Elementary School Programs :: JA Our City™

Our CityJA Our City studies careers, the skills people need to work in specific careers, and how businesses contribute to a city. Five required, volunteer-led activities.

The key learning objectives listed beside each Session state the skills and knowledge students will gain.

Session One: Inside Cities

Students recognize that a city is a place where people live, work, play, and go to school. They become aware of the importance of civic planning to the economic development of a city.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • define a city as a place where people live, work, play, and go to school.
  • learn about the different zones used in city planning.
  • identify the job of a city planner.

Session Two: Building a City

Students examine the role of a builder and become aware of how that job is interconnected with the job of the
city planner.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • understand the importance of the construction business to a city’s economy.
  • recognize the skills a builder needs.
  • identify how the builder’s job relates to the job of the city planner.

Session Three: Dining Out

While students explore the role of restaurant owner, they work in groups to make decisions about operating a restaurant. They define the terms consumer, producer, and entrepreneur. Through discussion, they are able to identify the difference between consumer and producer.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • make group decisions necessary to start a restaurant.
  • decide on a type of restaurant.
  • discuss and select the best location for a restaurant.
  • decide what to charge for meals.
  • select an employee.
  • promote the restaurant.

Session Four: Making Headlines

Students examine the purpose of a newspaper as a communication tool for people in a city, as well as learn about the role of reporter. They generate and organize article outlines for a class newspaper.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • understand the importance of a newspaper as a communication tool.
  • recognize the skills a reporter needs.
  • generate article topics and develop article outlines.

Session Five: You Can Bank on It

As they role-play simple financial transactions, students become aware of why banks are important to a city.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • understand that one of a bank’s purposes is to hold money.
  • complete a simple bank transaction.
  • balance a checkbook.

JA Our City enhances students’ learning of the following concepts and skills:

Concepts–Banking, Business, Careers, City, City planner, Communication, Consumer, Decision, Economic development, Economic institutions, Entrepreneur, Incentives, Income, Interdependence, Jobs, Money, Producer, Quality, Resources, Skills, Specialization, Zones

Skills–Applying information, Applying thinking skills, Compiling data, Conducting research, Constructing data, Creating readable documents, Decision-making, Developing ideas, Drawing, Filling out forms, Following directions, Identifying zones, Interpreting data, Interpreting directions, Listening critically, Mapping information, Map reading, Making observations, Math computations, News writing, Reading data, Responding to written and oral presentations, Role-playing, Teamwork, Using scale

JA Our City is a series of five activities recommended for students in third grade. The average time for each Session is 45 minutes. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed Session plans for the volunteer and materials for 30 students.

All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. These programs also augment school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.

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