Career Awareness

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Career Awareness

• Why do people have jobs or careers?
• What are the different types of jobs or careers?

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About This Unit The Career Awareness unit is
the first of four units and will introduce
students in grades 5-8 to

• Why people need to have jobs
• Different types of jobs/careers
• As well as,
• Expose students to general work expectations
  punctuality
• attendance and reporting of absences
• completing assigned work
• reporting of problems and asking for
  assistance,
• cooperating with others
• hygiene and health
• self-advocacy

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Design FrameworkUnits are designed using the
three stages of Understanding by Design

• Stage ONE
• Identify external standards and overall unit
  goals that are relevant to the students strengths
  and needs
• Incorporate these standards and goals to
  create relevant, authentic questions that hook
  students and address and key misunderstandings
• Stage TWO
• Develop assessments that demonstrate thorough
  unit learning by using the Six Facets of
  Understanding
• Stage THREE
• Develop learning activities that develop the
  knowledge and skills needed to successfully
  complete the assessment and demonstrate thorough
  unit understanding

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Stage ONEIdentify external standards for the
unitOhio Department of Education Middle School
Content Standards

• Language Arts Standards
• Reading-
• Use multiple resources to enhance comprehension
  of vocabulary
• Determine a purpose for reading and use a range
  of reading comprehension strategies to better
  understand text
• Writing-
• Write letters (business letters to the editor,
  job applications) that address the audiences
  needs and state purpose in a clear and efficient
  manner
• Use persuasive strategies, including establishing
  a clear position in support of a proposition or a
  proposal with organized and relevant evidence
• Communication-
• Present ideas in a logical sequence and use
  effective introductions and conclusions that
  guide and inform a listeners understanding of
  key ideas

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Content Standards cont.

• Mathematics-
• Analyze and solve multi-step problems involving
  addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
  division of whole numbers
• Science-
• Describe how technology affects human life
• Give examples of how thinking scientifically is
  helpful in daily life
• Social Studies-
• Define and identify regions using human and
  physical characteristics.

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Stage 1

• Identify and prioritize content standards.
• Identify and prioritize key students learning
  needs.
• Combine standards and student needs to develop
  inquiry-based unit questions that
• Reflect overarching unit goals
• Address authentic and relevant life-long issues
• Hook and engage students
• Address key unit misunderstandings

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Unit QuestionsThese questions result from
prioritizing the standards and the student needs.

• Why do people have jobs or careers?
• What is the difference between a job and a
  career?
• Why do people need to or want to work?
• What are the different types of jobs or careers?
• What skills do different careers require?
• What skills will I need to help me succeed in a
  career?

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Stage TWO Develop assessments using the Six
Facets of Understanding
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Stage 2 Facets cont.
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Stage 2 Facets cont.
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Stage 2 Facets cont.
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Stage 2 Facets cont.
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Stage 2 Facets cont.
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Stage THREE Suggested Teaching Activities
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Sample of Lesson Plans Writing 1

• Activity- Students will write letters to people
  met on job site visits at school, the district,
  and in the local community, to ask for
  information about the interests and motivations
  that led them to their careers.
• Behavioral Objective- Students will compose a
  letter to a person of their choice that uses the
  correct business letter format, with no more than
  2 teacher corrections and asks clear questions
  about interests, motivations, and other
  circumstances that led to their current career,
  after peer editing.
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Before this activity
  students will need to know the differences
  between friendly and formal letters, and how to
  use the writing process for developing and
  editing written work.
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask students
  about the job site visits they made in learning
  about the 6 characteristics of jobs, and
  examining technology and accommodations. Teacher
  will ask students to imagine how the different
  workers got their jobs. Teacher may describe one
  or offer his/her own career path as an example.
  Teacher will ask how students can find outwill
  facilitate discussion to writing a letter.

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Lesson Plan-Writing 1 cont.

