Career & College Readiness Lesson Plan

My Dream Career
Career Exploration
Grade Level 6
Overview
Students will review an occupational profile in the California CareerZone then create
and present a multimedia presentation related to that occupation.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

 Review web-based content to answer essential unit questions

 Present information in a multimedia presentation

Language Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

 Verbally share their answers to the My Dream Career Presentation questions

Standards Alignment
 California Common Core State Standards: College & Career Readiness
Anchor Standards:
o RI. 6.4; W. 6.2; SL. 6.5; L. 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.6
 California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards:
o 2, 4, 10
 California Standards for Career Ready Practice:
o 2, 11
 National Career Development Guidelines:
o CM 2, 3; PS 1
 International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Students:
o 1, 3, 4
 English Language Development Standards:
o Part I: A 2; B 6; C 10, 12
o Part II: A 1, 2; B 3, 4; C 6, 7
o Part III: All
 American School Counselor Association Mindsets and Behaviors for Student
Success:

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education

My Dream Career Career Exploration

o BS-LS 5

Materials
1. Computer with internet access and multimedia software for instructor and
students
2. Student Handouts:
(1) Vocabulary (p. 5)
(2) California CareerZone Quick Assessment (p. 6)
(3) My Dream Career Worksheet (p. 7)
(4) Multimedia Presentation Requirements (p. 8)
(5) Multimedia Presentation Organizer (p. 9)

3. Supplies may vary depending on the method the instructor chooses for the
student presentation project. Supplies may include:

 Images/clipart
 Video/recording equipment
 Camera

4. Online Resources
 My Dream Career Start-Up Video (0:57)
https://youtu.be/2OV3_xNyZtk

 California Career Zone

https://www.cacareerzone.org/

 California Career Resource Network Lesson Plan E-copy Handouts

https://californiacareers.info/#?Lesson%20Plans

Activity
Students will review an online occupational profile, answer the essential lesson
questions, create and give a multimedia presentation to the class.

Lesson Prep
 Review the lesson plan procedures, handouts, and start-up video (link in Materi-
als section). This information will help prepare you to lead discussions on per-
sonal interests and choosing a career.

 Familiarize yourself with the California CareerZone’s Quick Assessment tool and
occupational profiles (link in Materials section). Use the Quick Assessment hand-
out for directions on accessing the Quick Assessment.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education p. 2

My Dream Career Career Exploration

 Make copies of the handouts or send them to your students electronically. The
handouts are posted separately with the lesson plan on the California Career Re-
source Network Lesson Plans webpage (link in Materials section).

 Before class begins, have your computer on and the California CareerZone web-
site open in your web browser.

Lesson Procedures
1. Introduce the lesson by describing the topic and activity. For a quick introduction,
show the lesson start-up video (link in Materials section). Confirm students
understand what to expect.

2. Distribute and review the Vocabulary handout.

3. Distribute and review the Quick Assessment handout. Ensure students understand
the Occupational Work Environments descriptions are the same ones used in the
assessment.

4. Demonstrate how to use the CareerZone’s Quick Assessment.

5. Send students to computers and have them complete the California CareerZone’s
Quick Assessment.

6. Have students select one occupation they might like and open its profile.

7. Distribute and review the My Dream Career Worksheet. Have students complete the
worksheet.

8. Distribute and review the two handouts, Multimedia Presentation Requirements and
Presentation Organizer.

9. Confirm your students have computer and internet access at home or in the school
computer lab to continue working on their presentations outside class. If any student
doesn’t have school or home computer and internet access, be sure to make other
arrangements for them.

10. Set up a schedule for students’ class presentations.

11. Wrap Up. Review with students the knowledge they gained and employability skills
they practiced in this lesson:

 Communication and Employability Skills: Developed skills by creating

and giving presentations.
 Language Skills: Practiced organizing, summarizing, and discussing the
assignments.

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My Dream Career Career Exploration

 Self-development Skills: Practiced skills by using assessments to gain

personal insight and applying those insights to career exploration and
planning.
 Self-directional Skills: Practiced skills by completing tasks indepen-
dently.
 Technology Skills: Increased technical skills by navigating the California
CareerZone website, taking an online assessment, and using multime-
dia software.

Important
Be aware of your district’s policies
about students using the internet
for school assignments.

Estimated Time
Multiple class sessions for preparation and presentations.

Learning Assessment
 Completed handouts
 Creation and presentation of a multimedia presentation

Other lessons and materials are on the

California Career Resource Network website.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education p. 4

My Dream Career Career Exploration
Student Handout

Vocabulary
Career: all the personal and work experiences you’ll have throughout your life.

Occupation: cluster of jobs with common characteristics that require similar skills (e.g.,
photographer).

Job: specific position in which a person is employed.

Salary: commonly the amount of money someone receives as a fixed rate of pay per
month or per year no matter how many hours a week they work.

