Community Jobs Skills

WALT

We Are Learning To identify different jobs in our community, understand their roles, and recognise the skills needed to perform these jobs well.

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Curriculum for Excellence Links

Level: Early Level / Level 1 (appropriate for Year 2 pupils)
Experiences and Outcomes (Es & Os):

• HWB 1-22a: I am learning about the different kinds of work that people do to help their communities.
• HWB 1-27a: I can identify personal strengths and skills, and those of others, and know how they can help me contribute in different ways.
• LIT 1-07a: I can engage with texts designed to share information and can select ideas and relevant information.

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Success Criteria

• I can name a range of jobs people do in my community.
• I can explain what those jobs involve.
• I can identify skills needed for each community job.
• I can match job descriptions to people and write down the skills needed.

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Resources

• Quiz cards with job titles and skills (e.g., firefighter, nurse, postperson, shop assistant)
• Sorting activity sheets (descriptions of jobs and spaces to write skills)
• Flashcards with photos or illustrations of community workers (dyslexia-friendly fonts, clear images)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Lined paper or graphic organisers for recording skills

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Lesson Outline (45 minutes)

1. Introduction & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Begin by discussing what a community is — the place we live and the people who help us every day.
• Use a whiteboard brainstorm: Ask pupils to name jobs they know in their community. Record answers and add images or words as prompts.
• Explain that today we will learn more about these jobs and the special skills people need to do them well.

Differentiation:

• Provide picture prompts and word banks for learners who benefit from visual and verbal supports.
• Pair pupils for discussion to support learners who may be shy or need help expressing ideas.

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2. Quiz: Guess the Job and Skills (10 minutes)

• Use quiz cards with a simple question about a community worker’s job and skills.
• For example: "Who helps put out fires?" or "Who delivers letters?"
• Pupils raise hands or shout out answers; encourage everyone to participate.
• Discuss the skills for each job (e.g., bravery for firefighter, friendliness for postperson).

Dyslexia-Friendly Tip:

• Use large print cards with clear, sans-serif fonts and include matching pictures.

Differentiation:

• Read quiz questions aloud multiple times.
• Allow pupils to answer verbally or show a picture as their answer.

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3. Sorting Activity: Match Jobs to Descriptions (15 minutes)

• Pupils receive a sorting worksheet with job descriptions and pictures of community workers.
• Task: Match each job description to the correct community worker picture.
• Then, write down two or three important skills needed for that job in the provided space.
• Circulate and offer support as pupils write.

Differentiation:

• Provide sentence starters for writing (e.g., "A nurse needs to be…", "A shop assistant must be…").
• Allow advanced learners to write more detailed skills or examples of using those skills.

Extension Activity (for advanced learners):

• Create a short role-play explaining how they would use these skills in the job.
• Suggest an additional community job not on the sheet and list its skills.

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4. Reflection and Sharing (8 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share one job and the skills they wrote down.
• Discuss how learning about skills helps us think about what jobs we might like to do and how we can help in our community now (e.g., being kind, helpful).
• Reinforce the idea of different skills being important for different roles and everyone having unique strengths.

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Assessment

• Observe participation during quiz and discussion.
• Review sorting activity worksheets for accuracy in matching jobs and identifying skills.
• Use verbal questioning during reflection to assess understanding.

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Additional Notes

• Make sure vocabulary is age-appropriate and use simple definitions where necessary.
• Use consistent, positive language emphasizing that all community jobs are important.
• For pupils with dyslexia, provide reading materials one lesson in advance and offer coloured overlays or reading rulers if needed.

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This lesson plan empowers Year 2 pupils to engage actively with the concept of community roles, meet Curriculum for Excellence benchmarks on health and wellbeing, and practice literacy and social skills in a meaningful context.