Summary
Exposure to a wide range of careers is essential for students to understand their choices after graduating high school. This lesson will provide experiences for students to discover career interests and learn about multiple careers.
Essential Questions
What careers and postsecondary opportunities align to my personal interests and skills?
What resources are readily available to learn about careers?
Snapshot
Engage
Students listen to career professionals to infer the career of each speaker.
Explore
Students choose a career sub-cluster they might be interested in based on their interests.
Explain
Students research information about a career based on their interests.
Extend
Students “speed date” to gather information about multiple careers.
Evaluate
Students reflect on their new knowledge about careers.
Materials List
Lesson Slides (attached)
Career Speed Dating Profile handout (attached; one per student)
Career Note Catcher handout (attached; one per student)
3-2-1 Career Exploration handout (attached; ½ sheet per student)
Personal device with internet
Pen/pencil
Bell (optional)
Learning Goals
Connect career pathways that align to students’ interests or skills.
Expand students’ options for future career choices.
Engage
5 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Tell students they will listen to five career professionals describe their day-to-day work. There are twenty seconds between each speaker for students to discuss what career the professional is describing. After the twenty-second pause, the career is revealed. Play the video on slide 2.
After the video, review the Essential Questions and Lesson Objectives with students on slides 3 and 4.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 5 and have students use a personal device to go to https://k20.ou.edu/makingcents or use the QR code on the slide. Once there, have students complete the following:
Select one of the six topics by clicking on one.
Select one career path to explore.
Read about the career path and the possible careers located under that path.
After providing time for students to navigate to a career path and possible careers, have students speak to an Elbow Partner about the path they selected. Let students talk with one another for a few minutes.
Move to slide 6 and have students pick one career they would like to learn more about. Direct students to navigate to mynextmove.org, or use the QR code provided on the slide, and tell them to search for the career they have chosen by entering the career title in the “Search careers with key words” box.
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Pass out the attached Career Speed Dating Profile. Tell students to complete the handout by reading about their chosen career. The handout asks for the following information:
Knowledge: What is the purpose of your job?
Job: What can your day-to-day activities look like?
Interests: What skills would you need to have/classes to do this job?
Family: What are two or more related jobs?
About Me: What is your average salary?
More About Me: What else is important to know about you?
Pick-up Line: Related to the job
Check Out My Profile Pic: Draw an image that represents your career.
Location: Give two or more local/volunteer/internship opportunities related to your job.
Extend
35 Minute(s)
Display slide 7 and pass out the attached Career Note Catcher. Inform students that they are going to learn about the other jobs through a speed-dating game using the Career Speed Dating Profiles they created.
Inform students they will have one minute with each person across from them: 30 seconds to share information about their own job and 30 seconds to gather as much information as they can about their partner's job. Ask students to start their share outs with the pick-up lines they have written for their career. Have students record the information they learn from each partner on the Career Note Catcher.
Begin a timer and have students speak to their partner. When the timer ends, have students on one side rotate to the next partner to share and gather information about a different job. Repeat until all students have shared with at least five other students.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 8 and take a few minutes to facilitate an informal discussion with students about how they plan to use the information they found at the My Next Move website in the future for career planning. Have them brainstorm a list of options as a class.
Move to slide 9 and pass out the 3-2-1 Career Exploration handout to each student. Ask students to reflect on the careers they have learned about to answer the questions. Collect the handout from students before they leave and use these to assess participation and plan follow-up activities, resources, and conversations with students.
Follow-Up Activities
Consider planning a time for students to return to the Next Move website to learn about other careers in the cluster they are interested in.
Research Rationale
Research demonstrates that early development of occupational knowledge through school career education programs supports students in building an understanding of the world of work and available career opportunities (Ginevra et al., 2024; Godbey & Gordon, 2019; James, 2024; Kim & Lee, 2023). The middle and high school years are fundamental for students to explore careers and develop transferable skills to help them succeed in high school and beyond (James, 2024; Kim & Lee, 2023). Where career exploration programs involve experiential learning, student engagement is increased, improving graduation rates and college and career readiness (Godbey & Gordon, 2019; James, 2024; Kim & Lee, 2023).
Resources
Ginevra, M. C., Santilli, S., Hartung, P. J., & Nota, L. (2024). A career education program for early childhood youth: Development and initial evaluation. The Career Development Quarterly, 72(2), 78–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12345
Godbey, S., & Gordon, H. R. D. (2019). Career exploration at the middle school level: Barriers and opportunities. Middle Grades Review, 5(2). https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/mgreview/vol5/iss2/2
James, S. L. (2024). A mixed methods case study program evaluation of a middle school career exploration program (Publication No. 31330513) [Doctoral dissertation, Oral Roberts University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. https://www.proquest.com/docview/3066204650/abstract?sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Concept speed dating. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3330
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
Kim, Y., & Lee, H. (2023). Investigating the effects of career education programs on high school students’ career development competencies in Korea. Sustainability, 15(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813970