Volunteering at my school

Volunteering at my school

(8 grade)

A t our school, students from grades 7 to 11 are actively involved in volunteering. Many are members of the "Movement of the First" and the "Yunarmiya" organization. We have our own volunteer team called "The Altruist." The members of this team participate in various campaigns and help at district events.

Every year, "The Altruist" pays a lot of attention to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Volunteers create and print posters and flyers about healthy eating and habits. They hang these mini-posters on school information boards, in classrooms, and around the school entrance. They also organize games about healthy living, lessons on healthy nutrition, and masterclasses on morning exercises for primary school students. As part of the "Healthy Generation is Us" campaign, they handed out booklets about World Health Day to people in the street.

Another important project last year was the "Workshop of Good Deeds." Within this project, students participated in campaigns like "Sorting Plastic Lids," "Making Eco-Friendly Bird Feeders," and "Book Restoration." They also personally prepared packets of porridge for military personnel.

The "Patriots of Russia" team is very active in patriotic work: they write letters to soldiers, weave camouflage nets, and congratulate veterans. They also assemble special survival kits for soldiers and make their own ever-burning matches.

O ther important key areas for our volunteers are "History Keepers" and "Eco-Life." They clean up local monuments, help veterans with their gardens, and participate in the collection of waste paper.

A major event last year was their participation in the "Kind Caps" campaign, a Russian eco-charity project. Its goals are to make the world cleaner and to help children in need. The campaign was organized by our school team "The Altruist" together with 4th-grade students « Eaglets of Russia”. "Kind Caps" shows that everyone can do good by using simple plastic bottle caps as a valuable resource.

December 5th is a Volunteer Day, a holiday for people with big hearts. And our school is proud to have such children – volunteers who are always ready to help!

VOCABULARY:

a volunteer – добровольный помощник

volunteering - волонтерство

involved – вовлечены, задействованы

to participate – принимать участие

valuable – ценный, полезный

Tasks for Students (Задания для учеников)

1. Vocabulary Match

Match the words with their definitions (Соотнеси слова с их определениями):

Words

1. Volunteer (n)

2. Campaign (n)

3. Patriotic (adj.)

4. Key areas (n)

5. Participate (v)

Definitions

a) The most important fields or topics of activity.

b) A planned set of activities designed to achieve a specific goal.

c) To take part or be involved in an activity.

d) A person who does something, especially helping others, willingly and without payment.

e) Having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one's country.

2. Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using words below (one word is extra )

(Дополни предложения пропущенными выражениями (одно выражение лишнее))

healthy lifestyle – "The Altruist" – valuable - veterans – "Kind Caps" – posters – December 5^th

a) The school's volunteer team is called _____________________.
b) Volunteers print and hang _____________________ to promote a _____________________.
c) The "Patriots of Russia" write letters to soldiers and congratulate _____________________.
d) The _____________________ project collects plastic lids to help the environment and children.
e) Volunteer Day is celebrated on _____________________.

3. Complete the Sentences (Present and Past Tenses)

Use the correct present or past tense form of the verb in brackets. (Используй правильную форму глагола в скобках в настоящем и прошедшем времени)

Part A (Present Tense)
a) Our volunteers often __________ (organize) masterclasses for younger students.
b) The "Patriots of Russia" __________ (weave) camouflage nets in special workshops after school.
c) The "Eco-Life" team __________ (help) to clean the environment by recycling paper.
d) I __________ (believe) that volunteering is very important for our community.

Part B (Past Tense)
e) Last month, volunteers __________ (participate) in the "Kind Caps" campaign.
f) Yesterday, the "Patriots of Russia" __________ (write) ten letters to military personnel.
g) Last week, as part of the "Workshop of Good Deeds," students __________ (make) eco-friendly bird feeders.
h) She __________ (print) the posters about healthy eating yesterday afternoon.

4. Answer the Questions ( ответь на вопросы)

1) Who can be a volunteer at the school?
2) Name two activities that volunteers do to promote a healthy lifestyle.
3) What are the two main goals of the "Kind Caps" project?
4) How do volunteers help veterans and the local history?

5. True or False Statements (Выбери верное утверждение)

1) Only high school students can be volunteers. ( True / False )
2) Volunteers prepared porridge for soldiers. ( True / False )
3) The "Kind Caps" campaign was organized only by the 4th-grade students. ( True / False )
4) Volunteer Day is celebrated on the fifth of December. ( True / False )

6. Critical Thinking: Pros and Cons

1) List three advantages and three disadvantages of school volunteer programs. (Приведи три преимущества и три недостатка школьных волонтерских программ)

2)Agree or Disagree? (Согласен или не согласен?)

Прочитай следующие утверждения. Выбери одно, с которым ты согласен, и одно, с которым не согласен. Объясни свою позицию.

1. The most important volunteer work is the one that helps people directly (like helping veterans), not the environment.

2. School volunteer programs should be mandatory for all students.

3. Small actions, like collecting bottle caps, can't really change the world.

4. Working with younger students is more beneficial for the school community than cleaning monuments.

7. Your Project (Speaking)

Tell about a volunteer project you would like to start at your school (50-70 words).(Расскажи о волонтерском проекте, который ты мог бы начать)

Include:

- Project name

- Who it would help

- What activities volunteers would do

KEYS (ключи)

1. 1-d, 2-b, 3-e, 4-a, 5-c

2. a) "The Altruist", b) posters, healthy lifestyle, c) veterans, d) "Kind Caps", e) December 5th

valuable – лишнее

1. Part A: a) organize, b) weave, c) helps, d) believe

Part B: e) participated, f) wrote, g) made, h) printed

1. 1) Students from grades 7 to 11.
   2) They hang posters about healthy eating and organize morning exercise masterclasses.
   3) To make the world cleaner and to help children who need support.
   4) They clean local monuments and help veterans with their garden work.

1. 1.False

2. True

3. False

4. True

1. Three Advantages (Benefits):

1. Students learn to be responsible and help their community.

2. It brings students of different ages together (like 4th graders and older volunteers).

3. It makes the school and the local area a better, cleaner, and kinder place.

Three Disadvantages (Problems):

1. It can be difficult to find time between lessons and homework.

2. Organizing events and getting all the materials can be challenging.

3. It might be hard to motivate all students to participate actively.

• I agree with statement 3 because it teaches students responsibility and empathy from a young age.

• I disagree with statement 1 because every small action is very important and it contributes to a bigger change.

1. "I would start a project called 'School Buddy Connect'. It would help new students who feel lonely or lost. The volunteers would be friendly students from grades 8-10. Their activities would include giving a small tour of the school, sitting with the new student at lunch for the first week, and helping them with their homework if needed. This would make our school a more welcoming place for everyone."