Who could use a helping hand in your family, neighborhood, or school? Put together coupon books for doing good deeds for others—they’re the best gifts of all!

• 1.

  What can you do to help people in your neighborhood? How could you lend a hand at school or home? Your family, teachers, or neighbors will really appreciate these books of coupons for things you can do for them.

• 2.

  Who and what? With Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils, make a list of people you know who would appreciate a volunteer (that’s you!). What kind of assistance would they like? Perhaps a neighbor needs help to carry in groceries or would like a recipe for your favorite ethnic dish. Would someone who is sick or lonely enjoy a visit or a card game? What good deeds could you do at home or school?

• 3.

  Create coupons. With Crayola Scissors, cut construction paper into several Good Deeds coupons for each person on your list. Using Crayola Metallic Colored Pencils, draw coupons with stubs and decorate their borders. Write tasks on the coupons. Punch two holes on the stub line. Hold coupons in a book with chenille stems, ribbons, or brass paper fasteners.

• 4.

  Volunteer! Follow through with all of your coupons! Make more when these are finished. Show you care about others.

Standards

• LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• LA: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• SS: Identify examples of rights and responsibilities of citizens.
• SS: Identify and practice selected forms of civic discussion and participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic.
• SS: Explore and describe similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures address similar human needs and concerns.
• VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Adaptations

• Encourage students working in small groups to brainstorm "good neighbor" activities that can be practiced in school, such as collecting and returning the class's library books or walking younger students to class. Students interview teachers and members of the administration for coupon ideas.
• Students interview parents and grandparents about volunteer activities they participated in when they were young. Prior to the interview, students write questions for the interviews. Word process the questions that students agree should be included in the interviews. Provide each student with a copy of the questions.