Community Helpers
Created By:
Melissa P. Johnston
Title/Role:
Assistant Professor
Organization/School Name:
University of Kentucky
Location:
Kentucky
Grade Level:
K Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit Type of Schedule:
Flexible Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate Content Area:
Social studies Content Topic:
Social studies unit on community helpers. Scenario:
When meeting with the Kindergarten teachers during their monthly planning meeting, the school library media specialist (SLMS) participates in the planning of an upcoming unit on community helpers and what they do for our community. The curriculum objectives state that students should not only be able to name various community helpers such as the doctor, nurse, policeman, firefighter, teacher, and principal, but also identify what helpers contribute through their actions to make them a vital part of our community. The SLMS states that there are several literature choices that will support these objectives and volunteers to work with the teachers to create a lesson. The SLMS goes on to brainstorm with the teachers on this lesson idea. They agree that the SLMS will identify appropriate resources for the team, select literature for the lesson, and design a graphic organizer that will be used on the interactive whiteboard during the lesson. The teachers plan to introduce the unit and then visit the media center for a lesson during the second week of the unit. Following the lesson, the teachers will continue to build on what students have learned and also identify areas where students might need further assistance. Overview:
In a theme unit on community helpers, Kindergarten students will name a range of community helpers and be able to describe how they perform their major roles. The essential questions for this unit include: Who are community helpers? How do they help us? Final Product:
Students complete an SLMS-created graphic organizer that connects community helpers with the tools they need to do their jobs. Each student will choose one helper to explain how he or she uses their tools in their role they play in the community. Library Lesson:
Students will learn that they need to recall prior knowledge from their own experiences, and classroom learning. Estimated Lesson Time:
30 minutes Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes