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Technology & Learning
Lesson Plan # 2
March 2, 2009

Topic: Exploring Your Future: Career Development

Subject(s): Language Arts, Social Sciences and Mathematics

Grade Level: 6th – 8th graders

Time Required: A total of five 60 minute class sessions: three to conduct

research and two to present findings (based on 25 students with 4 minute
presentations)

Background

It is never too early to begin thinking about one’s future endeavors, especially a
career path. This lesson will introduce students to topics such as career choices,
career assessments, salaries, skill set, etc. Students will have a general sense
of various types of careers, the skills needed for those careers, salary ranges
and a basic career plan established.

Career planning is important because students need to be able to identify their

areas of strengths, weakness and what they enjoy preferably before going off to
college. Due to the rising costs of college tuition, college may no longer be the
place for students to “find themselves”.

As educators we need to give our students early exposure to many educational

options and careers choices as possible. They need to understand that a good
future is not only guided by pursing a degree, but much planning, preparation,
acquiring skills, a positive attitude and finding a good career match.
Students will assess their current skills to find a career that could possibly
interest them. They will then conduct research about the career and give an oral
presentation of their findings to the class. Students are not expected to select a
permanent career at this time, but researching a career now will make them
aware of different career goals will have different educational requirements

Students will utilize the internet (websites), electronic encyclopedia, career

assessment tests, books, Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Front Page, Microsoft
Word and Wiki Spaces to complete this lesson plan. To increase the technology
usage of this plan, teachers can also use Kid Pix 2 for the presentation.
Students will present their findings (1) written report (2) oral presentation (3)
Power Point presentation, Wiki site, pamphlet or brochure.

Skills Needed

o Ability to manipulate graphics and audio into presentations

o Effectively browse the internet
o Effective communication skills (written and oral)
o Familiar with Microsoft Power Point, Excel, Front Page and Wiki Spaces
o Ability to think critically
o Ability to conduct and interpret research
o Ability to apply simple math concepts (average, percentage, etc)

Objectives

Students will:
o Learn about a variety of careers
o Research possible career choices of interest to them
o Students will explore their personal strengths and talents by filling out an
interest inventory
o Students will complete a written summary report of their findings
o Students will prepare and present a brief oral presentation of their
research findings to their class
o Explore the salaries for both men and women working in those careers
o Calculate the difference between average salaries for men and for women
o Calculate the percentage of difference between those averages

Learning Outcomes

o Understand the significance of early career planning

o Understand the historical dynamics of women and men salary ranges
o Understand the skills needed for particular career choices
o Formulate well thought out speeches (class presentation)
o Effectively create Power Point presentations; pamphlets, websites and/or
spreadsheets
 o Will have identified career possibilities and linked personal strengths and
talents to a career choice.
o Presentation skills (presenting in front of a group of people)

Standards (national standards will be utilized for this lesson)

I. Mathematics
a. Numbers and Operations
i. Grades 6 - 8
1. Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers,
relationships among numbers, and number systems
2. Understand meanings of operations and how they
relate to one another
3. Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates

b. Data Analysis and Probability

i. Grades 6 -8
1. Formulate questions that can be addressed with data
and collect, organize and display relevant data to
answer
2. Select and use appropriate statistical methods to
analyze data
3. Understand and apply basic concepts of probability

c. Communications
i. Grades Pre-K – 12
1. Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking
through communication
2. Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently
and clearly to peers, teachers and others
3. Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and
strategies of others
4. Use the language of mathematics to express
mathematical ideas precisely

d. Connections
i. Grades Pre-K – 12
1. Recognize and Use Connections Among
Mathematical Ideas
2. Understand How Mathematical Ideas Interconnect
and Build on One Another to Produce a Coherent
Whole
3. Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts
Outside of Mathematics

e. Representation
 i. Grades Pre-K – 12
1. Create and Use Representations to Organize,
Record, and Communicate Mathematical Ideas
2. Use Representations to Model and Interpret Physical,
Social, and Mathematical Phenomena
ii. Grades 5 – 8
1. Income and Earning

II. SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History

i. Grades 5 – 12
1. Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 - present)

Materials
o Large poster board
o Computer with Microsoft package
o calculators (optional)
o Internet access
o Median Annual Income of Year-Round, Full-Time Workers 25 Years Old
and Over, by Level of Education Completed and Sex: 1980 to 2006, online
or printed and distributed to students
o Optional: Kid Pix 2

Procedure

1. Write on the board, Smart Board, projector or what have you, the words
career and job. Create a discussion with the students by asking them what
each of those words mean to them and how they are different. Incorporate the
results of the discussion into a large Venn diagram. Keep this poster
displayed in the classroom for students to add to or refer to throughout the
lesson.

