Civic Responsibility: Meeting a Community Need
Sacred Hearts Academy
Overview
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. The lesson involves several components:
 Reflecting on civic responsibility
 Reflecting on local problems and their causes
 Becoming aware of who is already helping
 Brainstorming ways in which they as a class can help
 Deciding on an action to meet the need.
Lesson Objectives
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Students will describe what civic responsibility means
Students will identify a specific local need
Students will brainstorm ways to meet the need
Students will choose actions to meet the need
Materials Needed
 Quotes referring to civic responsibility on individual cards
 Handout on “Taking Action in Our Community” from The Complete
Guide to Service Learning by Cathryn Berger Kaye, p. 34
 Poster paper and colored pens
Procedures
1st Class Period
 Distribute a quote card to every student or pair of students. Have
students share quotes with one another. Debrief the experience:
What struck you? What did you learn?
 Brainstorm local problems and causes of these problems.
 Say, “Let’s look at these problems and see how we can take action.”
Distribute handout “Taking Action in Our Community” (see
below). Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 and have them work on
the handout.
 Have each group write out in brief form its response to Steps 1, 2, 3
on poster paper and display it around the room.
 Have each group share Steps 1, 2, 3.
 Have each group decide on what it should do to find out more and
how it will report it back to the class.
2nd Class Period
 Each group shares on what it has found out more about the
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problems.
Each group works on Step 4 and writes out in brief form its response
to Step 4 on poster paper and displays it around the room and then
shares.
The class discusses Step 4.
The class moves to a decision on the action and the plan.
The class celebrates its decision and plan.
The class decides how it will monitor the execution of the plan.
Assessment
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Completed handout
Poster paper summary
Group reports
Evaluation of implementation of the plan
Extensions and Adaptations
The action and plan may need to have approval by the school’s
administration in which case a proposal would need to be submitted.
Related Links and Resources
Kaye, C.B. The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, practical
ways to engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, and
social action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Credit
Sr. Katherine Francis Miller, campus minister at Sacred Hearts Academy,
a National School of Character, wrote this lesson.
Grade Level:
High School
Estimated Time:
Two class periods of 60 minutes each
Connections to Character.org's Eleven Principles:
 Provides students with opportunities for moral action (Principle 5)
Connections to Core Values:
 Respect for differing perspectives
 Civic responsibility
 Cooperation
 Generosity
Civic Responsibility Quotes
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“A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a
certain degree of education and civic virtue.” – Phillip E. Johnson
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“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” –
Theodore Roosevelt
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“In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.” –
Barack Obama
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"Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, debate, and dissent." –
Hubert H. Humphrey
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"We are bound by ideals that teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child
must be taught these ideals. Every citizen must uphold them.... I ask you to be
citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens
building communities of service and a nation of character." – George W. Bush
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"Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that
have been tried from time to time." – Winston Churchill
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"Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect
the rights and privileges of free men." – Dwight D. Eisenhower
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead
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"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could
do only a little." – Edmund Burke
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"The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of citizen."
– Louis Brandeis
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"The life of a republic lies certainly in the energy, virtue, and intelligence of its
citizens." – Andrew Johnson
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"That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part." –
Thomas Jefferson
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"Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then
they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it
touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Taking Action in Our Community
Step 1: Think about the needs in our community. Make a list.
Step 2 : Identify what you know.
Select one community need:
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What is the cause?
Who is helping?
What are some ways we can help?
Step 3: Find out more.
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What do we need to know about this community need and who is helping?
How can we find out?
Step 4: Plan for action.
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Who
To help our community, we will:
To make this happen, we will take on these responsibilities:
Will Do What
By When
Resources Needed
Source: Kaye, C.B. The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, practical ways to engage
students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, and social action. Minneapolis, MN: Free
Spirit Publishing, Inc.,
2004.
From The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in
Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum & Social Action by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A.
copyright © 2004. Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN; 866/703-7322;www.freespirit.com.This
page may be photocopied for individual, classroom, or small group work only.