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 $75 for the total curriculum set and $35 for additional teacher guides plus shipping.

Illinois State Goals & Learning Standards

01B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.

02B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.

03A. Use correct grammar, spelling, puctuation, capitalization and structure.

03B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

03C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.

04A. Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.

04B. Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.

05A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.

05B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources.

05C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.

08B. Interpret and describe numerical relationships using tables, graphs and symbols.

08C. 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

13A. Know and apply the accepted practices of sciences

14C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens

14D. Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups on 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.