Many scholars and practitioners have asserted the value of opportunities for young children to participate in projects that inspire positive civic engagement. A National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Position statement stresses civic engagement as an important focus for powerful and purposeful learning in elementary social studies. The shift from teaching a concept to teaching (and inspiring) action needs to be at the heart of teachers' planning. At the third grade level, teachers need to (1) facilitate discussions with students about their communities in order to build background knowledge and identify their specific areas of interest, and (2) create opportunities for students to pursue these interests within their communities. The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools asserts that one of the proven practices for civic learning is service-learning. Despite the known benefits of civic engagement, elementary schools are struggling to incorporate such social studies experiences into the school day, due to the pressures of high stakes testing and curriculum focused on literacy and mathematics. These issues, confounded by realities of funding and staffing, are especially pervasive in urban schools. Research on minority youth has described a "civic engagement gap" as insidious as other knowledge "gaps" between student populations. In this article, the authors share the curriculum developed for this project, along with the outcomes we observed in the children: to both think and act as responsible and engaged citizens of their community.