1. Name: ________________ #: ____ Date: ______________
Labor Day
On September 3, 1894, President Grover Cleveland proclaimed the first national
observance of Labor Day. At this time the holiday honored only federal workers in all the
states and The District of Columbia. Today Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday in
September and recognizes all those who labor.
This week, in celebration of Labor Day, you are to write a paragraph in which you talk
about how working people contribute to our community and society. On the back of this
sheet make a list of jobs that people in the community do. Next, answer the questions to
help you develop a descriptive paragraph about how one of those jobs helps you and the
people in your town. Try hard to have your sentences begin with capital letters and end with
the correct punctuation marks. Have a parent edit your work after you answer the
questions, then type on the computer, or rewrite the paragraph in your neatest handwriting.
REMEMBER:
1. Sentences should start with a capital and end with a period, question mark, or
exclamation point.
2. A sentence should be a complete thought or idea. Your paragraph should have at
least 5 sentences.
3. Strong sentences have vivid details.
4. Your paragraph should stay on topic and have a topic sentence, detail sentences, and
a concluding sentence. Don’t forget to indent!
5. All words should be spelled correctly. Have an adult proofread your paragraph
before turning it in.
Here’s an example of my paragraph:
The people in my community have many important jobs. One of those jobs is picking up the
garbage and recycling at each house. The people who pick up the garbage and recycling start their job
early in the morning and go to each house on their route. They empty the garbage cans that people put
on the street into their trucks and take it to the dumps or recycling center. Picking up the garbage and
recycling is important because our houses and town would fill with garbage if no one picked it up. I don’t
think I would want to be a garbage person because I don’t even like to take the garbage out. It’s too
smelly for me! Labor Day is important because it’s a day to say thank you to all of the people who work
hard to help our community.
Turn to the back to fill out the organizer.

2. List 4 different jobs people in your community do. Circle one you want to write more
about.
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What do the people who have that job usually do?
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How does that job help your community and the town you live in?
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Would you ever want to do that job? Why or why not?
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Why is Labor Day important to you?
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