.org and Megan Brudney, YSA’s Grants Manager will respond.

---

 

---

Service-Learning Video Introduction

KIDS Consortium Now in its second decade, the KIDS (Kids Involved Doing Service) Consortium, is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Lewiston, Maine, that works with teachers, administrators, and community partners to involve K-12 students in addressing real challenges faced by their communities. Together they identify, research, and work to solve problems and meet needs. With guidance from KIDS, teachers match projects to school curricula and state standards, providing a powerful "hands on" learning experience that improves the community and brings academics to life.    The KIDS award winning service-learning model has three essential components: Academic Integrity, Apprentice Citizenship, and Student Ownership.