It is important for elementary age children to be aware of the world of work and of how their school learning experience is connected to their future. Elementary schools can do a number of things to create this student awareness. Building Connections for Students Between Academic Skills and the Future. A key to helping students meet high academic standards is clarifying the relationship between what they are learning and the applicability to real-world situations. It should be noted, this is not a new idea and many teachers in schools throughout the country currently and in the past integrate curriculum to help students see this school to real world connection.
Teachers can help make the connection by ensuring that lessons have some relation to the real world.
For example, when teaching a math concept, instead of using abstract examples, teachers can use real life problems. A teacher can take a class working on weights and measures in the classroom to the fruits and vegetables section of the local grocery store to see their learning being used. This not only makes learning more meaningful, but begins to introduce students to some of the skills that might be necessary for a productive life and successful career. Another strategy is to build the entire curriculum around an industry theme. For example, using aviation as the theme, a teacher could construct a math lesson on distance and time, a social studies lesson on geography, a science lesson on aerodynamics, and an English lesson requiring students to write stories about the airport.