I love the sparks that brightly light and inspire me to create units I will love as much as my learners will. I was an elementary librarian for almost 20 years so my work is primarily for K-5.

As with any great lesson, it must be created for a specific group of learners. When I share my favorite lessons, know that to teach these, you are going to need to consider your learners. The resources I used might not be the ones I would choose today because my favorite books are always changing. The materials I have access to may not be the ones you have. Cityscapes may not interest you, but I hope you’ll be inspired to follow your own sparks and to build some lessons your students will love!

A Spark

I get a lot of my ideas from seeing the work our art teachers are doing with learners. I saw an amazing collection of colorful buildings learners had created in a hallway display and thought, “oooh, I wonder what I could do to get to a product like that?”

The Planning Process

After an idea spark, I start to brainstorm curriculum connections and activities that all fit for a particular grade or developmental level. I couldn’t escape this idea of learners creating a city as a product. At the time, I had a unit using paper circuits for fourth grade. I considered using Blackout by Rocco as an anchor text and having learners create paper circuits to light buildings created with scratch off art (that technique of black paint over bright crayon that only shows with scratched off lines), but determined that my time constraints and the ability to support a full class of learners with the technical details would be beyond my capacity. I revisited my curriculum and settled on our Kindergarten learners who learn about community and jobs in the community.

I firmly believe there are many more jobs in the community than just community “helpers,” so I set out to create an inquiry experience for learners to learn about many jobs that make our communities amazing.

I also aim at creating at least two units a year where students are using note taking to record their learning and are creating a product. Kindergarten students are great note takers! I decided this unit would be perfect for a note taking experience.

As I considered materials and thought about what Kindergarten learners could handle within our time constraints (45 minute lessons) I settled on a milk carton village. To create our milk carton village, first we needed to learn about the people who work in our town.

I usually plan for 4 sessions in each unit. Longer than 4 lessons tend to be tedious for all of us. Shorter units have always been tough for me because I feel like I haven’t built any continuity. I created a simple outline to get started.

  • Lesson 1: Whole class read aloud about jobs in the community
  • Lesson 2: Use individually accessed resources to read about jobs
  • Lesson 3: Take notes about a job we like
  • Lesson 4: Create a building where someone works to do a job in our community

Learner Skills

Think

  • Ask questions
  • Read a text for information.

Create

  • Take notes.

Share

  • Share a product based on research.
  • Talk about what we are leaning.

Grow

  • Be interested in personal learning.
  • Contribute to a community project.

Instructional Strategies

Class Sharing Circles

Particularly for Kindergarten learners, I always include a class circle for sharing. Learners have an opportunity to talk to a partner or the group in every lesson. I taught many multilingual learners and speaking in complete sentences is always a goal. Learners had the opportunity to share with the room mic, another of my favorite tools. They could use the mic to amplify their voice or just to hold, or they could pass.

Additional Staff

Each Kindergarten class usually had a supporting assistant with them. I overviewed the lesson in advance through email. When it came time for the lesson I armed her with extra tape and a Sharpie. I always communicate complex plans in advance and ask assistants to model expectations for students.

Materials Access

Books

I had access to my collection and a robust public library collection. I checked out as many of the Bellweather Media Community Workers and Community Helpers series. These series offered a variety of titles in a consistent format. The pictures are clear and the text large print and accessible.

Database

We had access to a class set of iPads and a PebbleGo subscription in English and Spanish. I planned to use the careers profiles in the Social Studies database.

Craft Supplies

Our school cafeteria served milk in milk cartons. I collected them a week in advance, opened them to rinse and dry, and then re-sealed them with tape in multiple configurations (flat “roofs,” angled peaks, double height, etc.). A laundry basket helped me transport them between school and home so I could do all the taping from my couch.

I also cut building colored construction paper to exactly the right lengths to wrap around the cartons (including the double sizes). I organized scraps for roofs, windows, and doors. Note: one of my favorite tricks is to organize paper scraps by color in paper trays that stack and can be stored in a larger box when not in use.

We have jumbo color pencils and crayons on hand. We used glue sticks, had school glue on hand, and used tape as needed.

The Display

Using bulletin board paper cut to the size of my bookshelf tops, I created a generic landscape including a pond, roads, farmland, and a few parking lots. Each was 9 feet long and I made two. They were laminated so I could use them more than once.

Lessons in Action

Lesson 1

  • Class Circle: Each student had an opportunity to share a job they like. I supported learners who wanted to share with sentence stems and some vocabulary choices. We referenced career dress up day, when students had already discussed jobs and dressed up as a job they might like to do.
  • Read Aloud:  Helpers in My Neighborhood by Shira Evans and Clothesline Clues for the Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling.
  • I offered learners books about careers to browse. To distribute them quickly and provide choice, I move quickly around the circle and offer learners two choices. All of the extras go in the middle of the circle and learners can switch at anytime. I encouraged students to talk to their neighbor and share things they noticed in the pictures.

Lesson 2

  • Class Circle: learners shared something they know about a job or a question they have about a job. I modeled “I wonder…” questions.
  • I introduced PebbleGo as a resource and we navigated to the careers section. Learners could explore as widely or deeply as they wished.

Lesson 3

  • I modeled notetaking with a pre-created workpage using one of the Community Workers books. We discussed how good readers read the pictures for information. We searched for information about what someone should wear to do the featured job and where they work.
    A workpage for students to record notes about commnity jobs.
  • Learners had a choice about their book and every student used a clipboard with the workpage to draw their notes. They drew what someone would wear to do the job. They drew where someone worked to do the job.
  • Class Circle: Learners shared one special clothing item, vehicle, or building needed to do the job they learned about.

Lesson 4

  • I modeled how to create a building from my notes.
  • At tables I had the materials ready: a pile of clean, dry, and taped milk cartons of various shapes, construction paper, crayons, and glue.
  • Learners got messy and created their buildings based on their notes page.
  • When their buildings were finished, they cleaned up and then put their building onto the display space.
  • We took a class picture of each display to celebrate our work.
  • Class Circle: learners shared and “I like…” to share something they liked about their experience or their work.

Adaptations

The third year I tried this unit, the cafeteria switched to bottled milk the same week I was going to begin carton collection. (Noooo!!!!) I improvised and pulled out Legos. I had them on hand in boxes that could be shared between a few learners at a table. Legos were a hit! During the fourth year, I was missing a week of instruction. For some reason we were missing the direct connection between notetaking and product (not a connection I liked to have broken, but sometimes these things happen). I had job cards available and learners picked one from a jar and created a building for that job.

Community buildings created by Legos on a landscape background created from large paper. A Lego farm.

Notes for Growth

If I revisit this unit, I would add a class checklist of skills as an assessment. There are several competencies that could be assessed related to the AASL Standards for Learners. I would choose to assess III.D.1. Learners actively participate with others in learning situations by actively contributing to group conversations. For each class circle, a tally mark if a learner shared with the group would be sufficient for Kindergarten with a space for some optional quotes.