Grade 6 English Unit Integrates Service Learning

By Kiley Little, Grade 6 English Teacher

Earlier this school year, Grade 6 English students read the novel "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds for a class novel study. In the story, the main character, Castle Crenshaw, joins a track team but is unable to afford a new pair of running shoes. In his desperation to fit in with the team and be successful, he steals a pair of shoes from a local sporting goods store and then must face the consequences of his actions. 

While the story involves shoes, it isn’t truly about shoes; it’s about hope, resilience, and giving people a second chance.

The Grade 6 English teachers have aspirations of weaving more service learning into our English curriculum and creating more relevant and meaningful learning experiences. As a result, we came up with the ‘Shoes for Change’ giving project. We connected with local schools in Taitung that have students, like Castle, who are in need of a quality pair of shoes. Students were asked to look at home for gently worn shoes that they would be willing to gift to students (ages 7-12) in Taitung. We also partnered with the Upper School ‘Lace the Love’ club which will donate shoes for all ages to communities in need in eastern Africa. 

Over the course of a month, we collected shoes that were suitable for a variety of ages of students and for various outdoor activities. In early December 2021, we shipped 12 boxes of shoes to two communities from the Taitung region.  The students, teachers, and families in Taitung with excited and expressed their gratitude for the new shoes they received through cards and pictures that were shared with our Grade 6 students.

In giving projects like this, students can create a deeper sense of belonging, purpose, and identity.  Giving help and support brings perspective helping students to understand that their lived experiences in the world differ from others. Furthermore, it fosters empathy and compassion. Looking ahead to the 2022-2023 school year, the Grade 6 teachers intend to continue this project with the hopes of building a long and sustainable relationship with local communities in need.