Lesson Plan: “My School and Community”

 

Grade Level: Kindergarten / Grade 1 (Ages 5–7)

Duration: 1 week (5 days, 40–50 minutes per lesson)

Theme: School and Community Helpers

Language Focus: Naming school places and community professions; asking and answering “Who is this?” and “Where do we…?”

Key Vocabulary

  • School places: classroom, playground, library, office, cafeteria, bathroom
  • People: teacher, principal, nurse, janitor, doctor, police officer, firefighter, mail carrier Key Structures
  • This is the ______.
  • He/She is a _______.
  • A firefighter helps us by _______.
  • Who helps you at school? → The ______ helps me.
  • Where do you read books? → In the library.

Weekly Overview

 

Day

Main Objective

Core Activities

Materials

1

Introduce school places

Tour + flashcards + “Where is…?” game

School map, flashcards

2

School helpers + labeling worksheet

Labeling school map + “Who helps here?”

Worksheets, crayons

3

Community helpers (focus: doctor, police, firefighter)

Role-play costumes + mini-dialogues

Dress-up clothes/hats, toy props

4

Read-aloud “Biscuit Visits the Doctor” + drawing

Story → Draw your favorite helper

Book, drawing paper

5

Assessment + “Thank You” card project

Oral quiz + make cards for real helpers

Cards, markers, stickers

Detailed Daily Plan

Day 1 – My School Places

Objectives

  • Name 6 school places
  • Use “This Crest is the…” and “We ___ in the…”

Activities

  1. Quick school tour (orior if not possible, photo walk on projector)
  2. Flashcard introduction + chanting
  3. Game: Teacher says “Where do we eat lunch?” → Children run and touch the picture of the cafeteria.
  4. Song: “This is our school, this is our school…” (to the tune of Frère Jacques)

Day 2 – People at My School

Objectives

  • Recognize 4–5 school helpers
  • Complete sentences: “The ______ works in the ______.”

Activities

  • Show photos or drawings of real school staff (if possible).
  • Worksheet: Label the school map (classroom → teacher, office → principal, etc.).
  • Pair interview: A: “Who helps you when you are sick?” B: “The nurse helps me.”

Day 3 – Community Helpers Role-Play

Objectives

  • Use “A firefighter helps us by putting out fires.”
  • Ask and answer “What does a _____ do?”

Activities

  • Dress-up station: firefighter hat, doctor coat, police badge, mail bag, etc.
  • Role-play scenarios (5-minute scenes): → Fire in the classroom! → Someone is hurt on the playground! → A lost dog in the street!
  • After each scene: “Who helped us? How?”

Day 4 – Story Time & Creative Response

Book: Biscuit Visits the Doctor by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (or any Biscuit book involving the vet/doctor)

Activities

  1. Interactive read-aloud (pause to predict, repeat phrases).
  2. Retell with puppets or finger puppets.
  3. Drawing: “My favorite helper” – children draw a helper and write or dictate one sentence. Example: “The doctor helps Biscuit. The doctor helps me too.”

Day 5 – Assessment & Celebration

Objectives

  • Identify school places and community helpers orally
  • Say 1–2 sentences about what helpers do

Assessment (Oral + Visual – very gentle) Teacher shows 8 pictures one by one (mixed school places & helpers). Child answers two questions for each:

  1. “Who is this?” OR “What place is this?”
  2. “How does he/she help us?” OR “What do we do here?”

Scoring (simple smiley system)

  • 3 smiles = all answers correct and loud
  • 2 smiles = most correct, a little help needed
  • 1 smile = needs more practice

Final Project – “Thank You” Cards

  • Children choose one real helper at school (teacher, nurse, janitor, etc.).
  • Folded card: draw the person + write/copy: “Dear ______, Thank you for helping us. Love, ______.”
  • Deliver cards at the end of the day (big smiles guaranteed!).