Week 15: Spotting Problems Worth Solving
The Community Patch Begins
Welcome to the final project — The Community Patch.
Over the next four weeks, you'll do what real citizens do: spot a problem in your community, research it, build a case for solving it, and present your proposal to someone who can actually help.
This isn't a pretend exercise. The skills you use here are the same skills adults use when they petition their city council, organize a neighborhood cleanup, or advocate for a new policy.
This week, you start at the beginning: finding a problem worth solving.
The big idea:
Good citizens don't just notice problems — they ask: "Is this something I can help fix? Who is responsible for it? What would a real solution look like?"
- You do not need to teach every bullet on the page. Use the learning goal and one or two activities for the session you are teaching today.
- If time is short, teach one guided session well and leave the rest for later. The lessons are designed to stretch across the week.
- The independent session works best after the learner has already explored the main idea with you once.
Teacher Preparation
- Walk around your neighborhood or community before this session. Note 3-5 things that could be improved (a broken sidewalk, an overflowing trash can, a dark crosswalk, lack of a bike lane, etc.).
- Think about problems the student might notice in their school, neighborhood, or town.
- Prepare a notebook or paper for the Community Walk.
- Review the project timeline: Week 15 = find a problem; Week 16 = research; Week 17 = build the proposal; Week 18 = present.
- For younger learners (ages 8–9), expect to do more of the research together and simplify the written proposal to a shorter format. The process matters more than the document length.
- Prepare a visual timer for sessions.
This unit is the capstone — everything the student has learned comes together here. Let the student lead. Your job is to guide them through the process, not to choose their topic or write their proposal for them. If they struggle, ask questions rather than giving answers.
Guided Session 1
Looking with a Citizen's Eye
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- observe their community and identify problems or areas for improvement
- distinguish between problems that are solvable and those that are outside their scope
- analyze who is responsible for different types of community problems
Activities
1. The Community Walk (or Virtual Walk) (15 minutes)
Take a walk through your neighborhood, around your school, or through a nearby public space.
As you walk, look for things that could be improved. Use these prompts:
- Safety: Is there a crosswalk that needs a sign? A sidewalk that's cracked? A dark area that needs a light?
- Cleanliness: Is there litter in a park? An overflowing public trash can? A neglected space?
- Access: Is there a building without a wheelchair ramp? A park without a bench? A bus stop without a shelter?
- Community life: Is there a place where neighbors can gather? A library that closes too early? A park that needs equipment?
If you can't walk around, do a virtual community walk:
- Use Google Maps Street View to "walk" through your neighborhood
- Look at your school's policies or facilities
- Think about things you've noticed in daily life
Write down everything you notice — even small things. You'll narrow down later.
2. The Problem List (5 minutes)
Back inside, organize what you found:
| Problem Observed | Where? | Who's Affected? | How Serious? (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|
Fill in at least 5 things.
3. The Feasibility Test (8 minutes)
Not every problem is a good project. Apply three filters:
Filter 1: Is it specific?
"Fix the world" is too big. "Add a crosswalk at the corner of Main and Oak Street" is specific.
Filter 2: Is there someone who can actually fix it?
If the problem involves your school → the principal or school board If it's about a road or park → city council or a city department If it's a state or federal issue → probably too big for this project
Filter 3: Can you do something about it?
You don't have to fix the problem. You need to propose a solution to the right person. Is that realistic?
Go through the list and mark which problems pass all three filters. Circle the best candidate.
Reflection Questions
- "What surprised you most about your community walk?"
- "Why is it important to pick a specific, solvable problem rather than a huge one?"
- "How does noticing a problem differ from actually doing something about it?"
Guided Session 2
Choosing Your Problem and Understanding Who's in Charge
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- select a community problem for their final project
- identify the authority responsible for addressing that problem
- explain the chain of responsibility for their chosen issue
Activities
1. Make Your Choice (8 minutes)
From the filtered list, the student picks one problem to focus on for the next three weeks.
If they're torn between options, ask:
"Which one do you care about the most?" "Which one could you explain clearly to someone else?" "Which one has a realistic solution?"
Write a clear problem statement:
"The problem I want to solve is: ________________________."
Example: "The playground at Lincoln Park has broken swings and no shade, and families can't use it safely during summer."
2. Who's in Charge? (10 minutes)
Every community problem has someone (or some group) responsible for it. Help the student figure out who:
| Problem Type | Who's Responsible |
|---|---|
| School issue (rules, facilities, programs) | Principal, school board |
| Park or playground | Parks department, city council |
| Road, sidewalk, traffic | Public works / city council |
| Library | Library board, city council |
| Noise, safety, neighborhood | City council, police department |
| State-level issue | State representative, governor |
For their specific problem, identify:
- The department or agency that handles this type of issue
- The elected official who oversees that department
- How to contact them (phone, email, public meeting)
"Knowing who to talk to is half the battle. A brilliant proposal sent to the wrong person will be ignored."
3. Background Research (10 minutes)
Start gathering information about the problem.
Remember the $120 budget exercise from Week 11? Every town has limited resources, and your proposal will need to fit into those constraints. As you research, keep an eye out for what a solution might cost and where the money could come from.
