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| CREATIVE FUNDRAISING FOR CANCER |
| written by Christy Clawson |
SERVICE PROJECT OVERVIEW
Families facing the ordeal of cancer benefit from the support they receive from the surrounding community. Service projects help students become members of a caring community where they begin to realize that their actions make an important contribution.
Note to teachers : You may want to emphasize to students that every little thing we do to help makes a positive difference. Share with your students the famous quote from Mother Theresa, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” Ask your students to keep this thought in mind as you work together through the Fundraiser Service Project.
Note to students : Cancer causes an enormous financial hardship on families as they fight a major illness with their child. Raising money is one area where you can make a difference. In this lesson you will learn the skills you need to organize and take part in a fundraiser. The money you raise through your efforts will go to help a family in your community or to support an organization engaged in the battle against childhood cancer. Remember, every little thing you do to help makes a positive difference.
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Social Studies |
6-12 th grade |
Language Arts |
6-12 th grade |
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Economics |
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- Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
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Family/Consumer Sciences |
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- 1. Understands the family as the basic unit of society
- 2. Understands the impact of the family on the well-being of individuals and society
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Language Arts
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- 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
- 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
- 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
- 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
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Working with Others |
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- 1. Contributes to the overall effort of a group
- 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations
- 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills
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- Students will investigate and journal about the impact of cancer on families.
- Students will examine basic family finance concepts and discuss the impact of cancer.
- Students will plan a fundraising event with their own ideas or select a fundraising activity to help a family in their community or to raise money for a cancer foundation. See mylion National Partners for ideas.
- Students will implement the fundraiser, then collect and distribute the funds.
- Students may write a public service announcement (PSA) to encourage others to get involved in fundraising for childhood cancer.
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ASSESSMENT |
An overall unit rubric is provided for student assessment. |
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LESSONS CONTAINED IN THIS UNIT:
| LESSON 1: OVERVIEW FILM PROJECT AND PURPOSE |
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Note to teachers: Students may be interested in learning about how the film was made before viewing the film clip. See the A Lion in the House website for information.
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Language Arts |
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- 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
- 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
- 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
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| LESSON OBJECTIVES |
- Students will view the “Impact of Cancer on Family Life” film clip.
- Students will participate in a class discussion.
- Students will write a response to the film and discussion on an exit card.
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| MATERIALS |
- Computer with web access
- Viewing equipment (Television and DVD player)
- Discussion Questions (PDF)
- Index cards for exit response
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| PROCEDURE |
Note to teachers: Please review the suggested Discussion Questions (PDF) prior to the group viewing. You may need to adjust the questions according to the unique make-up of your group. For most active viewing of the material, please engage your students in both pre-viewing and post-viewing discussions.
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1. Provide an overview of the film project to help students build background knowledge. See the A Lion in the House website for more information.
2. Prepare group for active viewing by leading them in a discussion based on the pre-viewing questions.
3. Watch the “Impact of Cancer on Family Life” film clip. Engage student in a class discussion of the Discussion Questions (PDF).
4. Exit Card: Ask students to write a response to the film and discussion on an index card at the end of class.
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| ASSESSMENTS |
- Class participation
- Completed Discussion Questions
- Exit Card
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Back to Lessons
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| LESSON 2: EXPLORE FAMILY LIFE ISSUES |
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The purpose for this lesson is to get students thinking about the differences and similarities in families. Students need to understand that there is no “normal” family. Families come in all kinds of configurations, and children can thrive in all sorts of families. An important point to emphasize is the connectedness of people who care for each other.
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Family/Consumer Sciences |
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- 1. Understands the family as the basic unit of society
- 2. Understands the impact of the family on the well-being of individuals and society
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Language Arts |
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- 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
- 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
- 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
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Working with Others |
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- 1. Contributes to the overall effort of a group
- 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations
- 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills
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| LESSON OBJECTIVES |
- Students will examine their own ideas about families, and participate in a class discussion about families.
- Students will read excerpts from the book, A Lion in the House.
- Students will work in a group to present information informally to the class.
- Students will write a journal in response to a quote from the book.
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| PROCEDURE |
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1. Ask students to write a paragraph explaining their definition of a family.
2. Share/discuss students’ ideas.
3. Facilitate class discussion about families in general – emphasize how families come in many different combinations. Possible discussion points:
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- What are some of the roles within a family?
- Describe some ways families support each other.
- What is the role of the family in society at large?
- What are some ways society supports families?
- Emphasize the connectedness of people who care about each other.
- Students should understand that children can thrive in all sorts of family configurations.
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4. Ask students to brainstorm ideas about the kinds of things that bring families closer and tear them apart. Create two lists on the white board or overhead projector and list the students’ ideas on the appropriate list.
5. Explain to students that in this situation we are taking a specific look at the impact of childhood cancer on family life. There may be some of the same things that bring families closer and tear them apart, and there will be additional things that impact the family which are only related to dealing with cancer.
6. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to read about one family in the companion book. Have groups create a chart or graphic organizer to help them keep track of the reading. Each group will then report to class about the specific family structure/situation of their child, also explaining pertinent details about the type of cancer and treatment if possible.
7. To conclude the lesson, show students the quotes illustrated on pages 75-81 of the companion book. Ask students to select a quote and write a paragraph in response. Ask students to interpret the quotes, explore their relevance to cancer and identify the impact cancer has on people and families. |
- Class participation
- Group participation and brief oral presentation
- Family impact journal
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Back to Lessons
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| LESSON 3: FINANCIAL IMPACT OF CANCER |
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Economics |
- 1. Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
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- Students will be able to explain the basic concepts of a family budget.
- Students will identify and discuss the financial impact of cancer on families.
