Leadership Development Through Community Action is a service-learning curriculum, designed to enhance leadership and citizenship skills in students 12 to 14. Lessons build from initial modules on developing self-confidence and teamwork, to learning about all aspects of community life, to creating and implementing an action plan that meets actual community needs.

Module 1: Understand the Self - helps students identify their values, goals and decision-making skills

Module 2: Understanding Our Group - encourages group interaction and teamwork

Module 3: Getting to Know Our Community - examines group dynamics and decision-making at the community level

Module 4: Learning about Issues in Our Community - introduces students to the public decision-making process

Module 5: Developing a Plan to Address a Community Issue - gives students tools for problem solving, strategic planning and locating resources. Lessons incorporate budgeting, expository writing, language arts, research and social studies.

Module 6: Implementing the Plan - requires students to take information and skills gathered in the first five modules and apply them to a real community issue. Students will engage in conflict resolution, risk management, coalition building and overcoming obstacles in order to implement their plan.

Module 7: Evaluating Our Effort - offers students an opportunity to reflect on their work, celebrate their successes and plan for future service projects.

Instructional Materials:

A notebook of over 60 handout and overhead transparency masters is available. A teacher's guide that introduces the concept of service learning and the experiential learning cycle; provides a grid that maps lesson objectives to the Illinois State Goals and Learning Standards; and includes over 30 lesson plans. Cost is $40 for the total curriculum set. Additional teacher guides are also available.

Illinois State Goals & Learning Standards:

1B: Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency

2B: Read and interpret a variety of literary works

3A: Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure

3B: Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences

3C: Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes

4A: Listen effectively in formal and informal situations

4B: Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience

5A: Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas

5B: Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources

5C: Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats

8B: Interpret and describe numerical relationships using tables, graphs and symbols

8C: Solve problems using systems of numbers and their properties

10A: Organize, describe and make predictions from existing data

11A: Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of scientific inquiry

13B: Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology, and society

14C: Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens

14D: Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations

15D: Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services

15E: Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy

17C: Understand relationships between geographic factors and society

20C: Set goals based on fitness data and develop, implement and monitor an individual fitness improvement plan

21A: Demonstrate individual responsibility during group physical activities

21B: Demonstrate cooperative skills during structured group physical activity

24A: Demonstrate procedures for communicating in positive ways, resolving differences and preventing conflict

24B: Apply decision-making skills related to the protection and promotion of individual health

24C: Demonstrate skills essential to enhancing and avoiding dangerous situations

26B: Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts