Objective:

Students will learn about different jobs in their school and community by matching workers with the tools they use. This hands-on activity helps students categorize roles, understand how different people contribute to their environment, and practice computational thinking by sorting and organizing data.

Materials Needed:

• Picture cards of community and school workers (e.g., teacher, police officer, firefighter, custodian)

• Picture cards of items used in jobs (e.g., storybooks, police car, fire extinguisher, mop)

• Chart paper or a board for recording student answers

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by asking students, "Who works at our school, and what do they use to do their job?" 

  • Discuss familiar roles such as the teacher, principal, and custodian. 

  • Expand the conversation to include community jobs, like doctors, firefighters, and mail carriers. 

  • Explain that students will match pictures of workers with pictures of items used in their jobs, helping them understand how different people contribute to the school and community.

• Group Activity:

  • Divide students into small groups and give each group a set of picture cards and description cards. 

  • Students will work together to match the picture to the correct item used by the individual with that job.

• Building and Sorting:

  • After matching the workers and tools, students will categorize the jobs by type (e.g., school workers like teachers and custodians, and community helpers like firefighters and police officers).

  • Encourage students to discuss the tasks and environments related to each job, practicing computational thinking by sorting and organizing information logically.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Once the initial matches are made, have students review their matches to check for accuracy.

  • Ask them to compare their results with other groups to see if everyone made the same connections.

  • Encourage groups to make any necessary adjustments based on feedback, drawing connections to how computers test and refine data when solving problems.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Each group will present their matched sets to the class, explaining which worker uses which tool and how that person contributes to the school or community.

  • Lead a class discussion on how different roles help keep a community functioning, emphasizing how computational thinking—breaking down complex jobs into smaller tasks and organizing them—helps us understand these roles.

Equity and Access:

Offer simplified descriptions or visual supports for students who need extra help, and encourage peer collaboration to ensure all students can participate.

Real-World Application:

Relate the lesson to real-life interactions by discussing how understanding different jobs helps students appreciate the people they encounter regularly. Talk about how data scientists sort and organize information like students did, and that programmers work with computers to process and interpret data.

CS Practice(s):

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students identify the different tasks and tools associated with each job and match them logically, practicing categorization and sorting like computers do with data.

• Developing and Using Abstractions: Students abstract real-world jobs by focusing on essential tasks and tools, simplifying their understanding of how workers contribute to the school and community.

Standard(s):

• CA History-Social Science K.3

• CA CS K-2.DA.8

Objective:

Students will use Scratch Jr. or another coding platform to create an animation that matches simple job activities to the people who perform them in the school, local community, and historical contexts. Students will use digital tools to organize, sequence, and animate their presentations, reinforcing their understanding of different roles in society and historical accounts.

Materials Needed:

• Tablets or computers with Scratch Jr. or another coding platform 

• Digital images of community workers (e.g., teachers, firefighters, doctors) and historical figures

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Ask students, "What are some of the jobs people do at our school and in our community?" 

  • Discuss familiar roles, like teachers, firefighters, and doctors, and introduce historical figures like Benjamin Franklin as an inventor. 

  • Explain that students will a program in Scratch Jr., coding different jobs to the people who do them, and showing them using the tools or environments they work in.

• Group Activity:

  • In pairs, students will choose a job, such as a doctor or teacher, and use a coding platform to create a digital presentation about it. 

  • They will drag and drop digital images to match backgrounds, such as placing a teacher in a classroom or a firefighter next to a firetruck. 

  • Encourage students to describe what each person does in their job, using voice recordings and simple animations to enhance their projects.

• Creating and Coding:

  • Guide students as they sequence their digital presentations, showing the progression of the job and its responsibilities. 

  • They can use simple coding blocks to animate their presentations, such as making a firefighter spray water on a fire or a doctor checking a patient. 

  • The goal is to help students break down the job into its main parts and clearly represent it using digital tools.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Once their presentations are created, students will test the flow of their projects, ensuring that the correct job is matched with the right description and action. 

  • They can refine their work by adding more details or adjusting the sequence of images.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Each group will present their program, explaining the job they chose and how they used digital tools to represent the role. 

  • The class will discuss how different people contribute to the community, both in the present and historically, and reflect on how technology helps us understand and communicate information.

Equity and Access:

Provide pre-made templates with jobs and descriptions for students who need extra support, and encourage collaboration to ensure all students are actively involved.

Real-World Application:

Relate the activity to how jobs are essential to community functioning, and discuss how understanding different roles helps students appreciate the people they interact with, from teachers to emergency workers.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students create digital animations in Scratch Jr. or another coding platform, matching jobs with descriptions and tools.

• Collaborating Around Computing: Students work in pairs to share ideas and create their digital presentations, learning to combine their skills and perspectives.

Standard(s):

• CA History-Social Science K.3

• CA CS K-2.DA.8

• CA CS K-2.AP.12

• CA CS K-2.AP.13