Out of the classroom and into the streets! With Ben Franklin’s Junto society as inspiration, learners develop their ideas for improving their communities and put them into action. After analyzing meeting notes to discover what the Junto was, the class follows in its path, working in groups to lay the groundwork for community change.

Concepts

early american history, building community, community service, character development, personal growth, discussion skills

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Plan in advance with other teachers, community members, and/or the parent-teacher association to provide support for the Junto project
• As an extension, ask the class to consider what effects participation in the Junto might have had on the members, supporting their surmises with reasons

Classroom Considerations

• Provide each group with access to a print or online dictionary
  
• If a long-term project, such as described in the lesson, is not an option, substitute a class Junto weekly meeting, with students preparing and addressing one or two questions a week

Pros

• Provides an opportunity for students to go beyond the academic sphere
• Promotes learning by doing

Cons

• Some links for materials, including the central reading, do not work, but can be found online with a little searching: the Junto club document is available for free download here
  

Common Core

RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1