Personal Strengths and Career Choices

Students will consider their current strengths and interests and identify career clusters to complement their strengths and interests. Using web-based resources, they will choose two career possibilities and report the educational preparation needed for each one.

Primary Learning Outcomes

What am I interested in and do well in school? What are the career areas that complement my strengths and interests? What are the educational requirements for careers that complement my strengths and interests?

Additional Learning Outcomes

Assessed QCC Standards:

Grade: 6

Guidance

B. Educational and Occupational Exploration

Topic: Understanding the relationship between work and learning.
Standard: Demonstrate effective learning habits and skills. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of personal skills and attitudes to job success. Describe the relationship of personal attitudes, beliefs, abilities, and skills to occupations.

Topic: Skills to locate, understand, and use career information.
Standard: Identify various ways that occupations can be classified. Identify a number of occupational groups for exploration. Demonstrate skills in using school and community resources to learn about occupational groups. Identify sources to obtain information about occupational groups including self-employment. Identify skills that are transferable from one occupation to another. Identify sources of employment in the community.

C. Career Planning

Topic: Skills to make decisions.
Standard: Describe personal beliefs and attitudes. Describe how career development is a continuous process with series of choices. Identify possible outcomes of decisions. Describe school courses related to personal, educational, and occupational interests. Describe how the expectations of others affect career planning. Identify advantages and disadvantages of various secondary and postsecondary programs for the attainment of career goals. Identify the requirements for secondary and postsecondary programs.

Grade: 6

Technology Integration

Research

Topic: Research
Standard: Uses technology and telecommunications tools to locate, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, apply, and communicate information.

Procedures/Activities

Step: 1 Duration: 10 min.

Have students think of the academic areas they do well in and enjoy: math, science, social studies, etc. Ask them to choose one subject they like best and discuss how individual interest and strengths can direct students toward possible careers in that area.

Step: 2 Duration: 5 min.

Tell students they will use the computer to find career areas organized around the academic subjects they've identified. They will use these web resources to identify careers in the specific subject--math, science, social studies, etc.--they've identified as their favorite.

Step: 3 Duration: 5 min.

Direct students to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website and have them click on the icon representing their chosen subject area to access the career information.

Web Resources for Step 3

Title: Overview of BLS Career Information
URL: http://stats.bls.gov/k12/html/edu_over.htm
Annotation: This student-friendly Bureau of Labor Statistics link lists various careers grouped by Music/Arts, Science, P.E./Outdoors, Social Studies, Reading, or Math. Clicking on the icons provides students five or six career choices in that subject area. Clicking on individual occupations provides students information on the nature of the work, working conditions, employment, preparing for the job, pay, and similar jobs.

Step: 4 Duration: 15 min.

Have students chose two career possibilities from the site and record what those workers do and what educational preparation--high school and postsecondary--is necessary for this career.

Step: 5 Duration: 20 min.

Once students have gathered their information, have them summarize their findings in the following manner: If you like ______________ (subject area), you may want to be a _______________ (type of worker, i.e., carpenter, accountant) who does this type of work: (Describe what the worker does.) You need to study these subjects in high school to prepare for this career. (List the courses) You will need to study these subjects after high school to prepare for this career. (List the courses)

Step: 6 Duration: 10 min.

Have a brief discussion about student career choices and what influence that will have on the course of study they choose in high school.

Materials and Equipment

Writing materials

Standards (Local and/or National)

Total Duration

65 min.

Technology Connection

Computer with web access; printer.

Assessment

Students will be assessed on their summaries.

Extension

Have students group all the handouts by subject area and create reference files for student access in planning high school courses.

Remediation

Accommodation

For students with exceptional needs, what changes can be made in instruction and teaching delivery to enhance student participation and learning? Each area below is a direct link to general classroom accommodations.

Non-readers     Physical Impairments     Sensory Impairments     Attention/Behavior

Each disability below is a direct link to general classroom accommodations specific for that disability.

    Autism
    Deaf - Blind
    Deaf/Hard of Hearing
    Emotional and Behavioral Disorder
    Mild Intellectual Disability
    Orthopedic Impairment
    Other Health Impairment
        Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
        Tourette Syndrome
    Significant Development Delay
    Specific Learning Disability
    Speech - Language Impairment
    Traumatic Brain Injury
    Visual Impairment

Modification

For students with significant disabilities, what changes can be made in instruction and teaching delivery to allow students to participate in classroom instruction while working on IEP objectives and off grade level QCC standards. Below are suggested modifications correlated to the procedures of this lesson plan.