Homework: Making a Difference in Your Community / +Group Assignments

HOMEWORK [70 points]

Decide the location of your community -- Jellico, LaFollette, Elk Valley, Rocky Top, Clairfield, Stinking Creek, Caryville, White Oak, etc.  If your local community doesn't fit with this project, use Jellico since it's where you spend your days, do your shopping, go to restaurants, etc.

• List 10 specific things that are positive about your community.  What are some things that you would tell someone about if you wanted them to visit?  If some jerk that you couldn't stand came here saying your community was horrible, what sorts of things would you counter with?  List WHY your community is good.  (At least 10 *real* things)
• List 10 specific things about your community that one person could do to make a difference.
  These could be simple things like picking up trash in the park, clearing weeds along ABC Road, painting over graffiti behind the gas station, etc.  (At least 10 *real*, specific things)
• List 10 specific things that a small group of people could do to make a difference.
  Things like cleaning up the abandoned cemetery on XYZ Street, planting a community garden in the abandoned lot on the corner of Main Street and 1st Avenue, cleaning out destroyed/abandoned buildings or lots along the railroad tracks, etc.    (At least 10 *real*, specific things)
• List 10 specific things about Jellico High School that are positive. 
  How are we better than other schools in the country or in the world?  What are some good things that we have at our school that you wish more people knew about?
• List 10 things that you [or a group of students, parents and teachers] could start doing to make JHS a better place to go to school.  Be honest but respectful.  Try to think of things that could help the school in a variety of ways -- academic, aesthetics, attitude, etc.
• List 10 specific things that students can do to become better students.  This one is a bit different than "making a difference in your community" because it focuses on making yourselves better, but what could you [and others] do to be better students, people, friends, etc.

Now that you have your lists:

1. Look at your lists of projects and put a star next to the items that could be done without money.
2. What are some local resources that might be used to get some of the projects on your lists done?  (i.e. Boy Scouts, church groups, philanthropists, etc.)
3. In what ways could getting some of these changes made help your community [and school] now and in the future?
4. What is one easy task that you would be willing to take on to make a difference?  What if everybody worked on one simple thing?  
5. There's a rule in hiking, hunting, camping, etc. that recommends leaving your site better than you found it.  What would happen if we did that everywhere?
6. How does examining your community (where you live and go to school) help students understand history, geography, and economics?
7. Interview an adult in your community and ask them about the positive things and the things they would like to see changed.  (4 pts.)

Resources:

• Tennessee Property Map: http://tnmap.tn.gov
• Yelp! Reviews: http://www.yelp.com
• Google Images (Jellico): https://www.google.com/

Jellico City Council
Meets the 3rd Thursday each month at City Hall

(423) 784-6351

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GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

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Today the members of this class are forming groups [of 4] to discuss our community.  For the purpose of this project, we will consider Jellico as our community -- even if we are in smaller communities such as Elk Valley, Newcomb, Stinking Creek, Eagan, White Oak, Indian Mountain or "1804".

Get in individual groups based on the community you have chose -- there must be 4 (or fewer) people in your group.  Write "Making a Difference: Jellico Pride" at the top of a sheet of binder paper and the names of all group members participating.  Underline the name of the "recorder" (the person writing down the ideas; they will receive extra credit.

Part I: On the front of this paper write:  "Positive Things About Our Community" and then begin a list of good things.  It could be places to go, things to see, the kind of people, or whatever.

Part II: On the back of this paper, write the heading "How Can We Make Things Better?"  Next, make two columns 1, "Things One Person Can Do" and 2, "Things a Group Could Do".  Now start a list for each side for real things we can do to make positive change.

Part III: On the front of a new piece of paper, write:  "Positive Things About Jellico High School."  Think of good classes, good teachers, good staff members, foods, sports, or whatever else you think is a good thing.

Part IV: On the back of the paper, label it: "Things That Would Make JHS Better".  List things that we could change here to make our school a better place to be.  This isn't a "hit list", so if you want to call out teachers or staff, do so respectfully and use specific things they could do better.  Think of classes you would like to take, things that would make the facilities better, changes in our rules, etc.  Be proactive and think of real things that we could implement.