Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: The Top Job

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The Top Job, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and illustrated by Robert Neubecker is a book that tells the story of a class who tells stories about what jobs their parents have.  The children start by telling of the amazing jobs their parents have, such as jewelers, astronomers, and NASCAR drivers.  One student tells her classmates that her father changes light bulbs.  After the students begin to laugh at her, she tells the story of how her father took her to help change a light bulb.  She tells that they went to New York City and changed the light bulb at the top of the Empire State Building.  The class loves the story and even wants to go with her next time.  This can be a great way to introuduce the idea of different jobs to kindergarten students, and then elaborate on some of the jobs they will learn to recognize.

Curriculum Connections
This book would be good way to teach children that there are many different jobs.  It works with VA Science SOL K.6.

Additional Resources

  • The official site of the Empire State Building allows the children to explore the building that is a major part of the story.
  • This pop-up game lets students match jobs to the task they perform.  It is a good way to review after they are taught the jobs.
  • Learning to Give provides a lesson plan that helps kids match jobs to the tasks that they perform.

Book: The Top Job
Author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Illustrator:
Robert Neubecker
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date:
July 2007
Pages: 32 pages
Grade Range: K-1
ISBN-13:
978-0525477891

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