Service Learning Project

The service learning activity I selected is called Senior-Senior Prom for 11th or 12th grade students. This community service activity can be used in a variety of subjects ranging from language arts to culinary art and visual art. The activity consist of high school seniors or juniors that work together to create a prom for senior citizens at a local retirement home. Not only will students engage with senior citizens but they will conduct oral histories where they will discuss the experiences and points of views of the citizens. Through these interviews and discussions students will obtain primary sources such as pictures, letters, and diaries from the senior citizens that will help them better understand the historical events their studying in school. For example, the civil rights movement took place in the 1960s, roughly 50 years ago, many of these seniors were either teenagers or adults when it took place. Students can ask the senior citizens questions pertaining to their own experiences and perceptions of these era. For instance, did they attend a segregated school while growing up, how did they feel about the civil rights movements, did they participate in the movement, did they ever imagine there would be a black president? This will stimulate awareness of controversial issues as well as students’ curiosity and motivation. Students will obtain information that is not covered in their textbooks, limiting the authors and teachers’ biases.
In addition, students will master a variety of skills and learn additional subjects while collaborating with fellow classmates. Students will be divided into communities: decorations [art, flora;], food preparation [culinary arts, mathematics], invitation and prom program [language arts], photography [visual arts], and music and entertainment [music and drama]. Afterwards, students will write and present a reflective essay or project of what they learned about the senior citizens and history in general. Students will discuss whether their views of senior citizens and history has changed an anyway and how. They will also share their project and experiences with other members of the community, teachers, and students and post their final project on-line for others to view and comment on.
The benefits of the senior-senior prom is that it connects social studies lessons to the lives of individuals. This allows students to think and act like social studies researchers and better understand historical texts. Students will conduct interviews, essays, and projects while analyzing, collecting, critiquing, and comparing the information from their textbooks with the experiences of the senior citizens. Students will have the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills and take responsibilities of their learning. Moreover, students will create their own meanings while learning through their own pace.
Possible challenges or concerns that teachers may face with this service learning project is students’ lack of participation and engagement. Students may not take this project seriously or not work productively with other students. There is always the possibility of one students doing more than others or taking charge of the entire assignment. Teachers should make it clear to students that full participation is part of their class grade or requirement such as community service. Teachers can also assign individual tasks for students while monitoring their participation and interaction with other students.

http://www.servicelearning.org/slice/index.php?simple=1&ep_action=results&option[stream][]=122&search=senior+senior+prom&option[state]=