Discuss various career choices with students and let each one select one. Have students draw a person dressed in what would normally be worn when working in that profession. On the back of the paper have students list some of the responsibilities of someone in that career field. Then have the students list why they would be interested in it as their career choice. For example, if a child wants to be a firefighter, he may list putting out fires and helping others. Have your students take turns speaking about the careers they have chosen.
Invite the school nurse into your classroom to discuss various career opportunities available in the medical field. Have her explain her current responsibilities as a school nurse and talk about other places she could work, such as a hospital and doctor’s office. She can also talk about the different types of specialties a nurse can pursue, including pediatrics, assisted living, orthopedics and emergency care. In addition to discussing nursing careers, she can discuss the other jobs in health care, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, radiologists and phlebotomists.
Give your students a list of careers to choose from and have them make shoebox displays of the work environment associated with a specific career. This could include an animal hospital for a veterinarian or a police station for a police officer. Toy figures can be used for people and animals. Each student should also research his chosen job's responsibilities and why it is important to the community, telling the rest of the class about it when sharing his display.
Teach your students the process behind developing a building by getting all of them involved in creating a construction project. Explain various jobs that need to be done when a building is built. Have each student select one of the jobs, such as architect, carpenter, plumber, engineer or painter and write about what their chosen job entails; second graders can be asked to write a list or a paragraph. Have students work together as a class to create a model building.