COMMUNITY HELPERS UNIT FOR PRESCHOOL, PRE-K, AND KINDERGARTEN

This resource includes thematic lessons, activities, poems, songs, and centers for your little learners.  Adapt these resources to meet the specific needs of your learners in whole group, small group, and independent instruction.

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THIS RESOURCE INCLUDES

Learning Resources

Week 20 Plans
This is a template for lesson plans during community helpers week of school.  For best results, pick and choose what ideas and resources work for your learners. Furthermore, you may adapt the resources to best meet your students’ needs.

Community – Whole Group
These resources can be used during whole group instruction for a community helpers theme. During whole group instruction, you may use the poem, word cards, tracing page, and table sign-in sheets.

Community Helpers Interactive Poem
During this thematic lesson, students may use an interactive poem in whole group or a literacy center.  For instance, have the learners change the helpers and read the poem together.

Community Sensory Charts
During this activity, students may explore their community with the five senses.  For example, complete the charts together and then have learners draw and write about their community using their senses on the interactive page.

In Our Town Predictable Chart Class Book
Use this resource to create a class book from the predictable chart created during the week.

Lesson Plans

Community Thematic Plans
During this thematic unit, these plans may be used as a guide for engaging community helper read alouds and activities in the classroom.

Our Community
During this thematic lesson, read This is My Town.  Then, have learners work together to create a community map using butcher paper and the building images included.

Our Helpers
During this thematic lesson, complete the Community Helpers puzzles together by matching each helper to their workplace. Then, have learners color the helpers and glue the buildings and helpers onto the map. Finally, learners may also add details to the map.

Helper Hands
During this thematic lesson read Whose Hands Are These? Then, have learners chose a helper from the “helping hand” visuals. In addition, you may take a trip to the school library or provide books for learners to use for research. Have learners use the books provided to complete the community helper research page by drawing or writing details about their community helper. Two days are allotted for this activity.

Visitors
In place of the time schedule for the Helping Hands, activity visitors may be scheduled to come to discuss their job with learners.

When I Grow Up
During this thematic lesson, read When I Grow Up. Then, have learners create a helper using the face template and by using materials provided to create hats, clothing or other details. Finally, learners may also complete the writing page included.

Learning Centers

Literacy Center | Ending Sound
During this learning center, learners match the picture to its correct ending sounds on the computer puzzles. Then learners may record the answers on the page provided.

Literacy Center | Letter Match
During this learning center, learners match the uppercase and lowercase cards on a pocket chart.  Then learners may record the answers on the page provided.

Literacy Center | Sight Word Write the Room
During this learning center, learners find the sight words around the room and write the word on the printable provided.

Math Center | Counting
During this learning center, learners count the correct number of hammers for each construction worker. Then learners may record the answers on the page provided.

Math Center | Create the Pattern
During this learning center, learners use pattern cards and visuals to create a pattern. Then learners may record the answers on the page provided.

Math Center | Shape Sort
During this learning center, learners sort the shapes on a pocket chart. Then learners may record the answers on the page provided.

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LEARNING STANDARDS INCLUDED IN THIS RESOURCE 

Next Generation Science Standards 

NGSSK-ESS3-3
Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.

Common Core State Standards

Mathematics

CCSSMP8
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Mathematically proficient students notice if calculations are repeated, and look both for general methods and for shortcuts. Upper elementary students might notice when dividing 25 by 11 that they are repeating the same calculations over and over again and conclude they have a repeating decimal. By paying attention to the calculation of slope as they repeatedly check whether points are on the line through (1, 2) with slope 3, middle school students might abstract the equation (𝑦 – 2)/(𝑥 – 1) = 3. Noticing the regularity in the way terms cancel when expanding (𝑥 – 1)(𝑥 + 1), (𝑥 – 1)(𝑥² + 𝑥 + 1), and (𝑥 – 1)(𝑥³ + 𝑥² + 𝑥 + 1) might lead them to the general formula for the sum of a geometric series. As they work to solve a problem, mathematically proficient students maintain oversight of the process while attending to the details. They continually evaluate the reasonableness of their intermediate results.

Language Arts

CCSSRF.K.3c
Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

CCSSRF.K.2
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

CCSSRF.K.1d
Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

CCSSK.G.A.2
Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

CCSSK.CC.B.4
Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Language Arts

TEKSLA.K.2.B.iv
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking–beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell. The student is expected to: demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: identifying and reading at least 25 high-frequency words from a research-based list;

TEKSLA.K.2.B.i
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking–beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell. The student is expected to: demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: identifying and matching the common sounds that letters represent;

TEKSLA.K.2.D.v
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking–beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell. The student is expected to: demonstrate print awareness by: identifying all uppercase and lowercase letters; and

Mathematics

TEKSMA.K.6.A
Geometry and measurement. The student applies mathematical process standards to analyze attributes of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional solids to develop generalizations about their properties. The student is expected to: identify two-dimensional shapes, including circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares as special rectangles;

TEKSMA.K.2.C
Number and operations. The student applies mathematical process standards to understand how to represent and compare whole numbers, the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers, and relationships within the numeration system. The student is expected to: count a set of objects up to at least 20 and demonstrate that the last number said tells the number of objects in the set regardless of their arrangement or order;

TEKSMA.K.1.F
Mathematical process standards. The student uses mathematical processes to acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding. The student is expected to: analyze mathematical relationships to connect and communicate mathematical ideas; and

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