Labor Day

In our planning calendar there was a suggestion to assign each student a letter of the alphabet. Put the letter on a piece of drawing paper. The student is to take the paper home and as homework they are to think of and illustrate an occupation that begins with that letter. When all the papers are returned, assemble your Labor Day ABC book and share it with your class. You may allow each student to take a turn in taking it home to share with their families too.

Read a children's book about jobs people have to your class. Then you could have your students illustrate a job they might like to do in the future. Put Labor Day at the top of construction paper. On the bottom put... (Child's name) might be a ______ when he/she grows up. Attach the drawing in the middle of the page. My teaching partner did this and I thought it was a cute idea.

Our SS book has a short lesson on why we celebrate Labor Day. Then I am going to have the students play charades and act out different occupations. Then they will write and illustrate about what they would like to do for a job when they grow up.I am dropping from 4th to 3rd and am a bit apprehensive about the change but I think I will enjoy it.

Curious George Takes a Job, discuss who could take the day and off and who needs to work and they interview a friend or relative about his/her job. File attached. I also have the kids write (draw only if necessary) about what they want to be when they grow up, why, what they need to learn for that job and what they would wear... and they draw a picture of themselves doing the job.

Have your students complete a Labor Day Scavenger Hunt. Print up a sheet with questions about Labor Day and let them use the computer or other reference materials in your classroom or in the school media center.

Some questions you could include are:

When is Labor Day celebrated?

Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

When was the first Labor Day celebrated?

What do some Americans do to celebrate Labor Day?

What president signed Labor Day into Law?

You could add more questions to suit your needs. Have a prize for the first group to complete the hunt accurately.

1. Have students interview community members (for a homework assignment). Have them write the questions in school...gear the questions towards the importance of a community or what the community needs (might give you ideas for a community service project).
2. Have students identify what is located in their community. As one of your bulletin boards, make a large web. The name of your town in the middle and then connect everything found in your town to the center (fire dept., police dept., schools, rec center, etc) Have the children draw pictures of these places and label them.
3. Have students work in small groups to make their own maps of a community.
4. Take children on a field trip around your town.
5. Invite people in to school to speak to the students (mayor, police, councilmen, etc.).
6. Think of a great community service project.
7. Find out the history of your community through people who live in your town and then make a timeline with the kids.

Hope this helps you. Would you be interested in having pen pals? I teach third grade in North Caldwell, NJ. I will have about 22 students. Thanks, June
I also teach communities.

Here are a few things I've done with kindergarten and first grade:

- read books about different careers. Your school library should have some.
- make a book showing different careers. Each child drew what their mom or dad did, then added a line that said, "Mom is a doctor." or "Dad is a pilot." We put the book in our classroom library and we're still reading it.
- create role-playing opportunities for different careers. We've role-played vets, grocery checkers, waiters, cooks, postal employees, etc. by creating a rotating center in our room where these roles can be enacted. For instance, we had a post office set up for the month of February.
- do a phone or Internet interview with someone you would otherwise not be able to talk to. You could try to e-mail or phone your local politicians to see if any of them would talk to your class over the phone or in an Instant Message setting on the Internet. I've done phone interviews and had people e-mail us, I've never done IM.
- read the want ads to see what kinds of jobs are available. Highlight jobs that sound interesting and discuss what kinds of things a person would have to do to be able to get that job.

Have your students do an acrostic poem for
L
A
B
O
R

D
A
y

Or they could choose a profession and do an acrostic poem for it. Have the students decorate and color the poems and display them on a bulletin board

Hold a discussion in your class about different jobs that people have. With students brainstorm a list of jobs on the board.

Next, have students look through magazines for pictures of people doing a job.

Then, give each student a piece of 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper. Any color will work.

After that have them cut out and glue the pictures on a piece of paper to create a collage.

These also make a great bulletin board display. You could title the board "Thanks to our Laborers!" or "Labor of Love!" I am sure you could think of a few of your own.

Have students write thank you cards to the people in the community that provide an important service.

Police officers
Firefighters
EMT's
Teachers
Postal Workers
Coaches
Doctors
Nurses

You can do a basic card that you fold in half or in quarters, or if you have experience with pop up cards they would be great! Make sure the cards are colorful and don't forget to proofread them all for any inappropriate words.

Then deliver these the day before Labor Day. If possible have the students deliver some of the cards. What a great way to show the people in the community that we appreciate what they do.

each child brings a special adult in their life (parents if possible) picture of them at work or something from their work like a hat . We then share what our person does and why it's nice they get to take a day off to be with their families. good way to introduce careers. Some bring enough pencils for everyone or magnets etc. I explain in my first letter home what the children will need and the importance of sitting down and telling them about your work. I stress that if they have something their child can wear to please use it. T-shirts are really big but they are so proud to slip them on.