• Lesson Procedure-
• Ask students to identify the differences between
  friendly and formal or business lettersin tone,
  language style, and format. Generate the rules
  and format and post.
• Have students identify one person from their
  visits they would like to contact to learn about
  their interests, motivations, skills, and career
  path in acquiring their current job. Have the
  class develop potential wordings for and
  introduction, questions, and conclusion.
• Have each student write a draft letter then have
  a peer review for form and clarity of questions.
  Get addresses and have students write the final
  copy and send.
• Have students read the responses and identify the
  persons perspective. In demonstrating Facet 4,
  have students compare this with their own
  perspectives on this position, their interests,
  skills, etc.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students Help
  students choose individuals, provide students
  with the business/formal letter format, have
  class write each portion of the letter together
  and then check.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students work more independently on drafting
  letters and write several to compare paths.

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Sample Lesson Plan Writing 2

• Activity- Students will write an self-evaluative
  summary, developing a clear thesis and providing
  support for his/her conclusion about a preferred
  career category/cluster.
• Behavioral Objective- Students will write a
  summary of their abilities, likes, and dislikes
  across (a) at least 5 of the 6 career
  characteristics, (b) their strengths and
  limitations (at least 2 each), including a clear
  thesis statement and a clear conclusion to the
  summary.
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Students can identify their
  strengths and limitations, the 6 career
  characteristics, and the career categories (DOT
  or OOH).
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask students
  the unit questions why people have different
  careers (different interests, abilities, etc.)
  and what kinds of jobs there are (their visits
  across the career categories). Ask students how
  they are now better prepared to decide on a
  career category.

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Lesson Plan Writing 2 cont.

• Lesson Procedure-
• Explain that students are now ending the unit and
  will need to explain their career choice (similar
  to interviewing and explaining why they are a
  good candidate). They will be writing a
  persuasive essay that includes a clear idea of
  what they believe (thesis), a strong conclusion,
  and evidence for this conclusion (body of the
  essay). Give examples from interviews, or
  written persuasive forms.
• Review or explain (give examples) of a thesis
  statement.
• Explain the criteria for evidence their
  abilities, likes, and dislikes across the 6
  career characteristics and at least 2 each of
  their strengths and limitations.
• Review or explain how to synthesize into a
  concluding statement.
• Have students draft their statements and use
  peers to review.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students
  Provide students with a format to use, have class
  write each portion together and then check.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students work independently to draft and review
  each others work.

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Sample Lesson Plan - Reading

• Activity- Students will read information about
  career categories using context to support
  vocabulary development, and using different
  reading strategies to support different purposes
  for reading.
• Behavioral Objective- Students will locate and
  read information across the 9 (DOT) or 10 (OOH)
  career categories to collect information about
  the 6 career characteristics within each
  categoryusing context clues to make an
  approximate guess of meaning for at least 5
  unknown words, and varying reading according to
  purpose scanning to locate category, skimming to
  locate career characteristics within a
  description, and thorough reading to take notes,
  using all 3 at least 5 times.
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Students have basic context
  skills and have used each reading strategy
  previously.
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask how much
  they know about (unit question) what kinds of
  jobs there are. Discussion will lead to how jobs
  may be categorized by similarity, and ask for
  ideas. Teacher will present preferred
  categorization (DOT or OOH) and give examples.

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Lesson Plan Reading cont.

• Lesson Procedure-
• Teacher will explain that class will visit job
  sites and look for specific characteristicswill
  explain the 6 for this unit.
• To prepare for these visits and to answer the
  unit questions, students will do research on the
  career categories. Teachers will have students
  choose a category or work in pairs/groups
  (teacher can choose one category to complete as a
  demonstration to do with the class initially).
  Pass out print material about the category(ies)
  to each student.
• Ask some of the different ways students have used
  reading in the past to find information quickly,
  to read thoroughly, etc. Pass out worksheet with
  info listed for the 6 categories. Discuss how
  students would locate various types of
  information, linking reading purpose with
  strategy. Show place on worksheet for students to
  indicate the reading strategy used.
• Ask students what strategies they have used when
  they encounter a word they dont know. Review
  use of context and have them list words and their
  guesses in a word log. Compile information
  found for the class.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students Model
  more than one career category, or do all as a
  group, discussing reading word strategy used.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students work without an initial model, and
  develop their own worksheet or reporting form.

