Questions: Ask Dr. Katz

Archive: Question 7

Question

I heard you mention once that many times when you have walked into classrooms, you haven't seen anything that reflects the local community. It seems that a good way to make a classroom look like it belongs in a community would be to do projects about the community. When I think of having children investigate their community, though, it can be ... overwhelming. What suggestions do you have for narrowing that down a little? What would be some good topics to start with? I'm thinking about preschool through third grade.

Dr. Katz
If you are thinking about doing a project that will help young children to know and connect with their local community, here are some suggestions.

One way to start is to take a 10-minute walk in any direction from the preschool or school site, and as you walk, ask yourself: “Is there anything that comes into view that is worthy of the children investigating?”

Of course, many things might come into view--a fire station, post office, supermarket, grain elevator, paper cup factory, garage, combine harvester. Those, and any number of other things that you and the children might take for granted, could be worth looking into more deeply.

For example, I have worked with teachers of young children who have had them study all the signs they could spot on their way to school. These included signs like “Slow,” “Stop,” “Hospital,” “Traffic Light Ahead” “Exit,” “Sale,” “Entrance,” and so forth. Even though the children were not yet readers, they became highly motivated to copy what was on the signs and to figure out what they said.

Another way to begin might be to select various public servants and other service providers--for example: local police, firefighters, post office staff, sanitation department workers, builders (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, cement workers), local bank tellers, gas station repairmen, hospital staff, and any number of other service providers who help to keep the community safe and running smoothly.

For some examples of project work that has helped children better know their communities, you might look at the following resources:

Web Resources

• The Hospital Project
  http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v9n1/sanchez.html
• The Combine Project: An Experience in a Dual-Language Classroom
  http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v3n1/wilson.html
• Faces to the Window: "The Construction Project"
  http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/berry.html
• The Grocery Store Project
  http://www.projectapproach.org/index.php?option=com_bookmarks&Itemid=91&task=view&id=44
• Who Measures What in Our Neighborhood?
  http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/ups/curriculum2002/measure/index.shtml

IEL Tip Sheets

• Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/people.htm
• Neighborhood Geography with Young Children
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/geography.htm
• Out and About with Preschoolers: The Places You'll Go!
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/outdoor-places.htm