Today I’m sharing an idea for teaching about communities.
This is a big part of our social studies curriculum, and the way it’s done is authentic and interactive!
How do you teach about communities and professions?
Our school creates a town to make it an authentic experience.
The idea is simple : each student is assigned a profession and a space in the class or hallway to represent a “profession” in a town.
The idea is simple : each student is assigned a profession and a space in the class or hallway to represent a “profession” in a town.
After practicing their jobs, parents (or another class) will be invited in to be the “customers” to explore the town and learn about each profession. There are many forms this can take, but ours is called “Busy Town”, and it’s become quite an event!
Our Kinder teacher brought this idea to our school several years ago and it’s been a big hit ever since. SO many learning goals are covered in this fun afternoon! Here’s a brief overview of how you could try this idea at your school:
How to Begin
Assign a small group of students to each profession, and ask their parents to put together a table with the appropriate signs and props, and encourage lots of costumes and creativity!
(And of course all of the signs, props and costumes can be saved for use again next year, so each year there are fewer thing to prepare.)
Parents are also responsible for taking the shops down and rehearsing with their children. Students do practice in class, but the teacher is more of a supervisor once it begins.
(And of course all of the signs, props and costumes can be saved for use again next year, so each year there are fewer thing to prepare.)
Parents are also responsible for taking the shops down and rehearsing with their children. Students do practice in class, but the teacher is more of a supervisor once it begins.
Invite Visitors to the Community
When each “store” is set up and students have practiced their “jobs”, parents are invited in! As they arrive, they are greeted by the mayor and purchase some “Busy Bucks” to spend while shopping. Money collected helps to buy the items sold, such as flowers or popcorn, or to pay for other things.
Students have an opportunity for some authentic experiences regarding community helpers and how a town is run with everyone working together. There are lots of great discussions and writing opportunities that come naturally as a result of this fun afternoon!
It really is a busy little town!
Here are some pictures we took this year:
Older Students
This can be meaningful for older students as well. In this case, the set up is similar to science fair. Each student creates a display, only the topics are local professions rather than a science experiment. Each students is responsible for educating visitors about the profession and it’s role in the community.
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Oh my goodness this looks like so much fun! The kiddos absolutely LOVE dressing up in any way they can! I'll bet the parents loved it too! Your pictures are adorable! (I love the little nurse taking notes) 🙂
Sally from Elementary Matters
Busy Town looks like such a fun place! What a great way to involve families and let students take the lead.
Amanda
A Very Curious Class
I cannot begin to express how impressed I am with this set up. How lucky your students are. What a great way to involve older students who also need to learn about community.
Terri Izatt
KinderKapers
What lucky lucky kids!!!!
Wow, this is phenomenal. What a great authentic learning opportunity. Your students are really lucky!
Sandra
Sandra's Savvy Teaching Tips