Community Workers

This Topic Quest was designed for Kindergarteners

by Holly Smith and Leah Harris,

preservice teachers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Community Workers are people who help us around our community. There are many different kinds of community workers that help us everyday! Can you list any community workers? Join our community and find out what some community helpers do!

Firefighters help put out fires. Firefighters also teach children fire safety. To learn more about firefighters click here. To color a picture of a firefighter click here.

Teachers help children and adults learn by guiding them through different subjects and problems. To read more about teachers click here.

Doctors help people stay healthy. When someone is sick a doctor will help them get better. To see what else doctors do click here.

Letter carriers deliver mail to houses and businesses. Not only do they deliver letters but they also deliver packages. To learn more about what a letter carrier does click here.

Police officers help to protect the community. If you are ever lost or need help, a police officer will help you. To read more about a police officer click here. To color a picture of a police officer click here.

Librarians help people to find and check out books, movies, and magazines. A librarian may have special classes where they read books and do activities for children. To learn more about librarians click here.

Did you know that a cafeteria worker is a community helper? If you want to take a virtual tour of a cafeteria, click here. When you visit this site you can look at the different jobs that are located in the cafeteria.

Now it is time for a field trip!

Today you will visit a community and explore the different jobs that community workers do! You can listen and read about all of the jobs. You can answer questions at the end of each job. Let’s GO!

Activity: What will you be when you grow up?

Day 1

_{Grade Level:}	_{This is recommended for Kindergarteners who are learning about community helpers.}
_{Approximate Time of Activity:}	_{This activity will take about 30 minutes.}
_{Integrating Subject Areas:}	_{Students will integrate writing and drawing skills.}
_{Rationale for this activity:}	_{This activity is important because it allows students to practice their writing skills and learn about community workers and how they help us.}
_{NC Standard Course of Study Objectives:}	_{Social Studies objectives:} SKILL IV: The learner will participate effectively in civic affairs. Competency Goal 5: The learner will elaborate on the value of community services. · _{5.1-Recognize examples of community services.} · _{5.2 Summarize jobs performed by community workers.} · _{5.3-Identify relationships between community needs and community services.}
_{Activity Sequence:}	_{The students will draw a picture of what they want to be, when they grow up. The students will write two sentences that describes their picture on the page. If time allows the students can share their pictures with the class. When all students are finished drawing, illustrating, and writing their sentences, the teacher will bind the student’s pictures together to create a class book.}
_{Assessment Criteria:}	_{The student’s picture is accurate to the community worker of their choice. The sentences are also accurate to the description of their choice.}

Activity: Let’s Make Our Own Community!

Day 2

Grade Level:	This is recommended for kindergarteners who are learning about community helpers.
Approximate Time of Activity:	(2) 30 minute periods
Integrating Subject Areas:	Students will integrate social skills as well as knowledge about community workers.
Rationale for this Activity:	This activity is important because students will create their own community, illustrating the importance of community workers within their community. This activity is also important because students demonstrate cooperation skills by working in groups.
North Carolina Standard Course of Study Objectives:	_{Social Studies objectives:} SKILL IV: The learner will participate effectively in civic affairs. Competency Goal 5: The learner will elaborate on the value of community services. · _{5.1-Recognize examples of community services.} · _{5.2 Summarize jobs performed by community workers.} _{5.3-Identify relationships between community needs and community services.}
Activity Sequence:	Students are put into groups of 3-4. They are given posterboard or bulletin board paper, crayons, colored pencils and markers. The students are asked to create their own community based on what they have learned from the topic page. After students are finished, their group is asked to explain their community to the class and tell about the different community helpers that live there.
Assessment criteria:	The students will be assessed on the community they created and what community workers may live there. This assesses their knowledge of how a community works together. They will also be assessed on their cooperation while creating their community.

Extension Activities:

· Students will discuss different ways that they can help the community. Some ways could be by picking up trash, helping to do daily chores for the classroom or at home, and helping elderly people complete tasks that may be hard for them. The students will then be asked to carry out one of the duties.