SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT (OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT)
ENGLISH 1302 Hybrid 8 Weeks CLASS –
Spring 2016
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Students may choose to participate in a “Service Learning
Project” in lieu of writing Essay #2 (the “timed” in class midterm essay). This assignment is designed to take learning
“out of the classroom” and allows for students to contribute to the community by providing much needed services. Volunteer service is a rewarding activity and could potentially aid students in their careers by providing hands-on experience in a number of fields. Students who choose this option need to notify the instructor in writing (via email) of their intention to do this--deadline for written notification {04/09/16}. Please email me the name and physical mailing address of the organization
(mrsbelz@comcast.net).
1) Setting Up Volunteer Schedule (Required): Students need to make contact with a representative of one of the listed
Community Service Sites to set up a volunteer schedule -- this must be done within the first week of class.
2) Logging Volunteer Hours (Required): All students must complete a minimum of 15 logged hours of volunteer service and the “Service Learning Program: Community Service Time-Log” Sheet needs to be maintained to verify these hours. This form needs to be signed by an on site authorized representative and a business card needs to be attached at the upper left hand corner of the hand-out. This sheet will be turned in at the end of the semester along with the required essay. The instructor will also verify the student’s participation and number of hours completed. Please Note: Once students complete 15 hours of volunteer work, they can receive a special designation on their official transcript indicating they have completed volunteer hours through this project.
3) Writing Service Learning Journal Entries (Optional):
Students may substitute up to 3 standard Reading Notebook
Journal Entries with Service Learning journal topics. In other words, students may write about their Service Learning experience in journal format. Each journal needs to meet the 300 typed word minimum and needs to be related to the Service
Learning Project.*PLEASE NOTE: Students are not required to complete these journal entries – you may choose to complete the reading journals as assigned to all other students in the class.
This is an optional portion of the SLP.

Journal Topic Suggestions: a) What have you learned by volunteering? b) What specific contributions have you made to the
community? c) What are the connections between the hands-on volunteer
experience and your HCCS education? d) Write a comparison/contrast entry detailing the similarities
and/or differences between Service Learning and learning
in the traditional classroom setting. e) How will this volunteer service help you in your career? f) Why should people volunteer in their communities? g) Has volunteering changed your view of societal issues? h) Has volunteering changed your life on a personal level?
You may use the list above to brainstorm “volunteer” journal topics on your own. In addition, you may choose to write
“progress reports” of your volunteer activities. These journals may also serve as “prewriting” activities to prepare you for your final Service Learning Project Essay.
4) Service Learning Essay Guidelines/Due Dates: Students will be required to write a well organized essay detailing their Service Learning Project. The volunteer essay final draft needs to be posted in mywritinglab by the start of class on Saturday, 05/14/16 , and will be substituted for Essay #2 (i.e. students will not be required to write Essay #2 – the “timed” midterm essay).
Students must submit a rough draft and the HCC tutor markup draft with their final draft to receive full credit for this assignment (length of rough draft and final draft 750-1,000 typed words, MLA style). Please include a copy of the completed “Service Learning
Program: Community Service Time-Log” Hand-out and a business card or letter on official letterhead indicating the contact person & phone number at the organization for verification of hours of volunteer service with this project. Students need to label each component clearly on the outside of the folded page per instructor directions.
{Student Name, Instructor Name, English 1302, CRN#, SLP
Log Sheet}. Printed copies of your log sheet with business card/letterhead will be dropped off in person during class at the Stafford Campus on 05/07/16 . The rough draft and the HCC tutor draft are also due by the start of class on 05/07/16 . Students will post the final draft in mywritinglab on 05/14/16 by the start of class, and will email all three documents (RD, FD, and HCC tutor

markup draft) on 05/14/16 . This essay will be graded for
MLA style, organization, development of topic, and grammar usage. Nevertheless, students may use first person since portions of the paper will include personal opinion.
5) Paper Topic and Organization Suggestions (Required) :
The Service Learning Essay needs to be organized to include three main points -- a summary of your volunteer experience; what you contributed to the community as a whole through your volunteer work; and what you learned on a personal level. Your introduction paragraph needs to include the specific name of the organization where you completed your service, and a clearly focused thesis detailing the main topic of your essay (i.e. the three above listed categories). Your body paragraphs need to include at least one specific example to support the assertions you are making. A good topic for your conclusion paragraph would be to examine the relationship of your volunteer experience with your HCCS education.
What connections do you see between the two? How did the experience enrich your education? How will your experience connect your education to your future career?
The main objective of the essay is to examine your overall experience in this project, reflect on its benefits to the community, and consider its role in your personal life, career, and education. You may find it helpful to utilize the journal entry substitute option throughout the semester so you will have “prewriting” information to draw upon in the completion of your final essay for this project. Journals are freewriting exercises to help you become accustomed to writing in general without restrictions. Therefore, you may wish to take advantage of this early preparation work by writing
Service Learning journals versus the standard assigned journal topics.
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Additional Information: You may contact me any time to discuss any aspect of this assignment in more detail: Voice Mail
(281)794-2079; my personal email—mrsbelz@comcast.net (preferred method of contact ); or standard HCC email: sabrena.belz@hccs.edu
-- I would also be happy to meet with you in person to discuss your progress, make suggestions, or lend support to make this an enriching assignment for you.

Best of luck and have fun!
***The full ‘updated’ contact site list (list of volunteer
‘approved’ locations) is posted on the Eagle homepage. All other
Service Learning Project handouts are also posted on the Eagle homepage.