Integrates into and Enhances the Curriculum
(Note: Academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education are shown in italics.)
Students will demonstrate their mastery of curriculum content standards through participation in a service-learning activity that is integrated into the curriculum.
Example: Students in a seventh-grade science class work with their teachers and with staff members from local conservation organizations to design, create, and maintain a garden in a deserted lot behind the school. The lot becomes an on-campus community garden that consists of native California plants and ecosystems and is used as a focal point for the study of geology, ecology, and agriculture. Staff members from the conservation agency provide valuable scientific expertise and assist the class by donating garden supplies, educational materials, and other resources. They participate in discussions with the students about environmental issues that affect them and their community. Through their participation in these discussions and their service experience, students learn academic content standards in life science, physical science, and scientific experimentation.
(Science Content Standards, Grade Seven, Focus on Life Science 5.a—Students know plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism; 2.a—Students know the differences between the life cycles and reproduction methods of sexual and asexual organisms; 6.a—Students know visible light is a small band within a very broad electromagnetic spectrum. Science Content Standards, Grade Seven, Investigation and Experimentation 7.a—Select and use appropriate tools and technology [including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars] to perform tests, collect data, and display data.)
