Definition:

Service is doing something nice or helpful for someone else.

Summary:
Jane Addams had a lifelong desire to help those who lived in poverty. On a trip to England she visited a “settlement house”called Toynbee Hall, located in a poor neighborhood. This was an experimental project that housed well-off people who chose to live there in order to help their less-fortunate neighbors. In 1889, she founded Hull House in Chicago, the first settlement house in the U.S.A. She made improvements in the neighborhood by creating a playground and afterschool clubs. By 1907, Hull House had expanded into thirteen separate buildings, all dedicated to serve that community. Since then, many cities have copied the model Jane created, providing services for the poor in their communities. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students will be motivated to explore and contribute to organizations in their own communities that provide services for underserved families and individuals. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Jane had an experience in her childhood on a trip with her father. What was it? 
2. Jane saw something in London that she couldn’t forget. What was it? 
3. Did Jane think it was important to get an education? Explain your answer. 
4. Jane went back to London and visited Toynbee Hall. What was special about this house? 
5. Many of the people in Chicago were immigrants. What made it hard for them to find good jobs? 
6. Describe what the worst neighborhoods were like in Chicago. 
7. What did Jane do when some boys threw rocks at Hull House? When a thief broke into the house? 
8. Have you ever been in a neighborhood like the one described in this story? If so, how did it make you feel?
9. “The cycle of poverty”is a phrase that refers to what often happens to those raised in poverty - without support and education, poverty continues to exist for generations. How do you think the Hull House project helped break the cycle of poverty for that community? 
10. Why is it important to be able to speak the language of the country in which you live?