- Students will be able to explain the concept of opportunity cost.
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| MATERIALS |
- Companion book to the film
- White board or overhead projector
- Writing supplies and tools
- Vocabulary list
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PROCEDURE |
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1. Review with students basic financial concepts (income, expense, budget, balanced budget, opportunity cost, earned income, tax, insurance, asset, liability).
2. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group to read about one family in the companion book. With this reading, students will be looking for clues and making inferences about the financial impact that cancer had on the families.
3. As students read the excerpts, have them fill out a double-entry journal, listing on one side the reference and page number from the book, and on the other side the financial impact they identify.
4. After groups have completed their reading activity, have each group share the information with the class. From this collaboration, develop a class list of the financial impact that cancer has on families. This list will help students identify specific areas where families have opportunity costs as a result of the expense of cancer.
5. Have your students discuss which areas in a family budget can easily be varied (variable expenses like food, clothing, entertainment) to help absorb the financial burden of the illness. Ask students which areas in the family budget can’t be changed easily (fixed expenses like rent or mortgage, insurance, taxes)? Through this discussion, students can begin to understand that their involvement in a service project to raise money for a family or to support a cancer organization can be a real benefit.
6. Have students write a journal describing how they think a fundraiser would benefit a family experiencing the financial burdain of cancer.
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| ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
- Godfrey, N. S. (1998). Ultimate Kids’ Money Book. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
- Mayr, D. (2000). The Everything Kids’ Money Book. Holbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation.
- Jump$tart - Internet site with financial information for students:
http://www.jumpstart.org/
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ASSESSMENTS
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- Completed vocabulary list
- Class participation
- Group participation
- Journal
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Back to Lessons |
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| LESSON 4: COMMUNITY SERVICE > FUNDRAISER |
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Note to teachers: Before presenting the service project idea to students, research for possible local fundraising events that your students could choose to support. With middle school students, having a voice in which event to support may be an important factor in motivation. Students may wish to devise their own fundraiser, rather than participating in a sponsored event. For great ideas, check the mylion National Partners links or contact your local representative for the organizations your students are interested in supporting.
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Economics |
- 1. Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
|
| Family/Consumer Sciences |
- 1. Understands the family as the basic unit of society
- 2. Understands the impact of the family on the well-being of individuals and society
|
| Language Arts |
- 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
- 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
- 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
- 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
|
| Working with Others |
- 1. Contributes to the overall effort of a group
- 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations
- 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills
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| LESSON OBJECTIVES |
- Students will plan a fundraising event with their own ideas or select a fundraising activity.
- Students will communicate news of the event to the school and community.
- Students will recruit and organize participants and support personnel.
- Students will obtain financial pledges for the event.
- Students will collect and disperse pledged funds.
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MATERIALS |
- Permission slips for parents to sign
- Release forms for participants
- Pledge forms for contributors
- Fundraiser Planning Guide (PDF)
- Computers with Internet access and word processing capability
- Poster board and art supplies for creating posters
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PROCEDURE |
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Note to teachers: If your students choose to engage in a direct fundraising activity, be sure to communicate your students’ plan to the child and/or family. Often a family is quite grateful; however some families would never want that type of help or attention.
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| | 1. Explain to students that fundraising can be direct or indirect. Direct fundraising supports a specific child and family. Indirect fundraising supports an organization that works in the fight against childhood cancer. Students should weigh the pros and cons of each approach and decide which they want to pursue.
2. Have students select the fundraiser they wish to support. Brainstorm with students to develop ideas for a fundraising event or visit mylion National Partners to learn more about fundraising possibilities. You may need to contact local chapters of national organizations to find potential fundraising events in your community. Have your students discuss the various fundraising events available and select the one that best suits their preferences and abilities.
3. Once students have identified the fundraiser of their choice, the next step is to identify all the steps necessary to implementing the project. Ask students to brainstorm and discuss:
• Marketing and communicating the event. How will students inform others who may want to get involved? Some ideas are to make posters, write an article for the local paper, announce the event on the radio, and organize a telephone tree.
• Recruiting sponsors and participants
• All students should have a role in the service project
• Obtaining pledges
• Collecting and allocating funds. If the event is for a family, find out if they have a trust account set up to receive donations. |
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4. Use the Fundraiser Planning Guide (PDF) to assist students in the planning process.
5. Have students create a planning calendar with dates assigned to important steps.
6. Implement the fundraiser.
7. After the event, students will collect pledge monies and distribute the funds as planned. Try to do this as promptly as possible.
8. Generate ideas with your students to appropriately than donors, volunteers, etc. For example, it may be appropriate to send thank you cards. |
ASSESSMENT |
| Teachers can select which portions of the overall project to assess. Possibilities include informal writing tasks such as journals, business letters to invite community participation, friendly letters, planning and organization strategies, posters or brochures advertising the event, and a public service announcement (PSA) written to encourage others to participate in a fundraiser. |
- Project portfolio
- Business letters
- Friendly letters
- Event calendar
- Public service announcement (PSA)
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Students may want to devise their own fundraising idea.
- Have your students create their own budgets. Students can work in groups to do the necessary research and then use the information gathered to design their own budget. Students can use their budgets to begin to understand the importance of having health insurance and to internalize the significance of a cancer diagnosis on the financial future of a family.
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Back to Lessons
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- Have your students maintain a working portfolio containing their notes, handouts, budget examples, reflections about their learning throughout the project, and any other documents you wish to include.
- Students can write a brief Public Service Announcement encouraging others to engage in fundraising to support families coping with cancer.
- Please share writings and photographs with the mylion Scrapbook. We would love to communicate news of your project to help inspire others to join in the battle against childhood cancer.
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