Harvard Emerging Literacy Project (HELP) recognizes that if economically disadvantaged children do not have the resources to practice the skill of reading, their chances for later academic success and future learning are significantly diminished. Volunteers visit Cambridge Head Start preschools in pairs once a week for an hour to read and play with the children, who have poor access to books and potential readers. We seek to close the gap in their literacy capability by showing them that reading is fun and preparing our students for first grade to the extent of their more fortunate peers. Please contact Caroline Bleeke (cableeke@fas) with any questions.
Volunteers in the ExperiMentors program teach science lessons to Cambridge public school children in grades 1-6 which emphasize hands-on learning, the scientific method, and questioning and discovery. Partnerships of two volunteers develop a curriculum and teach the class one hour per week during school hours. Ultimately, the choice of the lesson topic is up to the volunteers who find it very rewarding to teach areas of particular interest. ExperiMentors emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning. This program affords Harvard students the opportunities to gain skills in teaching, exercise their creativity in the development of lesson plans, combine academic interests with community service, and most importantly, develop young children’s curiosity and fascination in the natural and physical world of science around them. For more information, please contact Tiffany (tjan@fas).
This post was written by admin on July 2, 2009
Posted Under:
In-School
Environmental Education is an after-school program working with middle school children (grades 6-8) in Boston Public Schools. EnviroEd’s mission is to educate children about the environment and foster an appreciation for the natural world in which we live. The EnviroEd program gives undergraduate volunteers the opportunity to work with the same group of students throughout 2, 10-week semesters, leading up to a final presentation to the school community. The program is based on an exciting and established curriculum which allows volunteer teachers to establish a close relationship with students and watch them grow. This semester we’re looking to expand the program from working with only middle school students in the Boston Public Schools to working with some of the elementary school students in the Cambridge Public Schools right around Harvard. So we’re especially looking for new volunteers who are interested in working with younger students. For more information, please contact Adam Clark (atclark@fas) or Lilli Margolin (lmargol@fas).
This post was written by admin on July 2, 2009
Posted Under:
In-School
The Kettering Foundation reports that citizens “believe that they do not—cannot—have a say in the system [because] there’s no room left for their voices.” CIVICS strives to inspire students to take an active participatory role in their community by educating them on what our government is and how it affects their lives. Students are encouraged to think critically about their rights and responsibilities as citizens through lessons on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. With challenging discussions and simulations, children in fifth and eighth grade learn to evaluate, critique, and appreciate the democratic process through approximately 8 weekly classes. Groups of 2 or 3 CIVICS instructors teach in social studies classrooms of 15 to 25 students in public schools in Boston, Allston, and Cambridge. For more information, please contact Marc Aidinoff (aidinoff@fas).
This post was written by admin on July 2, 2009
Posted Under:
In-School
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