California CareerZone Occupational Profile Sections

 Average Annual Salary: salary range and average salary earned.

 Annual Openings (Projection Info): a prediction of the change in the number of

people employed in this occupation; it’s a prediction of the growth or decline of
jobs in this occupation.

 Job Zone: level of preparation needed to enter this occupation.

 About the Job: describes what the job is.

 What They Do: kind of things people do in this occupation.

 Interest Profile Code: typical interest profiles of people in this occupation.

 Work Values: core principles—beliefs and ideas—important to people in this oc-

cupation.

 Things They Need to Know: information people need to know for this occupa-
tion.

 Things They Need to be able to do: skills people need for this occupation.

 Preparation: what people need to do to get ready to enter this occupation.

 Your Opportunities: additional education and certification information as well as

examples of current job openings.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education

My Dream Career Career Exploration
Student Handout

California CareerZone Quick Assessment

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Go to the California CareerZone website (https://www.cacareerzone.org/).
2. Select “Discover Possibilities”.
3. On the “Discover Possibilities” page, select “Quick
Assessment”.
4. Hover over each section on the wheel to see what it is (the
same information is below). Then select three areas on the
wheel that fit you best.
5. Then select “View Results”.
6. You’ll see a list of occupations. Choose one you like.
7. Select the occupation title to see its profile.

Interest Area/Work Environment Shortened Descriptions

Read the following descriptions and be prepared to choose three that fit you best in order
to complete the Quick Assessment:

Realistic—THE DOER: Likes activities that include hands-on problems and solu-
tions. Likes dealing with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, rocks,
tools, and machinery.

Investigative—THE THINKER: Likes working with ideas. Likes searching for facts
and figuring out problems.

Artistic—THE CREATOR: Likes working with colors, designs, and patterns. Likes to
use imagination to create things. Likes creating things without having to follow a clear
set of rules.

Social—THE HELPER: Likes talking and working with people doing all kinds of dif-
ferent things together.

Enterprising—THE INITIATOR: Likes to start new things, try new ideas, and
make decisions.

Conventional—THE ORGANIZER: Likes to follow clear procedures and set rou-

tines. Likes things to be neat and organized.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education

My Dream Career Career Exploration
Student Handout

My Dream Career Worksheet

Name ________________________________ Date _________________________
Answers to the following 7 questions must be included in your multimedia
presentation. This information is in your CareerZone occupation’s profile.

1. What occupation have I chosen to present? Why did I choose it?

 The occupation I chose is ________________________________________

because ______________________________________________________

2. Describe this occupation.

 This job is about _______________________________________________

3. What are the annual openings projected for this occupation? Are the openings
growing or declining?

 This occupation may [gain] [lose] ________________ number of jobs a year.

4. What preparation is generally required to enter this occupation?

______________________________________________________

5. What are some things I need to know if I want to succeed in this occupation?
 Some of the things I will need to know are ______________________,

_______________________, and ____________________________.

6. What are some things I will need to be able to do if I want to succeed in this
occupation?
 Some things I will need to be able to do are _____________________,

______________________, and ______________________________.

7. What is the salary range (the lowest and highest salary) for this occupation?

 The salary range for this occupation is $__________ to $__________.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education

My Dream Career Career Exploration
Student Handout

Multimedia Presentation Requirements

Use this information to create your presentation.

Content
1. Cover your occupation in detail:
o Your presentation needs to show you know your topic. Use information from:
 Your My Dream Career Worksheet handout
 Your occupation’s California CareerZone profile

o Also, try imagining the questions your classmates might ask you. Then find
answers to those questions and include the answers in your presentation.

2. Organize your information before you create your presentation:

o Use your presentation organizer handout as a guide for putting your presenta-
tion together.

Slides
 Include a title slide. Ask your teacher what information to put on your title slide.
 Your slide design should be visually appealing and easy to read. Tips:
o Use a clean and simple layout.
o Use contrasting colors for the text and background.
o Limit the amount of text you put on your slides.
o Grammar and spelling count: be sure to do your best.
o Graphics and visuals are great—be sure they’re related to your occupa-
tion.
Script
 Your verbal and visual presentation need to match. Match them by:
o Writing out your script. (A script is what you plan to say during your pre-
sentation.)
o Put your script on index cards and number the cards so they match the
slide numbers.
o Practice matching your script with the visuals to be sure you have the tim-
ing right.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education

My Dream Career Career Exploration
Student Handout

Multimedia Presentation Organizer

Name Date

Slide 1: My Dream Career occupation is…

Slide 2: I chose this occupation because…

Slide 3: This occupation is about…

Slide 4: The annual openings (Occupation Profile:

Projection Info) for this occupation are…

Slide 5: The preparation required is…

Slide 6: Some things I need to know…

Slide 7: Some things I need to be able to…

Slide 8: The salary range is…

Slide 9: The end.

California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education