Topic Study presentations are always a bit of a rush for everyone involved – the kids are so thrilled to share their weeks or even months of work with their families, as well as with teachers and friends in other classes; teachers are excited for the kids and families to enjoy the culmination of the kids’ efforts together; families are elated to see their creative, intelligent children enjoy proudly showcase the fruits of their labor.
The Peacocks class had been studying Community Helpers during the end of 2019 and early 2020. They studied how different communities are organized by looking at maps and Google Earth. They read various books about cities and suburbs, and they began to understand a little bit more about city living, since most haven’t experienced that. Then, they each made maps of their own community and included a legend, topographic details, scale and various places they frequent. They also created miniature communities in class with different materials and used them each day to
The kids took a look into different careers and what each entails. They learned about what engineers, chefs, teachers, veterinarians, doctors, police officers, fire fighters, dentists and more do each day. And, they learned about how their job affects everyone in our community. As they learned, they decided which career path most interested them and what they would like to explore doing when they grow up. They created career books that detailed their learning experience of each profession and dressed up ready for their first day on the job to present their topic study.
From Ms. Christine and Ms. Heather:
Career Day proved to be an exciting and fulfilling end to our topic study about Community Helpers in the Peacock classroom. Our students worked so hard and were filled with such pride when it came time to share their efforts with their family and fellow students. The day was a huge success!
We had started months earlier learning all about Community. We discussed the important places every community needs like hospitals, police stations, schools and more. Each student created their very own community road map showing the important places they felt their community should have. We then went on to discuss our very own community of Lakeway.
Our kiddos spent time online finding pictures of some of their favorite places to visit in Lakeway. They really enjoyed using our classroom technology to assist In their search. We of course focused on community helpers and spent time learning all about the many wonderful things those helpers can do. We read stories about doctors, firefighters, engineers, teachers and more.
The Peacocks truly loved learning all about these special people. The next part of our topic study involved each student deciding which community helper they might want to be someday. They loved making that decision on their own! Once chosen, we began putting together our Career Day books. Those books covered who they wanted to be, where they would work, the tools they would use and how they would help their community.
They were author and illustrator, and their efforts shone through in the finished product. They each wore community helper costumes, which created a perfect showcase for all their time, effort and hard work.
Way to go Peacock kiddos and teachers!
