Description:
This lesson plan encourages students to brainstorm career choices through research, a writing project, and an art project.
Goals & Objectives:
LIBRARY MEDIA SKILLS OBJECTIVES: The students will locate information about a career of their choosing in the library media center. The students will use an encyclopedia to aid their project completion. The students will use discovery books to help with their projects. CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES: The students will understand the responsibilities and tools of the career they selected. The students will use the writing process to complete a short career report. The students will use art skills to complete a career diorama. The students will use communication skills to share their final projects with the class.
Materials & Sources:
TITLE: Diorama TITLE: Resources TITLE: Worksheet
| Credits: |
Author: Beth Ann Fischer
Adapted for SOS by Jennifer Nace, School of Information Studies,
Syracuse University |
| Sources: |
| Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly |
Procedures:
INSTRUCTIONAL ROLES:
The classroom teacher, the library media specialist, and the art teacher will work together with the students on this project. Parts of the project will be completed in the library media center, as well as in the classroom and art room. The library media specialist and the classroom teacher will work together on reading picture books involving careers, helping children select a career topic, locating materials needed for the project, and on reinforcing the writing process. It will be the responsibility of the classroom teacher and the art teacher to help the children with the career dioramas. All of these teachers can share in listening to the students presentations.
ACTIVITY AND PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION:
The library media specialist will begin by sharing a career picture book with the students. A motivating story, such as Officer Buckle and Gloria, may be a good story to spark the students' interest. After the story, discuss the job of Officer Buckle. Make a list of his duties, training, and job supplies. The library media specialist and the teacher will follow up by sharing several other career picture books, filmstrips, and/or videos focusing on various careers. Be sure to make a chart for these jobs as well. Compare and contrast the jobs that have been discussed.
Next, the library media specialist and the teacher will share some career nonfiction books and career reference books with the students. It will be important to share a variety of careers including some the children may not know about (meteorologist, forestor, cartographer). Allow the students time to look through some of these materials. Then have each student select a career he/she would like to learn more about. It may be helpful to post the charts from the earlier readings so that the children can brainstorm some career ideas.
After the students have chosen careers, allow the writing process to begin. First, students will write what they may already know about this career. Next, pass out the career activity worksheet. This gives students some ideas on information they need to find for their reports. The library media specialist and the classroom teacher will show the children how to search for materials that are useful for gathering the report information. Students will then gather the information they need to complete the worksheet. While the class is working on the worksheet, the library media specialist and the classroom teacher may assist students. Once the worksheet is completed, the students will organize information in paragraph form. The classroom teacher and the library media specialist will go over this skill with the class. After the rough draft is written, the reports will be shared in small groups for revisions and proofreading. At this time, the students will write their final copies or type them in the library media center.
While all this research is going on, the art specialist is also working with the students on their projects. It has been his/her job to explain the dioramas and make them with the students. The dioramas are made from a shoebox. The inside of the box is decorated and labeled like the inside of the workplace where each career takes place. For example, a carpenter might be in a house, a lawyer in a courtroom, and a doctor in a hospital. The students will include the person at work, their job tools, and labels. The outside of the box is decorated like the outside of the place that career person works.
Once both parts are completed, the boxes will be displayed with the reports.
A large table may be used to create a town setting, or bookshelves in the library media center could be used, so that all of the school's children can see the presentation. Each child will then have the opportunity to share his/her report and project with the class.
FOLLOW-UP:
The teacher, library media specialist, and/or other persons will arrange for guest speakers to come and share information about their careers.
Assessment:
EVALUATION:The classroom teacher, the library media specialist, and the art teacher will all take part in listening to the reports and the explanation of the diorama.
Sources:
Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly
