TCNJ Lesson Plan

Community Helpers Lesson 3: Hopewell Township

Student Name: Victoria Lai School Name: Hopewell Elementary

Grade Level: Kindergarten Host Teachers Name: Chelsea Bradshaw

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

Who are common community helpers?
What tools are particular to what jobs/occupations?
Does what people do at work relate to what they wear?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background knowledge,

possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)\
Morning Meeting: Read-aloud What Do People Do All Day? and note some
community helpers
Students might already know where certain community helpers work
Students might not know specific names of tools
Students might get confused between HE and Hopewell Township

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse
partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups.
6.1.P.B.2: Identify, discuss, and role-play the duties of a range of community workers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get
information, or clarify something that is not understood.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations,
reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
1.3.P.C.1: Play roles observed through life experiences (e.g., mom/dad, baby, firefighter,
police officer, doctor, and mechanic).

Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Learning Objectives Assessment

Students will identify Hopewell Teacher will assess by verbally asking about each
Township community helpers. community helper and writing list on anchor chart.

Students will correctly match Teacher will assess accuracy of sticky note
workplace/tools to community helper. placement.

Materials/Resources: (List materials, include any online or book references and resources)
https://www.ecosia.org/maps?q=hopewell+elementary+school%2C+nj
 http://www.hopewelltwp.org/hopewell_statistics.html
Anchor chart with pre-written list of community helpers
o Firefighter, police, doctor, dentist, garbage/recycling collectors, mail deliverer
Notecards, pre-written with details about community helpers
o There are about 30 people like me working in Hopewell. (Police)
o There are three places I could work, but the closest one to Hopewell Elementary
is Hopewell Fire. (Firefighter)
o I might work for Republic Disposal Services. (Garbage collector)
o I might work at Capital Health Hospital. (Doctor)
o I work at the United States Postal Service Post Office. (mail carrier)

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

Students will be handed notecards upon answering question, being called to the front of
the rug.
Students will not be using any other materials.

Step by Step plan (numbered):

1. Lesson introduction: I will re-read parts of What Do People Do All Day? and note
some community helpers we read about last Thursday; compare to actual Hopewell
Valley community helpers.
2. Lesson beginning: Students will be seated on rainbow rug. I will remind them that we
read What Do People Do All Day? and show them the pre-made anchor chart list of
helpers. I will ask them, Do you remember reading about these community helpers?
Acknowledge raised hands or connection signs. I will say, You remembered a lot of
people we talked about from this morning. Who can tell me one thing they know about
these people? Allow several students to answer.
3. I will say, You are all on your way to being experts in community helpers! You could
probably write expert books about these if you wanted! Andoh no! Gasp and pause for
effect. I forgot to put these notes up on the paper! I was going to do it while you were in
special, but I just didnt have time! I will show the students my stack of notecards with
statements on them. I say, On these pieces of paper are little hints to where they go; do
you think you could help me put them up on here? Hopefully, the students will answer
with a resounding yes!.
4. I will model for the students what to do by reading the first one; This paper says, works
at hospital. Hmm. I dont know who works in a hospital. Probably a lot of people Can
I get some help? Call on one respectful student to guess who the person is. If they
answer correctly, allow them to tape the note onto the anchor chart.
5. I will say, That wasnt so bad! Do you think you could do the rest of them? Allow
students to answer, hopefully yes again. Repeat: read card, call on student to answer and
tape on anchor chart.
6. If students want a challenge, I will ask them to first come up and read the card
themselves, and then I will validate if their placement is correct and allow them to put it
on the anchor chart. Continue until there are no more cards.
7. Closure (Long): Once all the cards are on the anchor chart, I will tell the students,
Everyone, kiss your brains! I dont think I would have been able to do this all myself, all
 this fast. I had no idea that you knew so much about community helpers! These people all
work in Hopewell and are doing their best to help each and every one of you. Hopewell
would not be the same without these community helpers to make sure we are safe, make
sure we are healthy and feeling good, make sure our teeth are growing strong, and much
more! They help us in so many ways, and were going to learn all about them in the next
few days. We still have a little time to color before we have to pack up! Im looking for
responsible kindergarteners sitting criss-crossed and showing me theyre ready to go. I
will call quiet rows back to their tables to color and pack up.
Closure (Short): Once all the cards are on the anchor chart, I will tell the students,
Everyone, kiss your brains! I dont think I would have been able to do this all myself, all
this fast. And because we did this so fast, we have a little time to color before we have to
pack up! Im looking for responsible kindergarteners sitting criss-crossed and showing
me theyre ready to go. I will call quiet rows back to their tables to color and pack up.

Key Questions (that you will ask):

What community helpers do you remember reading about in What Do People Do All
Day?
Who can tell me one thing they know about these people?
Can I get some help?

Logistics:
Students will begin seated on the rug, and stay there for the duration of the lesson. I will call
students up individually to tape pieces of paper on the anchor chart.
Students sitting most respectfully will be called to color and pack up by row.
Timing: 20 minute lesson
Review community helpers names 5-7 minutes
What do we know? 3-4 minutes
Matching 8-10 minutes
Transitions:
Students will be seated for duration of activity.
Classroom Management:
Students should be quiet on rainbow rug to begin; if not, say I need your eyes! I
need your ears. I need your chins and your noses.
Pick students at random to answer questions and come up to the board.
If students begin to get rowdy or out of hand while other students are answering
questions, ask answerer to wait until the class looks and sounds respectful.
Make it known to the class that called-out answers will not be taken.

Differentiation
Make sure J and C do not call out too much; enforce by using rewards system.
If J gets antsy while sitting, offer a toy to appropriately fidget with until the end of the
lesson.
If students need help reading note cards (S, D, A), offer to read for them/help them stretch
out the words. If time allows, allow struggling readers to ask a friend for help when
reading note cards.