Our Community is designed to provide practical information about businesses and the many occupations found in those businesses in a typical community.
The learning objectives listed beside each activity state the skills and knowledge the students will gain.
Activity One: How Does a Community Work? The students study a poster illustrating a community to identify typical jobs. They develop an awareness of how people live and work together in a community.
Key Learning Objectives The students will identify a variety of jobs in the community recognize how people live and work together in a community become aware of a wide range of job opportunities
Activity Two: Sweet “O” Donuts The students, individually and in teams, use different production strategies to simulate producing donuts.
Key Learning Objectives The students will define production compare unit and assembly line production methods explain that different strategies are used to produce different types of products
Activity Three: The Role of Government The students learn about the economic role of government in a community by identifying services that government provides to its citizens. The students also recognize that government must collect taxes from everyone to pay for these services.
Key Learning Objectives The students will recognize government jobs in the community understand why government collects taxes to provide services for everyone
Activity Four: A New Business The students determine the best use for the empty store on the How Does a Community Work poster. The step-by-step decision-making process helps students understand how group decisions are made.
Key Learning Objectives The students will define choices practice using a decision-making model recognize the need to make decisions carefully
Activity Five: Money and Banking The students learn about money and why it is important to the community.
Key Learning Objectives The students will identify circumstances of money being exchanged for goods or services recognize how money is used in a typical community
Our Community enhances the students’ learning of the following concepts and skills:
Concepts – Bank • Business • Choices • Circular flow • Community • Defect • Division of labor • Economic institutions • Goods • Government • Incentives • Interdependence • Jobs • Money • Needs • Opportunity costs • Production • Productivity • Quality • Resources • Services • Skills • Taxes • Wants • Work
Skills – Comparing • Critical thinking • Decision making • Following directions • Identifying choices • Listening responsively • Making observations • Problem solving • Role playing • Teamwork
All JA programs have technology enhancements and are designed to support the skills and competencies outlined in the SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) report. These programs also augment the school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.
identify a variety of jobs in the community