Someone Builds the Dream

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After reading Someone Builds the Dream, help students meet the dream builders in your community. Start by encouraging them to think about things they use and like—from the playground at the park to their video game console. Find out what they are fascinated by, then comb your community to invite people who work to build the dreams of others-—real life construction workers, welders, electricians, machinists—to visit your school or classroom.

Visitors can be in person or virtual and share a book about their trade and talk to students about their own lives, including how they got their current job, what they do day-to-day, and how it contributes to building a dream. Help students prepare for these visits with lessons and practice in listening, asking good questions, and taking notes. Following visits, students can write and illustrate short reports on all the dream builders they’ve met.

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

1. In Someone Builds the Dream, there are all kinds of people doing lots of different kinds of jobs. Which job seems the most interesting to do? Could you imagine yourself doing that job when you grow up? Why or why not?
2. Think about something you use every day. What do you wonder about how it was made and who was involved in making it? How do you think you are connected to the people who helped make or build it?
3. What do you notice in the world around you that inspires your own dreams of making something?
4. What can you do to show all people kindness and respect for the ideas and dreams they have and the kind of work they do?

Related Resources

• Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Career Connections from PBS LearningMedia
• Career Readiness: Starting Early With Young Learners from Edutopia