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Sample Lesson Plan Mathematics

• Activity- Students will compute wages plus
  overtime versus salaries to compare weekly,
  monthly, and annual earnings.
• Behavioral Objective- Students will compare
  weekly, monthly, and annual earnings of typical
  hourly wages and salaries across the career
  categories, using multi-step addition,
  subtraction, multiplication, and division with at
  least 5/6 correct across each category.
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Be able to successfully
  complete a multi-step problem able to do
  addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
  division of whole numbers to 95 accuracy.
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask if it is
  better to be paid with an hourly wage or an
  annual salary. Ask for examples from their
  friends/family and provide competing examples.
  Help them conclude that this must be calculated
  because its not always clear.

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Lesson Plan Mathematics cont.

• Lesson Procedure
• Review the difference between hourly wages and
  salary (from the 6 categories). Choose an example
  of an hourly wage and salary to use with the
  class. Use hourly wage and ask students/review
  how to compute weekly, monthly, and annual
  earnings. Have class compute each.
• Ask/review how to now compute monthly and weekly
  earnings from annual salary, and have class
  compute these. Compare final results.
• Have students work together to compute wages and
  salaries from typical jobs within each job
  category.
• Make a class chart that compares these salary
  computations and discuss the types of jobs that
  tend to be hourly or salaried, and any student
  preferences.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students Model
  more than one set of calculations, or do all as a
  group.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students work without an initial model and less
  guidance in developing calculation comparisons
  have students use reverse computations to check
  their answers.

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Sample Lesson Plan Social Studies

• Activity- Students will use general and natural
  resources maps to indicate natural and human
  conditions (cities, highways, etc.) that support
  local jobs.
• Behavioral Objective- After visiting each job
  site, students will use a map of natural
  resources and a standard highway city map to
  identify at least 2 features that support each
  job (city, transportation, farms, etc.).
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Students have basic
  map-reading skills including use of legends
  students can find their own city or location on a
  state map.
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask students
  about the job sites they have visited and what
  kind of work it entailed, and the career
  category. Teacher will ask what things the
  workers used at work and guide discussion to what
  workers need in order to get to work and to
  complete their work transportation, highways,
  gas, etc. work machines, materials,
  (transportation for the materials, etc.)

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Lesson Plan - Social Studies cont.

• Lesson Procedure
• Describe how different areas have special
  features or resources that help businesses. Ask
  students about special geographic features of the
  area and what businesses use them. Look at a
  standard map to expand the listidentify presence
  of large cities, rivers, lakes, etc. List these
  out features businesses.
• Have students identify how cities, lakes, etc.
  help businesses transportation, highways,
  offices and resources, etc. Add a column of
  support to the previous 2 and list out
  examples for each business.
• Ask if there are other things that help
  businesses decide to come to an area. Guide
  discussion to natural resources and land use.
  Show students a natural resources map and help
  them read the legend. Identify other industries
  that use minerals, forests, pasture, etc. on the
  class chart.
• Refer back to the unit question What are the
  different types of jobs or careers? Help students
  summarize how each area may have different local
  job or career opportunities because of different
  resources. Discuss some that are the same
  schools, libraries, public services, etc. and how
  this may influence career choice.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students Guide
  students in reading maps, and in identifying key
  features focus on fewer features.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students fill in chart more independently and
  have them compare 2 or more local or state areas.

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Sample Lesson Plan - Science

• Activity-Students gather information during site
  visits about technology use and accommodations.
  Students use scientific and logical reasoning
  (pros, cons, and outcomes) to examine technology
  and accommodation use.
• Behavioral Objective- Students will identify at
  least 1 technology item and how it is used from
  their job site visits. Students will identify 1
  preference for and against for one piece of
  technology they observed on job sites, and one
  accommodation. Students will identify 1 clear
  reason each a pro, con, and an outcome to
  support preference for one piece of technology
  and one accommodation.
• Pre-Requisite Skills- Students will remember
  technology equipment and accommodations use from
  their job site visits students have recorded
  observations about their visits.
• Lesson Introduction- Teacher will ask students
  about how jobs may change over time (use
  family/friends stories), and guide to discussion
  of technology as a source of change. Compare
  with technology that has changed at their home
  (new appliances, computers, communications, etc.

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Lesson Plan Science cont.

