Learning by Serving: 2000 Ideas for Service-Learning Projects

Defining service-learning as the formal integration of public service into student instruction and learning, this guide provides teachers with ideas for narrowing the gap between what students do in school and what they will do after they leave school. The example activities, derived from actual projects, demonstrate the nearly limitless range of possibilities for service-learning. The guide is divided into four sections. The first section provides examples of interdisciplinary projects, by grade level: intergenerational projects, tutoring and mentoring projects, environmental and recycling projects, school improvement projects, and others. The second section offers single-discipline projects, by subject and grade level. The third section offers practical information on the steps involved in establishing service learning programs. The fourth section contains descriptions of useful publications on service-learning and annotated lists of organizations at the local, state, regional, and national levels that can provide information and resources to people interested in initiating or expanding service-learning. Throughout the guide, "Program Profiles" provide fuller descriptions of exemplary service-learning programs in schools and organizations in the southeastern United States and across the country. Appendices contain standards for service-learning, an exercise for identifying nearby service opportunities, a sample interdisciplinary planning form, and other information. Contains a 123-item bibliography. (ERIC)