Overview
What does it mean to be homeless? Who are the homeless? With these
Key Questions, middle schoolers survey their peers about this issue.
A visit to a Homeless Veterans Shelter and research through literature
and the Internet lead to agreement on serving at the shelter. Participants
identify myths about the homeless and understand the importance of
job skills and education. |
For more about Special #1 from
Serving and Learning from Those Who Have Served e-mail
Sarah
Johnson author and AT&T Teacher Disseminator. |
Learning
Standards
Collect, organize and analyze data.
Conduct effective discussions.
Make connections between reading and life experience.
Understand and express different points of view.
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Classroom
Activities
l. Answer Key questions: Students begin by researching the answers
to the above key questions.
2. Use Journals: Students write reflections in their journals and
complete the first entry: "When I think of the homeless, I think of…"
This serves as a pre-test for students and teachers to study attitudinal
changes.
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3. Compose and Conduct a Survey:
Students gather survey questions from the Internet and from literature.
4. Graph Survey Results: As students graph data, they analyze results
revealing that a large number polled believe myths about the homeless.
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Community
Activities
Preparation for visiting the veterans shelter includes map reading
to plan the class route via public transportation. Upon arrival, students
meet personnel and take a tour. Hearing about the staff, students
also learn that most shelter veterans attend school, acquire job skills
at the shelter, and perform chores. |
Careers
Students observe and gain insights on the importance of social service
providers, health care professionals, and career counselors. |
Materials
54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless by Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff,
1993: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates and Behrman House, Inc.; survey
materials, journals |
Technology
Students use calculators for data posting and research homeless issues
on the Internet. |
Assessment
Teachers and students conduct ongoing assessment from survey results,
pre post tests, student participation, key questions, responses, and
journal entries.
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Web Sites
For the Myths and Facts about Homelessness visit http://www.nlchp.org.
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