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Kids Action Team: Professional Learning Resources

A service-learning program for students in grades K–3

2025–26 Professional Learning Sessions

Thanks for participating in the first Kids Action Team professional learning session!
We appreciate your engagement during the session as well as the feedback you provided. We are excited to continue this work with you to develop and launch your Kids Action Team this year. You will find all the resources from session 1, and more, below. Now it's time to kick off your Kids Action Team! Take some time to review the action items and next steps below.

Action Items:

  1. Complete the planning call and site visit scheduling form by Friday, January 16 to let us know your preference of dates and times for a 15-30-minute planning call, as well as the day(s) and time(s) that work best for a site visit. We suggest scheduling a call before the end of January to discuss specific planning needs and resources for your program.
  2. By the week of January 5, kick off the first session of your Kids Action Team.​​​

Next Steps:

Continue planning and hold your first session with students using planning materials and student resources from session 1 (below), and the Kick off + Investigation, Reflection, and Topic Resources pages. Key milestones:

  • Confirm session time and location with your administration and include that information on the planning call and site visit scheduling form. 
  • Create and distribute permission slips and recruitment materials, if applicable. 
  • By the week of January 5: Introduce students to your topic with virtual field trip slide decks, topic resources, and introductory activities like a community mapping activity, personal inventory, World of Service, and Four Corners. See below for links to these resources and more!

Session 1 Resources

Service-Learning Resources

  • Five Stages of Service Learning – Investigation, Preparation, Action, Reflection, Demonstration
  • Definition of Service Learning – The materials below provide framework for the service-learning experience. Consider using these resources for your own review of concepts, as well as in your student sessions. 
    • Google slides with definition of service-learning and key differences between service-learning and community service (click to make a copy for yourself)
    • Video Conversation with Cathy Berger Kaye on the definition of service-learning, including an explanation of how it differs from volunteering and community service (starting at 3:45)
  • Weekly Session Planning Tool
  • MISO - Google Slides overview and breakdown of media, interview, survey, observation (click to make a copy for yourself)
  • Four Corners - This activity facilitates student collaboration in developing ideas, and analyzing social issues and their underlying causes, while distinguishing between different types of action (direct, indirect, advocacy).
  • Personal Inventory - Includes questions about students' interests, skills, and talents. In addition, have students pose the following questions to a partner.
    • Describe a time you helped someone. What was the problem? How did you help? How did it feel to help?
    • Who are the people who help in your community? What places and organizations exist to help people?
  • Identifying the symptoms and root causes of an issue
  • Reflection Activities
  • Explore the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, which can be used as a framework for your service-learning unit or have students make connections between topics for service and the goals.
  • Editable Flyer
  • Visit the Kick Off + Investigation page for more resources to launch your Kids Action Team!

Topic Resources

Partner Resources