- Has anyone else noticed this? (Search local news, social media, community forums)
- Has the city/school already tried to fix it? (Check meeting minutes or agendas)
- What do other communities do about this kind of problem? (Look for model solutions)
Write down what you find. This becomes your research for next week.
Reflection Questions
- "Why is it important to know who is responsible before you propose a solution?"
- "What did you learn from your research that surprised you?"
- "Do you think your problem affects only you, or other people too? How?"
Independent Session
My Community Problem — First Draft
Instruction
Write the first draft of your Community Problem Statement.
Use this format:
Problem: What is the problem? Describe it clearly in 2-3 sentences.
Location: Where exactly does this problem occur?
Who is affected: Who does this problem impact? (Families? Students? Elderly? Everyone?)
How serious is it: On a scale of 1-5, how serious is this problem? Why?
Who is responsible: What agency, department, or elected official has the authority to address this?
What I already know: What have you already found out from your research?
What I still need to find out: What questions do you still have?
This is a working document — you'll revise it in the coming weeks. Don't worry about making it perfect. Focus on being clear and honest.
Skills Reinforced
- observing the community with a critical, constructive eye
- distinguishing between solvable and unsolvable problems
- identifying responsible authorities
- beginning a research process
Setup
- notebook or paper
- notes from the Community Walk
- access to the internet for research
- visual timer
- Community problem: Something in your neighborhood or town that isn't working well and affects the people who live there.
- Civic issue: A problem that involves how a community is run — things like roads, parks, safety, or public services.
- Stakeholder: A person who is affected by a problem or who has a role in solving it. If a playground is broken, stakeholders include kids, parents, and the parks department.
- Public space: A place that belongs to everyone in the community — like a park, library, sidewalk, or school.
- Observation: Carefully looking at something and noticing the details. Good citizens observe their communities to spot what needs fixing.
- Evidence: Facts, details, or examples that prove something is true. Saying "the sidewalk is cracked" is an observation; showing a photo of the crack is evidence.
This week, you become a community detective! You take a walk through your neighborhood and look for things that could be better — like a broken sidewalk or a park that needs cleaning up. Then you pick one problem that you can actually help solve and start learning about who is in charge of fixing it.
Check for Understanding
- What makes a community problem "worth solving"? Why can't you pick any problem in the world?
- Who are the stakeholders for the problem you chose? How does the problem affect them?
- What is the difference between noticing a problem and doing something about it?
- Why is it important to find out who is responsible for a problem before you try to fix it?
Core vs. Stretch
Core:
- Complete the Community Walk and identify at least 3 problems
- Apply the Feasibility Test to narrow your list
- Write a clear problem statement for your chosen issue
Stretch:
- Research who in your local government is responsible for your chosen problem
- Interview a neighbor or family member about the problem you noticed
- Compare your community observations with a classmate's or sibling's list — did they notice different things?
Adapting for Different Ages
- Do the Community Walk together and model the observation process: "I notice that bench is broken. Who do you think is supposed to fix it?"
- For the Feasibility Test, simplify to two filters: "Is it specific?" and "Is there someone who could fix it?"
- The problem statement can be 2–3 sentences — focus on clarity, not length.
- Expect to do more research together in Weeks 16–17 rather than sending them off independently.
- Let them lead the Community Walk — you observe and ask questions rather than directing.
- Apply all three feasibility filters and ask them to rank their problems by impact and solvability.
- Push for a more detailed problem statement that includes who is affected and why it matters.
- For the "Who's in Charge?" activity, have them find the actual contact information for the responsible official or department.
🔍 Civic Inquiry Spotlight: Is This Problem What I Think It Is?
Before committing to a problem for your project, practice checking your assumptions:
Example: You noticed overflowing trash cans in the park and assumed the city doesn't care.
- What do I observe? Trash cans are overflowing.
- What am I assuming? The city isn't maintaining the park.
- What else could explain this? Maybe pickup was delayed by weather. Maybe the park had an unusual event. Maybe the budget for pickup was recently cut.
- How can I find out? Check the city's parks department website, call them, or look at recent council meeting minutes.
This week's skill: Before jumping to conclusions about a problem, ask: "What do I actually know, and what am I assuming? How can I find out more?"
Offline Option
The Community Walk is already a hands-on, offline activity — that's a strength of this week! If you don't have internet access for the research portion, use local newspaper clippings to learn about community issues, or try verbal interviews with neighbors, family members, or local shopkeepers. You can also visit your local library and ask a librarian to help you find information about your chosen problem.
Local Adaptation Note
Walk your own neighborhood or town center. What problems do you notice?
- Help kids choose problems that are solvable and local, not global or abstract. "Fix climate change" is too big; "add a recycling bin at the park" is just right.
- If a student picks an issue that is too large or politically charged, gently redirect them by asking: "Is there a smaller, more local version of that problem you could focus on?"
- Some kids may struggle to notice problems at first. Give them the observation prompts from the Community Walk and model what it looks like to look at a familiar place with fresh eyes.
- Younger learners (ages 8–9) may need you to walk with them and help them put their observations into words. That's perfectly fine — the goal is the process.