• Lesson Procedure
• Have students list some of the technologies they
  observed in the worksites (worksheet from site
  visits). Discuss how technology helps people
  work more or better. Have each student choose
  one of the technologies they used and identify
  how it improves work or performance (use
  worksheet or narrative description).
• Ask students about the class list of technologies
  and the several they observed. Ask if there are
  some they like or some they dislike, and why (old
  fashioned, not like their home version, etc.).
  Ask why businesses might have these although the
  student(s) or worker(s) may not like these
  (raise supervisor perspectives, expense of new,
  training, etc.). Have students describe their
  own preference and compare it to a possible
  supervisors or workers difference in
  preference.
• Ask students about the types of accommodations
  they saw at the job sites, or what they think
  might be needed in order for them to work.
  Describe their own accommodations, and their
  preference for an accommodation in the worksite,
  and then another persons possible preference
  (TTY, hearing aids, FM systems, video relay,
  etc.).
• Describe a scenario where a boss needs to make a
  decision about a pieced of technology or an
  accommodation. Explain that the reasons given
  above are personal preferences based on feelings.
  Ask what other types of reasons a boss may want
  in making a decision (cost effectiveness,
  utility, training ease, etc.).

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Lesson Plan Science cont.

• Lesson Procedure, cont.
• Explain that sometimes scientific or logical
  reasons are important for making decisions about
  work, and give some examples (decisions about 1
  persons preference may not be successful with
  all, etc.).
• Have students think about how their own
  accommodations were chosen and determinedaudiolog
  ical testing, trial, re-fitting and observation,
  etc.
• Show students 3 important things that need to be
  included in making a decision things that
  support use (pros), things that are problematic
  (cons), and overall outcomes (results). Have
  students list the piece of technology and the
  accommodation and create these 3 columns use
  their visitation observations to provide at least
  one example of each. Then review as a class.
• Refer back to the unit question What are the
  different types of jobs or careers? Discuss how
  technology and accommodations have now allowed
  D/HH students and others with disabilities to
  have more jobs. Discuss some of these job
  changes and how this influences their career
  choice. Explain that workers must request
  accommodations from employers, who will use data
  as well as preferences to make decisions.
• Adaptations-
• For Younger or Lower Functioning Students Do as
  separate lessons work technology and its use,
  preferences, and data-based reasons.
• For Older or Higher Functioning Students Have
  students collect internet and print data to
  support their pros, cons, and outcomes. Discuss
  self-advocacy and use of persuasive strategies
  with employers regarding accommodations.

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Tips for Teachers

• Setting Up a Career Awareness Program
• Contact other work study or transition
  coordinators who may also be setting up work
  sites or visitations. Piggy-back and share
  responsibilities for sites and transportation
  arrangements when possible.
• Combine site visits with short presentations from
  people in the communityhave them bring in
  slides, videos, and materials when they present.
  Use these to supplement, extend, or expand the
  site visits.
• Try to cover the major career categories in your
  site visits and classroom presentations also use
  guest speakers, videos, etc. to expand students
  exposure to the breadth of careers across each
  category.
• Let the students choose, when possible, the
  people and sites they will learn about for
  example choose among 2-3 possibilities (this
  builds engagement and motivation).
• Have students become involved in the site
  visitations and guest speakers by writing
  invitations and helping to make arrangements, as
  is appropriate (at times accompanied by a letter
  of explanation from the teacher) do things that
  help involve the students in what will be their
  future career decision!

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Tips for Teachers cont.Use family friends
networks to expand your contacts
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References

• Brolin, D. E. (1997). Life centered career
  education A competency based approach. Reston,
  VA The Council for Exceptional Children.
• Dictionary of Occupational Titles and its 9
  career categories at http//www.occupationalinfo.
  org/contents.html
• Luft, P., Koch, L. (2005). Career Development
  Theories for Transition Planning.  In R. W.
  Flexer, T. J. Simmons, P. Luft, R. M. Baer
  (eds.), Transition planning for secondary
  students with disabilities (2nd ed., pp.
  83-108).  Upper Saddle River, NJ
  Pearson/Merrill.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook and its 10 career
  categories at http//www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
• Ohio Department of Education. Academic Content
  Standards.http//www.ode.state.oh. us/academic
  content_standards/
• U.S. Department of Labor. 2005. http//www.dol.
  gov/
• Wiggins, G. McTigue J. (2005).  Understanding
  by design (2nd ed.).  Alexandria, VA Association
  for the Supervision and Curriculum Development.