There is a consistent focus in all levels of education to encourage our students to be service-minded.  This can take many forms: volunteerism, missions, community service, or entrepreneurism.  I have some resources that I want to share with you — and a success story!

I’m going to start this page as a “proud momma”!  I want to share with you and ask you to share, if you desire, my daughter’s heart for service.  Katherine loves art and design and wants to use her interest to help others in need.  After searching the various avenues provided by Samaritan’s Purse (right here in Boone), she located a ministry dear to her heart (ha!) — The Children’s Heart Program.

She makes little clay animals, each with a heart incorporated into the design, packages them in an acrylic box, and labels them with her story and the logo she designed.  She has two outlets here in Banner Elk and has created a giving site through Samaritan’s Purse.

In our classrooms, there are a number of informational reading texts that could encourage/illicit this kind of response in our students.  I have these titles in my own classroom and find them very engaging for my students.  The natural discussions that flow from this kind of reading are at the very foundation of what we are striving to achieve through Common Core.   Check out the following titles for yourself:

I have just finished previewing a new book and I hope to add it to my resources for this unit.  The more books I can offer in my class within a given unit, the greater chance for relevance and engagement!  The tasks remain the same and there is a great richness in the sharing opportunities when small groups work together to teach their peers about their chosen text.  This title bears checking out: