Job Fair
Grade Levels: 1 - 5
Objectives
- Students will learn about different types of jobs.
- Students will practice oral presentation skills.
- Students will learn to use a checklist as a tool for staying organized in the midst of a project.
Materials
- 1 copy of the Job Descriptions handout
- Copies of the My Job handout
- Copies of the Job Fair Checklist handout
- Costumes
- Picture books about different professions
- Chart paper
- Markers
- Pencils
Procedures
- Ask the class to name as many jobs as they can.
- List the jobs on the chart paper.
- Tell students you'll be having a discussion about some unusual jobs.
- Distribute the Job Descriptions handout and go over it with the students.
- Tell students they will be having a job fair. At the job fair, they will:
- Read aloud a paragraph about the job they picked.
- Dress up in the costume appropriate for their job.
- Act out their job in front of the class.
- Direct the students to select a job for the fair by thinking about the ones they've just discussed, by looking through picture books, or by talking to their classmates.
- Ask students to choose a job that sounds interesting to them.
- Help students find out as much as they can about the job they chose.
- Distribute the My Job handout and ask students to fill in the information, either in class or at home.
- Encourage students to practice acting out their jobs. Try
using these suggestions to give them an idea of what you expect:
- a banker teller would sit behind a counter, interact with customers, and organize money in a drawer.
- a construction worker might drive a backhoe.To act this out, a student could sit in a chair and pantomime the motions of driving the machine.
- a teacher might stand in front of the board and direct a class discussion.
- Distribute the Job Fair Checklist handout and emphasize that students are responsible for doing everything on the checklist. Remind students to use this list to ensure they will be fully prepared on the day of the fair.
- Make sure students plan time to write their paragraphs, select a costume, practice reading the paragraph aloud, and rehearse acting out their jobs.
- On the day of the job fair, allow all of the students to present their acts (either in front of the whole class or in small groups).
- If possible, take photographs of the students performing during the job fair.
- At the end of the day have a class discussion and ask students what new information they learned about different jobs.
- A bulletin board displaying the job descriptions and the photos taken during the Job Fair is a nice closing activity.