2. First Activity: Gain Attention - to gain students attention and to get them
involved in the lesson, have each student use Microsoft Front Page to design
a newspaper add for their “ideal/dream” job. Allow students to be as creative
as they would like, however the job has to be one a real one! Students can
use websites to locate information about their dream profession. The ads
should encompass their interest, skills as well as the demands of the chosen
profession.
a. Use the following lists of questions to guide the students with:

 What activities do you like to do? Are they done mostly indoors or
outdoors?
 What are your favorite school subjects and activities?
  Do you enjoy working on projects alone or with a large group?
 List a few tasks that you do well.
 What job holds the most interest for you at this time? What have you
learned about it through your research?
 Where do you want to live when you enter the workforce?
 For what kind of organization would you most like to work?

NOTE: Each student will be able to use their responses to create the ideal job
ad. Have the students be specific as possible – include employer name,
geographical location, title/position name, salary, responsibilities and
qualifications.

3. After students have completed their ads, the instructor will post them to the
class website for other students to view and make comments on. The
instructor will also provide the students with guidance (i.e. feasibility of
chosen career; creativity)
4. The students will than take a series of assessment tests to see if their
perspective of their selves aligns with various individual assessments.
5. America’s Career Resource Network (ACRN) - shows students how to find
a career that suits them, and identify the type educational, vocational or
technical background they will need to perform the chosen profession. Access
the site at: http://cte.ed.gov/acrn/cdmt/tool.htm
6. When they have finished with the ACRN test, send students to The Career
Interests Game website. This site explains the various types of personalities
and suggests occupations that may appeal to individuals who display some
characteristics of each type. Students will choose the personality trait most
closely related to them and they will than be taken to another page that gives
more detail about the trait.
7. Have students read over the new page and once they get to the section,
hobbies than look at the column to the right (career possibilities) and have
them choose one that is of interest to them.
8. Once the students click on a chosen career they will be taken to the U.S.
Department of Labor site. On this site it will give the student an outlook on
their chosen career (nature of work, qualifications, ob outlook, earnings,
related occupations and where to find additional information.
9. The prior activity will fuel the engagement for the rest of the lesson. Students
will then be asked to search the bureau of labor website, electronic
databases, job sites and other general websites to research information about
their chosen professions. Students will need to conduct a thorough research
of the profession and be able to answer the following questions:
i. Educational or Training Requirements
ii. Description or special features of your career
iii. Dress Requirements
iv. Skills needed for the career
v. How would your career serve the community?
vi. Salary or benefits
 vii. How would you balance your family life with your career?
viii. What interesting or unusual facts did you discover about your
career?
10. After students have conducted thorough research of the career they will
combine their findings to write a report. It should be a minimum of 4
paragraphs.
11. Paragraph 1- introduce to the reader what your report will be about and a
brief outline of the areas you will be covering (job features, job skills needed,
educational or training requirements etc.) You will also need to state why you
were interested in this field.
12. Paragraph 2 - Should include educational or training requirements,
description or special features of your career, special dress requirements
and special skills needed for the career
13. Paragraph 3-Should include answers to the following: How would your career
serve the community? What would your salary or benefits be? How would you
balance your family life with your career?
14. Paragraph 4 - Should include any interesting or unusual facts you discovered
about your career. You should also express how you feel about the career
now- after you have completed your research. Was there anything that
surprised you about this field? If so, explain.
15. Next students will choose from the following:
a. (1) Create a pamphlet using Microsoft Front Page that details all of
their research on their chosen profession. The pamphlet can be
persuasive or information
b. (2) Create a Wiki page that details all of their research and additional
informational links
c. (3) Create a presentation using Microsoft Power Point that details all of
their research in an attractive, yet concise format.
16. Students will need to write a short introduction for their presentation. The
introduction should state the reason a particular career was chosen and tell
what areas the speaker will be addressing.
17. Allow students to use one 3 x 5 index cards to write information as a reminder
of the topics they will need to cover.
18. Lastly students will use Microsoft Excel to create a chart displaying the
average salary for both men and women working in the career they have
chosen.
19. Each student will calculate the dollar difference between the average salaries
of men and women working in the same job and add that information to the
chart.
20. Have each student calculate the percentile difference between the average
salaries of men and women working in the same job and add that information
to the chart.
21. Encourage students to present their chart to the class. Discuss the results as
a large group.
Optional Activity (using Kid Pix 2)

Objective- Students will summarize their career studies findings by creating a

Slideshow in the program Kid Pix 2. They will create a sequence of frames that
will include graphics, audio and transitions.

