ESSENTIAL WORKERS INQUIRY
DAY 1 ACTIVITY
Looking for the Helpers
15-20 Minutes
Explore who the helpers are in your community
Discover why the work these helpers do is important
Paper or notebook
Pencil, pen, or other writing tool
“Helpers in My Community” handout (optional)
THIS WEEK
We’re thinking about the question: “How can we show gratitude to essential workers and helpers in our community?”
Your challenge this week is to create an “Expression of Gratitude” to honor a community helper and their important work.
Let's Get Started!
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Who are the people that are helping you in your community?
Watch this video to learn more about the community helpers in your community!
Who do you see in the video?
Why are these jobs important in our community?
community helpers:
people whose work is very important to our health and safety
Now let’s find out more about some of these helpers and the work they do.
Food Supply Workers
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Farm workers tend to animals and grow crops to give us fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products like milk, eggs, and cheese. This food is then sent to grocery stores.
Many people work in grocery stores so that people have food to eat. Some work as cashiers or baggers. Others keep the shelves full or take care of the carts.
Can you think of other community helpers that work to make sure that we have food to eat?
Delivery Workers
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Mail carriers bring our mail to us at our house or business. At the Post Office, they organize the mail, then take the mail to houses and businesses.
Delivery truck drivers transport packages to people at their houses and deliver food to grocery stores. They also drop off other important items that businesses need.
Can you think of other community helpers that deliver things we need?
transport:
move something from one place to another
Healthcare Workers
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Doctors and nurses take care of people when they are sick. They work in doctors’ offices and hospitals and we go see them when we need to get better.
If your doctor tells you to take medicine, you might have to visit a pharmacist. Pharmacists give people medicine and tell them how to take it safely.
Can you think of other community helpers that work to keep us healthy?
Who else is a community helper? There are many more! Think about the ways that other people help you.
Firefighters and Police Officers:
They are usually the first people to arrive when there is an emergency.
Transportation Workers:
Bus drivers, train operators, and other transportation workers help to get people where they need to go, like to work or the grocery store.
Garbage Collectors:
Garbage collectors and other workers help keep our communities clean.
Other City Workers:
Cities and towns have lots of workers that help to make sure we have clean water, electricity, and other important things.
Your challenge this week is to create an “Expression of Gratitude” to honor a community helper’s hard work and show why it’s important.
Today, you will think of 3 important helpers in your community.
gratitude:
being thankful
Think about:
Who are 3 people that are helping you and your community right now?
You're going to:
Create a list of 3 people and describe what they are doing to help your community. You can make your list on a piece of paper, or use the “Helpers in My Community” handout if you like
Make your list! For each person, describe:
Their role (What does this person do to help?)
Their place (Where does this person help?)
Their tools (What does this person need to do their job?)
Watch the “Curious Kids - Careers” video to learn more about different jobs that people have.
Think about how these different jobs help their communities.