Food for the Soul

While reading Night, a Nobel prize winning story about the Holocaust, English students visit the local food pantry to find out what are the genuine needs. After touring the small facilitiy and seeing the empty shelves, students brainstorm creative ways to raise awareness in the community of these needs.

Students research PSA's on the Internet. They are given sample 30-second scripts to analyze, and are taught various methods of persuasion. Students gather facts about poverty in America and locally to write their own 30-second PSA video script.

Flip videocameras are used to capture their videos. Some are humorous, some are serious, and some pull at the heartstrings of viewers. Background music is added to the videos to enhance their message.

After creating the videos, they are shared in various ways; they are shown to other classes, linked on the school webpage, and shown on the local cable education channel. Students also create podcasts with their PSA message on it that are linked to the school webpage.

Students also plan and implement their own school-wide food drive to contribute to the food pantry.