Opening Our Own Post Office
Name: |
Judy (Ka Fai) Chan |
School: |
P.S. 124 Yung Wing School |
Address: |
40 Division Street |
City: |
New York, NY, 10002 |
Original Project: |
Opening Our Own Post Office |
Author: |
Barbara Cornell Chavez and Kimberly Lloyd |
URL: |
http://teachersnetwork.org/IMSL/ps1/postoffice/profile.htm |
How did you modify this unit for use in your own classroom?: Instead of opening up a school-wide post office, our classroom studied the components of a supermarket so we could open up our own supermarket. We studied the various workers, their responsibilities, and all the features of a supermarket.
List your primary instructional objectives for your students.
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The students will become familiar with the different jobs in a supermarket and learn the responsibilities of the various workers. |
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There are the different employees that keep the supermarket operating properly, and every person must support each other in order for it to operate. |
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The students will be able to identify different denominations of money (coins and bills.) |
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The students will interact socially within the community, providing services and goods for others. |
What role did technology play in this curriculum unit?: Microsoft Word was used to create a student worksheet. The worksheet was given as a homework after our field trip to the supermarket.
How did you assess and evaluate student performance?: The assessment will come mainly from the share. The teacher should gauge the students ability to read the chart through the discussion on the collected data. The teacher should note whether or not the students can make meaningful connections between the collected data and what they are communicating. Are the connections clear and concise? Are the children able to answer the questions? Are the children able to formulate more questions that are not answered through the chart? These are all means by which the teacher can assess the students ability to collect and analyze data. In addition, the students assessment will take place both formally and informally, through observations and actual work produced. The evaluation of the students understanding will be based on: Letters written to supermarket employees Lists written for recipes Completion of graphic organizers (KWL chart, Venn diagrams, graphs) Social interactions with supermarket employees Identification and manipulation of money
Please tell us briefly about your background & teaching experience: This is Ms. Chan's third year teaching first grade at P.S. 124. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor's degree in early childhood and special education. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree in literacy education at Hunter College.
What are your recommendations for other teachers interested in adapting this unit?: My recommendatioin is to focus on something very specific during the trip. The focus can be on purchasing items, interviewing workers, noticing signs, or just to take a tour. Breaking up the trips and having different goals for every visit will help children stay focused and remain interested throughout the study.
Samples of Student Projects
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The students will be comparing the different types of workers in the supermarket. The teacher will begin this activity by asking the children, Who works in a supermarket? These workers (such as cashier, produce person, and stocker) will go on the side of the chart. On the top of the chart will be the different categories, such as Where they work and What do they do? The teacher can help the students write down what they already know about these workers. In the following days, the teacher reads selected texts on supermarket workers and the students can add learned information. After visiting the local supermarket, the children can also add new information to this chart. |
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Students made a list entitled, |
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Students learned about the parts of a supermarket as they took a tour by a tour guide. They were able to interview various workers and learned the responsibilities of each worker. Touring the supermarket also allowed the children to see how a supermarket is set up in different sections. This will help them set up their own supermarket in the classroom. |
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