Elementary Student Characteristics

       As any teacher or parent can tell you, students at each grade level in elementary school have unique characteristics. Recognizing this, JA has organized the Elementary School Program as a series of seven related themes, each building upon the other, from Ourselves to Our Nation. Students at each grade level learn about the U. S. economic system in a program geared specifically toward their capabilities and interests.

       Below are brief descriptions of the JA programs structured for each grade level, and the general characteristics of students for that grade level. Awareness of how children at each level think and interact helps JA consultants tailor their presentation styles to communicate effectively. (Note: these are general age-related characteristics. Be prepared for a wide variety of abilities and personalities in your classrooms!)

       OURSELVES introduces students to basic personal economic issues and the roles individuals play as workers, consumers, and family members, through storybook characters presented by the volunteer in read--aloud and in hands-on activities such as scratch-off, stickers, flash cards, and drawing.

       Goals:   increase students' understanding of personal economics, help students discover that individuals make choices, introduce students to money with emphasis on earning and saving, and make students aware of the importance of education for their future.

       At the Kindergarten level, children begin to combine simple ideas into more complex relationships. As a result, they need an environment rich in printed materials that stimulate the development of language and literacy skills. They also need a variety of direct experiences to develop cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially.

This means:

• Kindergartners need things to play with and manipulate.
• In general, they're attention getters and crave praise, though some are overwhelmed by attention and revert to a safe place at the teacher's side.
• Keep learning fun; 5-year-olds get frustrated with serious talk and serious people.
• They'll pick up on what's important. If learning is forced, they will lose interest quickly.
• Most Kindergartners get along great with the opposite sex.

        OUR FAMILIES explores the role of families in the local economy, the jobs they have, and their economic needs and wants through activities involving a read-along book, stickers, flash card games, a map on the floor, and role-playing.

       Goals: :  increase students' knowledge of how jobs provide for the family's needs and wants, help students become more aware of different types of jobs, heighten awareness of how each person contributes to the well-being of the family, help students learn the importance of working topay for needs and wants, and make students aware of the value of education.

       First-graders are active learners and demonstrate considerable verbal skills. They love games and rules, developing concepts and problem-solving skills from these experiences. Hands-on activity and experimentation are important.

This means:

• Even when sitting, first-graders don't stay still.
• The "wiggly sixes" have a hard time finishing what they start.
• They find it difficult to copy from the chalkboard, so teachers use many worksheets.
• Boys usually use their arms and legs better, while girls are better with small muscles such as eyes and hands.
• Stress in school is social as well as academic; time to interact is important.
• By the end of the year, students do not just love their teacher, but are passionately in love.

       OUR COMMUNITY demonstrates the responsibilities of and opportunities available to citizens in their economic community through role-playing, posters, worksheets & stickers, flash cards, play money, and a "decision tree."

       Goals:  help students discover a variety of occupations, discover what elements are typically found in a community, develop awareness of which businesses operate within the community, increase understanding of how government works to support services for the well-being of its citizens, heighten awareness of how citizens must take responsibility for the well-being of the community, and increase awareness of the importance of education for future career development.

       As seasoned veterans of two years of schooling, second-graders are increasingly able to reason, listen to others, and show social give-and-take. They can display flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance of unfamiliar ideas to a remarkable extent.

This means:

• As their faces show more individuality, the sizes and shapes of their bodies change and their personalities become more distinct.
• It's important to encourage them to accept their differences — by displaying their hand prints and family snapshots, writing 'self books" about favorite clothes, memories, trips, and the like.
• Second graders concentrate on a subject in class for 20 minutes at a time, but no longer.
• Repetition is great fun — they will return day after day to the same lesson and only move on to the next one after the last is mastered.

       OUR CITY introduces students to business operations, city planning, and economic development issues through posters, worksheets, floor maps, sample blueprints, paper buildings to color and construct, banking materials, and newspaper article forms.

       Goals:  help students discover a variety of occupations and identify types of businesses found in a typical city, increase awareness of the types of workers businesses require, develop understanding of how workers apply their skills to their jobs, heighten awareness of the contriburions of businesses to a city, and increase awareness of the importance of education for future career development.

