Eleanor Said:

Where can I find a lesson plan for grade 2 about community helpers?

We Answered:

Social Studies - Society and Culture

LESSON: Community Helpers

GRADES: 2/3

RATIONALE

This lesson is designed to help children realize that it takes many varied jobs for a city or town to create a community. Each person plays a role in this community.

IRP LEARNING OUTCOME

Describe ways members of a community meet one another’s needs.

SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

* identify the purpose of the work done by the students parents or guardians in or out of the home

* become aware of and appreciate many different jobs that make a successful community

* list many varied, and unusual jobs that people might have

LESSON

OVERVIEW For this lesson the children will bring a tool of the trade that is used by their parent/guardian and explain what it is and how it is used to the class. The students will then select a tool and write about it and the person who uses it as well as draw a picture of it being used.

BEFORE THE LESSON Well before the day of the lesson the teacher must send a letter home explaining the activity and asking for parental support and help. This will enable all children to come prepared on the same day.

ACTIVITY #1 The students make a list together of the many jobs that people might have. The teacher records these on a large piece of chart paper.

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ACTIVITY #2 The children share their tool of the trade with the class and explain what it is and how it is used. Each child presents individually, perhaps at the carpet to make it feel like show and tell. Good listening skills should be reviewed before the students begin.

ACTIVITY #3 The students select a tool that has been brought in, it can be the one they brought or another. They will write a story about a person using this tool and draw a picture of it.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES

Teacher Materials:

* chart paper, marker, note home to parents explaining the project

Student Materials:

* paper, pencil, crayons, tool of the trade from home

ADAPTATION Children who may find the writing aspect of this assignment difficult could be given permission to create a picture book, in which more than one picture is drawn to create the beginning, middle and end of the story. Another way to adapt this activity is to change the assignment to the creation of a comic book which requires less writing, but still needs some.

EXTENSION For students who may find this activity simple, they could be given the task of doing a library research project about a certain job in the community. The amount of time spent on this should not exceed the amount of time that the other students have used for their assignment. It should not be viewed as a punishment, but as a unique learning experience.

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

CRITERIA FOR THE FINISHED STORY:

* eight to ten sentences

* correct spelling

* a picture of the tool being used

ASSESSMENT FOR THIS LESSONÕS OUTCOMES:

* each students knowledge and presentation of their parents/guardians tool will demonstrate their knowledge

* formative assessment during student presentations and the class discussion will state awareness of different jobs

* a rubric will be used to evaluate these

1 = weak

2 = developing

3= average

4 = outstanding

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ADAPTION INFORMATION

This lesson plan was adapted from a lesson also entitled Community Helpers that was created by Shirley Sutton from Parkside Elementary in Wyoming. It was taken from the internet site:

http://ericir.syr.edu/plweb-cgi/fastweb?…

It was originally created for grades kindergarten to two, so it has been adapted to fit the abilities of a grade three class. Instead of having the students dictate their story , as was suggested in the original lesson, I had them write their own story. Adaptation and Extension activities have also been added as well as assessment and evaluation strategies.