Materials- Kid Pix 2 program, large external video monitor or have children pair
up and work with you as you give directions.

Procedure

1. Have students create a title page that includes the title of their career project,
their name and date. Also include a graphic and sound that illustrates their
field. Some students will prefer recording their own voice for the audio part of
this page.

2. Once the title page has been created, it is a good time to demonstrate how to
"save as" (student name) frame 1. Students are now ready to insert this
frame into the Slide Show program of Kid Pix 2.

3. The Slide Show program can be launched by double clicking on its icon, or by
choosing “Switch to Slide Show" from the Switcheroo menu in Kid Pix 2. It is
helpful to have the students’ first watch you go through this process on the
large monitor and then complete independently. They will need to now "save
as" (Student's name Slide Show). You can save a Kid Pix 2 Slide Show as a
regular presentation to run on your computer.

4. Students are now ready to create the successive slides for their Slide Shows.
Remind them to name each new frame sequential. It is very helpful to create
a separate file for each student's frames and remind them to save to that
folder each time.

5. Some students prefer inserting each slide into the Slide Show vans as soon
as they have created it. Other students prefer creating all their frames and
inserting at the end.

6. Students are highly motivated during this project and they enjoy helping each
other and demonstrating little tricks they have found in Kid Pix to their
classmates. If two students are working on the same career, you might
consider pairing them to create the Slide Show.

Evaluation:

o Students should create a file to insert all frames of their Slide

show in.
 o Slide Shows should included a title page and have a clear
beginning, middle and end that summarizes and illustrates
student's research findings in career studies.

o Decide based on class size, how many slides you think students
will need to create in order to adequately cover their findings.

Evaluation Methods

Inventory Assessment - Students should be able to successfully communicate

results of their inventory. Students should be able to answer the following
questions:

1. Explain in a few words what you like to do best during your free time if you
are not watching TV.

2. List at least two things that you feel you are really good at and tell why?

3. List at least 2 things you wish you could become better at and tell why?

4. What career do you feel would be very rewarding and interesting to you and
why?

5. List the name of a person that you admire and tell why you admire them.

6. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

Written reports assessment - will be assessed using the following rubric:

Written Report Assessment Template,

Criteria Excellent Proficient Basic Unacceptable

Readily apparent Clear but may Not consistently Generally

Thesis or to the reader; sometimes clear; stated in a unclear;
Statement of concisely stated digresses in the single sentence. Incomplete,
Purpose in a single paper; stated in a unfocused, or
sentence, which single sentence. absent.
is engaging,
and thought
provoking.

Relevance of A good attempt is May be unclear no reference to

Introduction topic to class or made as to why (contain many the topic,
audience is the topic is vague terms), audience or
apparent. The pertinent but may appear relevance.
groundwork for be slightly unoriginal, or
paper easy to unclear, or offer relatively
 predict because lacking in insight little that is new;
important topics or originality. provides little
that will be Organization for around which to
discussed are rest of the paper structure the
specifically stated. paper.
mentioned.
Content Clear examples Examples Examples The essay relies
to support support most support some on stringing
specific topic topic sentences topic sentences; together quotes
sentences and to and support reader gains little or close
support the general purpose; insight; The paraphrasing;
overall purpose; reader gains essay shows Failure to support
reader gains some insight; little of the statements with
important insight; occasional writer’s own major content
analysis poses evidence of relying instead omitted; Quotes
novel ways to novel ways to on quotes and not integrated,
think of the think about the paraphrasing improperly.
material; quoted material Quotes that are poorly
material well well integrated connected.
integrated; depth into sentences. Examples
of coverage Topics support some
without being adequately topic sentences;
redundant. addressed but no evidence of
not in the detail novel thinking
or depth and intermittent
expected. support of thesis
through with
evidence.

The ideas are The ideas are In general, ideas Ideas are not
arranged arranged are arranged logically.
logically logically to logically, but organized.
Organization to support the support the sometimes ideas Frequently, ideas
purpose. central purpose fail to make fail to make
Transitions link Transitions sense together. sense together.
paragraphs. It’s usually The reader is The reader
easy to follow the link paragraphs. fairly clear about cannot identify a
line reasoning. For the most what writer line of reasoning.
Subheadings are part, the reader intends. While Subheadings not
used throughout can subheadings are used. Few or no
the paper follow the line of used, the content topic sentences.
allowing the reasoning. beneath them
reader to reader Subheadings are does not follow;
moves easily used throughout many
through the text. the paper to paragraphs
Paragraphs have guide the reader without topic
solid topic without undue sentences.
sentences. confusion; a few
paragraphs
without strong
topic sentences.