       Third graders combine great curiosity with increased social interest. They are able to learn about people who live elsewhere in the world, but their understanding of what they read is dependent upon relating ideas to their own experience.

This means:

• Things settle down in third grade; students like school but are very casual about it.
• Their desks reflect their individuality — each one intensely personal, full of the owner's special junk.
• On the playground and in the lunchroom, they are talkative and have much to say to those they admire. You may be struck by their ease of manner.
• Third graders need to inspect, to know, to organize, and to classify.
• Their abilities in math and reading range from first to fifth grade, and the teacher must weave values into everything from current events to fiction.

OUR REGION discusses the natural, human, and capital resources of regions and how these affect decisions businesses must make through workbook exercises, posters, a map of the US, group activities, and a game.

Goals:  discuss the use and importance of resources within the context of business operations, increase awareness of the production and distribution of goods and services in states and regions, help develop awareness of buisiness specialization and interdependence, teach practical decision-making to demonstrate wise use of resources, and help students understand the flow of money in and out of a business and the role of profit and loss to the success of a business.

       Fourth graders are somewhat self-conscious and prefer group activities to working alone. They also are beginning to understand abstractions as well as cause-and-effect relationships, but need real experiences in social settings.

This means:

• Fourth graders have become distinct individuals and want everyone to know it.
• Friends are definitely more important than teachers now.
• Suddenly, school becomes much more real: more memory work and attention to writing, style, and meaning.
• They are more absorbed and competitive, with a strong need to improve upon past accomplishments.
• Since the classroom has become a demanding, competitive place, cheating can begin to be a real problem.
• The division between boys and girls is strong. Girls walk in small packs, and boys reach their warmongering peak.

OUR NATION provides practical information about businesses' need for individuals who can meet the demands of the job market, hrough workbooks, stickers, group activities, role-playing, and a CD -ROM.

Objectives:  introduce the concept of globalization of business as it relates to various careers, emphasize the need for entrepreneurial thinking to meet the requirements of high-growth, high-demand careers worldwide, illustrate the different types of resources needed in business production, and create awareness of the impact of global competition on business needs for employees and production materials.

       Fifth graders may be experiencing bodily changes and rapid growth spurts, which cause periods of frustration and anger. They generally are interested in and enthusiastic about places and problems in the news and want to know what caused these problems, where they occurred, and the reasons for them.

This means:

• Fifth-graders appear to grow before your eyes, mentally as well as physically. Many are on the verge of abstract thought.
• Mental leaps and shifts in humor change their classroom behavior.
• School is considerably more demanding, and students will have homework in several subjects.
• The two key areas of the curriculum are fractions and writing. Both call for more memory and concentration, which the students find engaging.
• Their hammy natures make playacting and poetry recitations delightful.
• Honor and fair play are high this year. This stems from their budding social conscience, so teachers who play favorites are in for trouble.
• They are pulling away from parents and teachers, so friends are more important. Friendships are almost always with the same sex, but boy-girl flirtation has begun.

       Junior Achievement's Middle School programs are non-sequential courses for grades 6 - 8 that fit into the existing class curriculum. These programs stress the importance of staying in school while introducing students to economic concepts and information about the world of work.

       Click here for a complete list of middle school programming.

       Sixth graders are in a period of transition between childhood and adolescence. As a result, they tend to be sociable and need opportunities to express feelings and opinions. They do not have the ability to view issues from the perspective of a whole society, but need to encounter analytical questions about their economic society and history.

This means:

• This is a year of connections as young minds grow increasingly analytical. They can link ideas and information in logical patterns, which means they understand adults much better.
• An air of respect and camaraderie develops between students and teachers.
• At the beginning of the year, students will tell you what happened in a book or lesson; at the end, they can tell you why.
• What's happening in the world now is real and far more fascinating than history.
• They are less self-conscious and able to let their imaginations lead to new experiences.
• Keeping order in class is more challenging.
• Competition in games becomes intense.

Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. In partnership with business and educators, JA brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential.