STUDENT PROJECTS
Need in Deed students learn while they make a difference in their communities.
Every year, the students in Need in Deed classrooms tell us what community issues they care about and why. Whatever issue they choose, we support them in researching, designing and implementing a project that will help make a difference in their community. With their teacher as a guide, and in collaboration with community partners, their issue and project becomes a lens for learning. This gives context for key concepts and skills in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies, as well as social and emotional skills.
When we ask students what they care about . . .
- They tell us that they care about their communities.
- They tell us that they care about hunger, homelessness, gun violence, mental health, child welfare, animal welfare, and environmental impacts on their communities.
- They tell us that they want to understand how the concepts and skills they learn in school connect to the world.
- They tell us that they want to make a difference.
Featured Student Projects
8th Graders Ignite a Public Health Movement
Ms. Johnson’s 8th graders didn’t just study smoking— they spent the year working to extinguish it. What did they care about? Disturbed by how many people smoked in their community, 8th graders at ICS West wanted to do something about it. What did the students learn? The students’ interest in smoking started with a […]
Learn MoreThey Brought Recess Back
MYA 6th graders convinced their principal to bring recess back. What did they care about? Ms. Knight’s 6th graders at MYA knew something wasn’t right: they weren’t getting recess. So they made it the focus of their year with Need in Deed. What did the students learn? Through their own research and through interviewing pediatrician […]
Learn MoreFrom Criticism to Compassion- Upgrading School Lunch
McCall 6th graders started out wanting to improve school lunch and became the school lunch lady’s fiercest advocate What did they care about? Sixth grade students in Homeroom 321 were disappointed with their school lunches. They understood the role that food plays in culture and learning. In their own words: “Quality lunches matter because […]
Learn MoreJuntos Podemos: Together We Can
Key School 6th graders share resources for new immigrants What did they care about? Meghan Agnew’s students at Key School were intrigued by the idea that they would be able to connect civic action to their classroom learning. As relatively new arrivals to the country, they are native speakers of other languages–mostly Spanish. When […]
Learn MoreAddressing Traffic Stop Safety
Add B. Anderson 8th graders create campaign: How to Stay Safe During a Traffic Stop What did they care about? The 8th grade students of Room 302 at Add B Anderson had Social Studies and English Language Arts with Don Malcolm. From exploring a range of social issues they quickly became focused on the […]
Learn More8th Graders Focus on Healthy Relationships
McCall 8th graders help spread awareness about sexual assault What did they care about? Leslie Greenberg’s 8th graders began the year exploring a wide range of social issues and making persuasive presentations to their classmates to determine which issue would be the focus of their service-learning project. After powerful points were made, two topics emerged […]
Learn More5th graders advocate for Homeless Pets
Cayuga 5th graders host Pet Expo to educate their community What did they care about? Like many children, Pam Kieffer’s 5th graders were concerned about the fact that many dogs and cats were living in shelters or on the street. They wanted to know what they could to do to make sure the pets […]
Learn MoreFighting Racism with Antiracism
Russell Byers 4th graders want to see change happen What did they care about? Developmentally, 4th graders are often fixated on the idea of fairness. They are passionate and outspoken when they perceive something in or outside the classroom to be unfair. Toward the beginning of the school year, Lucy Strother’s students participated in […]
Learn MoreChange Your Mind, Change the World
Bache-Martin ESOL Students create museum to help fellow students celebrate their home cultures. What did they care about? Rachel Gelb’s students are learning English and adapting to a new culture. They loved the chance to come to class and talk about things they wanted to change about their community. As conversations unfolded it became more […]
Learn MoreGun Violence Prevention
What did they care about? Sarah Beverly’s 7th grade students at Lea Elementary in West Philadelphia began the year with a motto: “Change makers learn to read and write so that together we can change the world.” This motto set them up to write their own mission statements, design intersectionality identity plates, interview family members […]
Learn MoreSaving Honeybees
What did they care about? Thanks to a partnership with Fox Chase Farm Sonia Thornton’s 3rd grade class were able to make weekly visits to the farm. On an early visit, they noticed the bee hives and, of course, the bees! The children panicked, screaming and running from the bees, swatting and trying to kill them. […]
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@needindeed
Additional Projects
Learning and Action during COVID-19 and Online Learning
Ziegler Students Help Their Community Stay Safe from Covid-19 What did they care about? Ms. Robert’s students began the year learning online. In spite of the challenges of not being in the same room they were excited to collaborate and explore social issues together. As speakers of other languages, Ms. Robert’s students developed English […]
Anti-Gun Violence Advocacy Goes Online
What did they care about? The students in Ms. Seitz’s 6th grade class began the year building a sense of community in their classroom. They wrote poems about themselves and shared the history of their names. They even participated in a community peace rally. The school community faces a number of challenges and the students […]
21st Century Waste Management
21st Century Waste Management: Keeping Tilden Middle Community School Clean and Green! What did they care about? Tilden Middle School is a community school in southwest Philadelphia, so Cheryl Padgett recognized early on that they had built-in partnerships to expand on. She knew a yearlong project would be perfect for her students with autism, as […]