Through JA Our Community®️, students are immersed in the daily life of their community—the people who work there, the money decisions they make, the flow of the community’s economy, and the importance of being an involved and responsible community member. They are introduced to the types of skills and knowledge necessary to be a worker in the community: the experience of working as a team in a pizza shop, buying and selling of goods and services in exchange for money, getting paid and paying taxes, exercising their civic duty to make decisions for the good of the community, and using digital tools.
JA Our Community®️ offers flexible implementation options to meet the needs of students and teachers in a variety of use cases. Materials include an onscreen presentation, digitally compatible student activities, hands-on activities for the classroom, and at-home learning experiences.
Following participation in the learning experience, students will be able to:
State how people contribute to and benefit from a community.
Collect, record, and interpret data using digital tools.
Collaborate and communicate to make exchanges of money for goods or services.
Recognize that community members have a responsibility to get involved to help meet a community’s needs.
Practice flexibility, curiosity, and resilience in decision making to cope with and adapt to change.
JA Our Community uses posters and games to offer practical information about businesses and the many jobs those businesses offer in a community. Students explore production methods through a simulation game, and they learn about taxes, decision making, and how money flows in an economy. (Grade 2)