Grade 5 · Social Studies · Lesson 31

Service learning plan

SERVICE LEARNING is volunteering plus learning. It is not just doing a kind thing - it is doing a kind thing AND studying what you learned from it. When you tutor a younger kid, you also learn how kids learn. When you clean a park, you also learn what makes parks dirty in the first place. Today you will plan a service learning project using a 5-step cycle called IPARD: INVESTIGATE, PLAN, ACT, REFLECT, DEMONSTRATE. Real classes around the world use this exact cycle - now you will too.

What this lesson teaches

1Define service learning as volunteering combined with academic learning
2Plan a project using the five IPARD steps in order
3Match each step to its goal in the cycle
4Choose a real community need and outline how to act on it

🔒 Member-only content

Unlock the full lesson

Subscribe to access the complete mini-lesson, guided practice, interactive exercises, and printable PDF for this lesson — plus all 1,680 lessons across grades 1–6.

See membership plans Try a free lesson first

The first lesson of every subject is free — no account required.