Tone for Consistently Generally Not consistently Not professional

an academic professional and professional and professional or or appropriate.
research paper. appropriate. appropriate. appropriate.
 Sentences are Sentences are Some sentences Errors in
Sentence well-phrased and correct with are awkwardly sentence
Structure varied in length minor variety in constructed so structure
and type. length and that the reader is are frequent
They flow structure. The occasionally enough to be a
smoothly from flow from distracted. Run major distraction
one sentence on sentences are to the reader.
to another with to sentence is present or Short, Run on’s and
no run on generally smooth simple and fragments
sentences or although some compound common.
comma splices. run on sentences sentences
are present. prevail.

Word Choice Word choice is Word choice is Word choice is Many words are
consistently generally good. merely adequate, used
precise and The writer often and the range of inappropriately,
accurate. The finds words that words is confusing the
writer uses the are more precise limited. Some reader. It is
active voice. and effective. words are used difficult for the
Unnecessary inappropriately. reader to
words are unnecessary understand what
occasionally words are fairly the writer is
used. common. trying to express.

Grammar, Essentially free A few Several Pattern of

Spelling, of grammatical grammatical grammatical ungrammatical
Writing errors; The errors; There are errors; The writing; There are
Mechanics writing is free or occasional writing has many so many errors
(punctuation, almost errors, but they errors, and the that
italics, free of errors. don't represent a reader is meaning is
capitalization, major distracted by obscured. The
etc. distraction or them. reader is
obscure confused and
meaning. stops reading.

Conclusion The writer makes Some of the Some of the There is little or
succinct and conclusions, conclusions, no indication that
precise however, are not however, are not the writer tried to
conclusions supported. supported; weak synthesize the
based on Suggestions for or trite information or
research future research suggestions for draw conclusions
Suggestions for offered. future research. based on the
future research literature; no
offered. suggestions for
future research.

Citation Format APA, MLA or APA MLA or There are Format of the
other approved other approved several errors in document is not
format is used format is used APA MLA or recognizable as
accurately with minor other approved MLA or other
and consistently errors. Some format approved format;
in the paper formatting Format. References or
and on the problems exist, References or Works Cited list
"References" or some Works Cited list were not cited in
 page. The components are were not cited in the text. Pattern
references in the missing. No the text. of citation errors.
list match the in- more than one or
text citations and two citation
all were properly errors.
encoded in APA
or MLA format.

Length Number of pages Number of pages Without approval Without approval

specified in the specified in the paper has more paper has more
assignment. assignment. or fewer pages or fewer pages
than specified. than specified.

Oral Presentation - Remind students while they're practicing to think Assessment

about Criteria
delivery, rate, volume and eye contact. Oral presentations should have a clear
To fulfill the requirements of the
beginning, middle and end PEAS oral presentation
assignment, you should
Name: ______________________________________ demonstrate the ability to:

Content appropriate to audience 1. Make a formal presentation

to an audience of peers
with content relevant to the
interests and knowledge of
the audience.
2. Organize the presentation
Planning and organization so that its structure and
main points are clear to the
audience within the time
limit.
3. Use accurate language
appropriate to a
Language professional presentation.
Linguistic errors should not
make the presentation
difficult to follow.
4. Deliver the presentation in
an audible and intelligible
Delivery way and at a pace that
allows the audience to
follow.
5. Use notes or other
prompts in a way that does
not distract the audience
Use of notes from the spoken
presentation.
6. Design and use visual
aids in a way that
contributes to the
overall clarity of the
presentation.

*Your final grade will be determined by how

well you do each of these things. To achieve
grade B, you will need to demonstrate an
above average level of ability in all aspects.
To achieve grade A, you will need to achieve
excellence in all aspects and show some
degree of originality and creativity.
Design & use of visual aids

Grade

Works Cited

Career Interest Game:

http://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php

Dream Jobs: http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_dreamjob.shtml

National Standards: http://www.education-world.com/standards/national/index.shtml

Occupation Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 edition: http://stats.bls.gov/oco/

Written Report Assessment template: http://www.kidsplay.org/100w/rubric.html