School on Wheels Social and Emotional Learning
Community
Community can be anything that connects us to other people, where we belong and help others! Communities are not limited to a physical place and they look different for everyone. We can turn to communities for support, to work on goals together, and to get excited about the same things!
Complete all activities in order. Click the “Session” headings below to open each lesson plan.
Reminders for students and tutors:
● Listen with interest.
● Participate.
● Ask open-ended questions.
● Choose the best way for each of you to reflect and show your learning
Packet Completion Prize Information:
Your student is eligible for a prize after completing all of the activities below! You will find the link to the completion form at the end of Activity #3 – please complete it together when you’ve finished all of the activities on this page.
What is community?
It’s time to explore and expand your idea of community!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Select one of the following videos:
Share: A community can be defined by geographic location, but community is also about connection, support, and shared experiences. A community can be a group who share interests, cultural background, shared beliefs, volunteering/actions, identities, school, online platforms, fans of sports teams or musical artists.
Write or discuss: Ask your student to list as many different communities as they can think of…
- Online
- TikTok
- Twitch
- Learning
- Learning styles (e.g. visual, auditory)
- School attended
- Volunteer
- School On Wheels
- Beach cleanup
- Cultural
- Black Student Union
- Latinas Unidas
- Shared Beliefs
- Religious
- Vegan
- Identities
- Parent/family structure (e.g. oldest sibling)
- LGBTQIA+
- Race/ethnicity
- Sports
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Soccer
- Music
- Genres
- Instruments
- Specific band or artist
- Communities of Interests
- Pet owners
- Fashion
- Gardening
- Communities of Action
- Anti-bullying
- Save the environment!
- Geographic
- Neighborhood
- City
- Country
- Professional
- Job (e.g. doctor, mechanic)
- Field (e.g. medicine, engineering)
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2024 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Create a community web with your students!
Write each community you belong to in the Community Web template or use it as inspiration for one you draw yourself. (Tutor and student should each complete their own to start.)
- These communities can be any of those listed in the check-in activity and any others you can think of.
- Label each community. You can also add a little drawing or icon to represent what they are.
Discussion & guiding questions:
- Are there any similarities between the communities you each belong to?
- Did you learn about any new communities that you would like to learn more about?
- Do you want to add more communities to your map after sharing? Go ahead!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Together, you and your student will participate in a body scan mindfulness activity. Select either the video or one of the activity guides below:
- Video: 3 Minutes Body Scan Meditation
- Activity guide (4 pages with script): Rhyming body scan
- Activity guide (1 page with image): Open-ended body scan
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
Community and Me
What communities do you feel connected to?
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Our idea of community and the people we feel connected to can keep expanding and changing! Please complete at least one survey to dive into your interests.
- Student Interest Survey (respond with numbers 1-5)
- All About Me Student Interest Survey (write in responses)
After completing the survey, can you think of any communities you might be part of that you hadn’t thought about during your last tutoring session?
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2024 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Create an “About Us” page describing your community or communities!
Use a virtual whiteboard, paper, or the templates below to create your “About Us”. Each template includes one example page filled in with sample text and images. Scroll to the second page for the blank template that you can fill with your own text and images!
- Include basic information, as well as common interests, beliefs, goals, achievements, etc.
- Look at the Community Web from your last tutoring session or the Interest Survey from today as a guide to identify your student’s community of choice. If comfortable, share aloud and discuss.
Templates:
Discussion and guidance questions:
- How does this community make you feel connected with other people?
- How has this community personally influenced you?
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Two Stars and a Wish
Student & tutor will each write, discuss or quietly reflect on “2 stars and a wish”.
- Star: Something you find interesting or new about a community.
- Wish: Something you would like to learn about a new community.
Choose one option:
What you’ve shared with each other option: Discuss two stars and a wish about each other’s communities.
Video option: Watch Best of | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids. Discuss two stars and a wish about an individual or community from the video.
BONUS QUESTIONS: Do you think it’s important to meet people from different communities? With different beliefs? Experiences?
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
Community Changemakers
Spotlight influential individuals and consider what positive changes you can make, too!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
“Changemakers” seek to make positive changes within their communities, creating a bigger and bigger impact. Consider changemakers who have positively contributed to their community with one of the options below.
Discussion and guiding questions: Sometimes all it takes is one person to show others that change is necessary. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Video option: Nathaniel is an 11-year old-who raises money and food donations for babies in his community! Watch to learn more about this changemaker and quietly reflect or discuss.
Quote discussion option: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2024 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Write a letter, email, or create a drawing thanking a community hero.
Your community hero can be real, such as a firefighter, or fictional, like spiderman! Students are encouraged to deliver their email or letter. If they are writing about a fictional character, they can still deliver their letter to the content creator or larger organization, if applicable.
Encourage your student to include the following details in their letter:
- Person or character’s name and affiliated community.
- How the person or character has made a positive impact in their community.
- Please include who in the community has been helped by the community hero.
- How the person or character has personally impacted and/or inspired your student.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Throughout this activity series, you have learned that communities can look many different ways. You have also identified and shared about a community or communities you closely identify with, as well as spotlighted community changemakers. Answer the discussion and guiding questions below together or you can each reflect, write or draw quietly.
Recommended: Watch this video on the many ways you can be a changemaker.
Discussion and guiding questions:
- What is one change you would like to see in a community you belong to?
- What is the community?
- How can you be a changemaker within your own community? What steps can you take to make the changes you want to see in your community?
- What do you hope to see as a result of your actions?
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.