Introduction
Statistically, only about half of students who earn a high school diploma are college or career ready! Researchers suggests insufficient planning, poor economic resources, and poor academic preparation contribute to post-high schoolunderachievement and life-goal confusion. High school is an extremely critical period for development and preparation. Therefore, it is important for high school students to immediately begin the process of exploring their talents, developing long-term goals, and entertaining the career planning process, particularly, if they hope to be ready for life after high school and the world of work.
Task
.jpg)
In order to be competitive in this ever-changing job market, students will need to be college and career ready. This requires students to understand the necessary steps that one must take to obtain the necessary knowledge, skills, or credentials associated with their chosen life and career path. Student will be asked to research various careers using at least three on-line resources, and to maintain a journal about their career exploration experience. The journal should include information about current employment trends, different types of careers that relate to their interest, and the potential path they will take to acquire a job in their chosen field. Students will develop a PowerPoint presentation that will outline a detailed account of their individual journey, and the steps they decided to take to obtain a job in their chosen profession. Included in the PowerPoint will the students synopsis of their "First day on the job."
Process
.jpg)
Step 1: Research: Students will research careers of interest by exploring at least three different types of career exploration websites.
HOT TIPS: Here are a few to explore
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/(employment trends)
www.CareerInfo.Net(Career, salary, and trends)
www.MyMajors.com(College and Majors)
www.Salary.com(How much will I make?)
http://public.careercruising.com/us/en(Cruise through your destiny)
Step 2: Career Planning: Students will take the information they gathered from their research, and chose one career to explore further. Students will research their chosen career and develop a journal that outlines an individualized Life Plan, to include continued education, interviews, internships, academic support and any other requirements necessary to ultimately obtain a job in their field of interest.
Step 3: Presentation: Students will develop a PowerPoint presentation which chronicles their career exploration journey, as well as a brief outline of their first day on the job in their chosen field. The PowerPoint should address the following criteria:
1. What is the career you have chosen?
2. Address the education required to be successful in this field.
3. What level of education is required? What kinds of degrees? What are some schools that offer these types of degrees? (if applicable)
4. What type of additional training? How long? (if applicable)
5. What is the general salary range?
6. What are the everyday responsibilities of someone in this career?
7. Where would this career take you? (Ex. City? Company?)
8. Make sure to properly credit the sources you referenced on the last slide of your presentation.
Evaluation
| Beginning 0pts | Developing 10pts | Very Good 20pts | Exemplary 25pts | Score | |
| PowerPoint Content | Content is minimal or there are several components missing or No PowerPoint Presentation Content | Includes essential information about the topic but there 1-2 missing components | Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. Answers 7 out of 10 questions | Covers topic in depth with details. Subject knowledge is excellent, and the student answers all of the 10 questions in their PowerPoint presentation | |
| PowerPoint Organization | There was no clear or logical organization structure, just lots of facts. | Content is logically organized for the most part. | Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. | Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material | |
| PowerPoint Mechanics | More than 3 errors in spelling or grammar. | Two misspellings and or/grammatical errors | One misspelling and/or mechanical errors. | No errors to account for. | |
| Appeal | Use of font, color, graphics, etc. But these often distract from the presentation content. | Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. But occasionally these detract from the presentation content. | Makes good use of font, color, effects, graphics, etc to enhance presentation. | Makes excellent use of font, color. graphics, effects etc to set the presentation apart. | |
| Total Score: |
Conclusion
.jpg)
High school is your chance to prepare for the future. Whether you choose to attend college, join the military or enter the workforce immediately following high school; becoming college and career ready is the best way to ensure a successful transition toward your future endeavors. Today, students can learn to develop smart goals, good study skills and strong leadership skills through participation in clubs, sports, or volunteering in their community.
With successful completion of this activity, students are immediately exposed to a variety of different careers, as well as a variety of options that are available to job seekers. Hopefully, through this activity, students have gained some valuable insight into what type of career they would potentially choose in the future, and will be able to confidently take the necessary steps to get there in the future.
Credits
American School Counselor Association (2005).The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association. ISBN:1-929289-02-2.
Common Core Standards Initiative (2012). Retrieved on January 2, 2013 www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Teacher Page
As a result of this lesson, students
will be able to:
1. Recognize the relationships among different types of
careers, compare, while also comparing and contrasting the monetary
relationships to support future goals.
2. Learn about the planning, legends, values, and beliefs about the world of work.
Curriculum Standards
8.RL.5-Academic Core Standard
(Language Arts): Craft and Stucture-Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts an analyze how the differing structure and content affects
meaning.
A:C1.4- ASCA Standard
–“Demonstrate an understanding of the value of lifelong learning as essential
to seeking, obtaining and maintaining life goals”
C:A1:7-ASCA Core Academic Standards
Understand the importance of planning was used to support a core school counseling program
8.EE.5-Core Academic Standard (Math) Expressions and Equations-Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations