Lesson 3: Community Worker Trading Cards (Grades 1–2)

Lesson Introduction
In this lesson, students practice the comprehension strategy of identifying details to support the most important ideas in a text. They will use a graphic organizer to take notes and then use the notes to create Community Worker trading cards.

Duration
This lesson can be taught in 3 days.

Student Objectives
Students will:

• Read and listen to a Community Club story
• Identify and record main idea and details from the text on a graphic organizer
• Use notes to create a Community Worker trading card

Materials

• art supplies
• computer(s) with Internet access
• construction paper
• crayons or markers
• Main Idea and Details graphic organizer (PDF)
• scissors
• optional: LCD or overhead projector to display Web pages and the graphic organizer

Preparation

• Display selected books (see Recommended Books)
• Bookmark Community Club home page on one or more computers in your classroom
• Make copies of the Main Idea and Details graphic organizer
• NOTE: If students have limited access to computers, print selected Community Club pages for students to read offline and make transparency copies to post on an overhead projector.

Directions
Day 1
Step 1: Take students through the Community Club story about Mayor Steve Yamashiro. Read the title and go to the first page. Read the sentences and remind students how to click the speaker icons to hear the sentences read aloud. Also, show them how clicking the speaker icon in the photo provides more audio about the mayor’s job.
Step 2: On the Main Idea and Details graphic organizer, model how to identify the most important ideas in a text. In the center, write Mayor Steve Yamashiro. On the lines radiating out from the center, write key details from both the text and the audio that tell about the mayor’s job: mayor of Hilo, Hawaii; makes sure Hilo is a good place to live and work.
Step 3: Repeat step 2 for the rest of the pages in the story, having students identify details to support the main idea. Along the way, point out to students that as they take notes, they will need to make decisions about whether or not the information they are reading or hearing is important to understanding the mayor’s job. For example, they may choose not to include the idea that people enjoy living in Hilo since it is not about the mayor’s job.
Step 4: Upon completing the story, have the class review the completed graphic organizer to make sure all the details are important and related to the mayor’s job. Work together as a class to make any necessary changes.

Day 2
Step 1: Show students how to use information from the graphic organizer to create a Community Worker trading card. On the board or chart paper, list the prompts: Community Worker, Job, and Responsibilities. Then take the information from the graphic organizer and put it next to each prompt, as follows:

• Community Worker: Steve Yamashiro
• Job: Mayor of Hilo, Hawaii
• Responsibilities:
  • Makes sure city is a good place to live and work in
  • Solves problems in the community
  • Work with community leaders to decide about buses, parks, libraries, and schools
  • Visits kids at school; sometimes gives them awards

Explain that this is what the back of their trading cards will look like. On the front, they will draw a picture of the community worker.
Step 2: Distribute a Main Idea and Details graphic organizer to each student and have them go to any worker activity other than the Mayor (since you used it as a model). Have them complete the graphic organizer by filling in the worker’s title in the center and then adding important ideas in the areas radiating out. Remind them to click the audio icon in the photographs for more information.

Day 3
Step 1: Using the art supplies, have students create their Community Worker trading cards. They may cut construction paper into a rectangular shape. On one side, they can draw a picture of the community worker. Students may also print, cut, and paste the picture onto their card.
Step 2: Have them use the notes on their graphic organizer to write the stats for the back of their cards, like you did on Day 2. They may want to write them first on scrap paper and have you help them check spelling and grammar. When they’re ready, they can transfer the information to the back sides of their cards.
Step 3: Invite students to share their cards with each other, pointing out the most important parts of their worker’s job.

Assessment & Evaluation
Use this rubric to assess students' proficiency with this activity. Evaluate whether students' skills are improving or where they may need additional support or instruction.

Lesson Extensions

1. Have students play Community Worker charades. Put all the Community Worker trading cards in a bag. Have a volunteer select one without showing it to the rest of the class. The student acts out the worker’s job as the rest of the class guesses who he or she is.
2. Set up a community in the classroom. Have students take on the roles of the workers they made trading cards for. They can dress up as that worker, including wearing the badge they printed out at the end of the online story.
3. Lead your class on a walk around the neighborhood. Visit the library, police station, firehouse, town hall, etc. and talk to community workers at each location.