What have I taken away from this course that will change the way I teach in the 4-H classroom. I must start off by saying this has been a very challenging course. It is the first course I have ever taken in the summer and was very difficult for me. I did not take into consideration how busy I am in the summer as a4-H agent. However all of it was worth it I have learned so much. For starters I have learned how to use technology in the classroom. Starting this blog was a challenge but it was one with a great reward. I am very proud that I can add pictures, videos and get my information out to the public. My next step is to create a blog for 4-H Camp so all of the parents can follow along as their children attend overnight camp. I also learned that to actively engage learners you have to have several different dimensions in you classroom and lesson plans. You really have to incorporate elements that will engage every type of learner. I feel my lessons from this point on will be better because of this class. Finally reading my book Complete Guide to Service Learning, (The): Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action (Second Edition) I know have a guide to improve my Middle school leadership program. I want the leadership program to focus on service learning even more in the up coming year and this book will help guide me through the process.

Module 5: Instructional Plan

Step Up to your Leadership Potential

Description: This unit will be used with 4-H Leadership clubs at each of the Kenton County Middle Schools. The students are identified as gifted in Leadership and will meet monthly for six months to learn Leadership Skills and how they can improve their Community through Community Service Projects. This unit gives control to the students so they can step up in leadership roles. They will have guidance and lessons however how and where the unit goes will be decided by the youth in their club setting using parliamentary procedure to guide the group.

Unit Objectives:
1. Students will learn how to become leaders.
2. Students will learn about Community Service.
3. Students will complete at least one Community Service Project.

Assessments:
• Leadership self-assessments will be used 1st meeting and last meeting.
• Students will assess the program at the end of the year based on a 4-H program evaluation.

Environmental Education Field trip

Partnering with UK Extension office’s Kenton and Campbell County and Kenton County Schools

DJ Scully
Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources and Environmental Management
djscully@uky.edu Phone: (859) 572-2600 Fax: (859) 572-2619

Program overview
This program will allow youth to learn important facts about our environment. This program will be offered as a field trip to Kenton County 5th grade class rooms. The class will visit the Environmental Education Center to encounter several hands on experiences about our environment. Each group will be put into 5 groups and rotate to five different activities, which will include: Soil Studies, Water Cycle, Animal Adaptations, water Quality and forestry.

How this program will be offered.

This program will be offered in the fall and spring to any 5th grade class in Kenton County. It will be posted on the Kenton County 4-H web page and a flyer will be sent to each school.
5th grade Science

Kentucky Learning Goals
2.1 Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.3 Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other
2.4 Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other characteristics that might be observed.

2.5 Students understand that under certain conditions nature tends to remain the same or move toward a balance.
2.6 Students understand how living and nonliving things change over time and the factors that influence the changes.


SC-05-3.5.1
Students will describe cause and effect relationships between enhanced survival/reproductive success and particular biological adaptations (e.g., changes in structures, behaviors, and/or physiology) to generalize about the diversity of populations of organisms.
SC-05-3.5.2
Students will understand that all organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.
SC-05-4.6.2
Students will understand that the Sun is a major source of energy for changes on Earth’s surface. The Sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches Earth, transferring energy from the Sun to Earth.
SC-05-4.7.1
Students will:
Describe and categorize populations of organisms according to the function they serve in an ecosystem (e.g., producers, consumers, decomposers);
Draw conclusions about the effects of changes to populations in an ecosystem.
SC-05-4.7.2
Students will understand that a population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem.

Assessment

The students will be assessed by taking a pretest and a posttest over content covered in the program.

For Jamie's Sake

For Jamie's Sake

Grade Level: Middle school Grade 6-8

Number of Students Participating: 50 - 100

Contributed by:

Denise Donahue Kenton County 4-H Agent

Family Resource Leader

School:

Twenhofel Middle School

Woodland Middle School

Turkey Foot Middle School

District or County:

Kenton

Description of Project:

In the state of Kentucky there are about 7,269 children in Foster Care.
Children are removed from their homes often suddenly and not under the most pleasant circumstances. With this project 4-H youth will get a chance to make warm fleece blankets to help these children feel a small sense of security.
.

Benefits for the students:

This project will help 4-H youth realize that there are other children that need help. Through this project they will gain leadership skills by planning and implementing this project. They will learn to work together as they plan their presentation for the group. They will learn to be selfless and compassionate to others.

Core Content Areas:

Social Studies

Goal 2: Students shall develop their abilities to apply core concepts and principles from mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the humanities, social studies, practical living and vocational studies to what they will encounter throughout their lives.
2.16 Students observe, analyze, and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.
SS-06-2.3.1
Students will explain how conflict and competition (e.g., political, economic, religious, ethnic) occur among individuals and groups in the present day.
Practical Living
2.29 Students demonstrate skills that promote individual well-being and healthy family relationships. 2.33 Students demonstrate the skills to evaluate and use services and resources available in their community.
PL-06-1.1.1
Students will describe the importance of effective social interaction skills (e.g., respect, self-advocacy, cooperation, communication, identifying and being open to different perspectives and points of view, empathy, friendship).
PL-06-3.1.5
Students will identify and describe a range of resources and services provided by community agencies:
• Public health department
• Fire department
• Police department
• Family resource center

PREPARATION:

Gather information about Jamie's Sake.

Have a representative from Jaime's Sake visit with the 4-H Youth

Buy the supplies to make fleece blankets for the young children of Jamie's Sake

Compose letters for Parents explaining project.

Encourage youth to bring fleece for project


ACTION

Month 1: Youth will learn leadership principles and meet with Jamie's project representative

Month 2 Youth will begin to plan project and set dates for working on Blankets.

Month 3 Youth will come together to learn how to make the blankets.

Month 4 Youth will finish blankets and deliver them to Jamie's Sake.

Evaluation

This program will be evaluated by having the youth fill out written evaluations.

They will also compose a written paper on what they have learned from this project.



REFLECTION
The first month we will set up groups of 5 to 6 youth.Each group will research foster care and take turns sharing with the group what they have learned.As we move through the process the youth will gather abetter understanding of others in the community.


CELEBRATION

As a celebration for this event we will have a movie night at the extension office.We will have games, popcorn and prizes at our celebration

Community service video

Teacher resource

http://www.serve.gov
This website is a great site for information about community service. We all know the major places that you can volunteer like Red Cross, however there are several agencies that can use help. This site is great all you have to do is type in what type of community service you want to do and your zip code and a search will bring up all the opportunities in your area. I am very excited about using this site with our 4-H leadership Clubs. We focus on community service and sometimes the 4-H Youth have a hard time deciding on a service learning project. This is a great resource to share with the leadership committee to use as they work to decide what projects to bring to the club to vote as their service project.

How I am currently engaging learners

Wow this is my first blog.
I feel a little out of my comfort level since I am not the traditional classroom teacher.
I currently work for the University of Kentucky Kenton County Cooperative Extension Center as a 4-H Agent. I Teach in a variety of different ways. I teach programs in several Kenton County schools, evening and Summer classes. At the University of Kentucky 4-H Youth Program we really try hard to have programs that engage 4-H youth to learn skills they may not get in a traditional classroom setting. All of our programs incoporate hands on learning. I feel having something the youth can feel and touch engages them and enhances their learning. I choose to read The complete guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility to help improve our 4-H Leadership Program we currently have at the Kenton County Middle Schools. I hope to expand my knowledge and become more effective in engaging our 4H Youth.