It seems that elementary levels never get to focus enough on careers, despite the fact that this is when kids are so creative in their career dreams! I hope that this lesson can set a healthy foundation for career planning and that it gets students excited for all of the opportunities to come for them. There are so many avenues to explore when it comes to careers – please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!
Lesson Title: Career Exploration – Jobs in Pawland and My Next Move Lesson Plan
Grade(s): K-5
ASCA Standards:
- A:B2.2 Use assessment results in educational planning
- A:B2.7 Identify post-secondary options consistent with interests, achievement, aptitude and abilities
- C:A1.3. Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests and Motivations
- C:B1.5 Use research and information resources to obtain career information
- C:B1.6 Learn to use the Internet to access career-planning information
Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify interests and relevant career options from assessment results
- Students can explore career options and describe information relevant to several careers (education needed, salaries, etc.)
Materials:
- Laptops
- The following handout (for grades 4 – 5): https://www.onetcenter.org/dl_tools/ipsf/IP_Score_Report_Starter.pdf
Lesson:
Introduce the activity by sharing the following information:
Today we are going to discuss career and education opportunities you will face after you graduate high school. After high school, you will choose between the following three options: finding a job, joining the military, and college. You can be successful doing any of these options! If you want to start working immediately after high school, you can find an entry level job (meaning it doesn’t require any college or experience). You may also choose to be an entrepreneur, meaning you start your own business. Some businesses you may want to start may require money in order to buy the supplies needed for your business (example: a lawncare business requires you to buy a lawn mower, a truck to transport your lawnmower, and other tools), so you may have to work an entry level job to save money before you can start your business. Another option for after you finish college is to join the military. The military pays you for your time serving our country and also provides you the opportunity to receive a free education (college) if you’d like. Another option is to go to college. You may choose to go to a trade school (1-2 years) or a 4 year university (bachelors degree). It is important that you decide which option is best based on the career you want. It’s also important to note that it often costs money to attend college. If you or your parents don’t save money to pay for college, you can apply for financial aid (a way that you can borrow money, but you have to pay it all back with interest – more money than you borrowed). Some people decide to work for a year or two before college so that they can pay for it. There are also scholarships people can apply for (sometimes you earn a scholarship for being good at sports, good grades, community service, etc.). Going to school for longer periods of time sometime result in higher pay, such as if you receive your bachelors degree in a high paying job, or if you go on to receive your masters degree, doctorate degree, or PHD. However, sometimes going to school for a longer period of time does not result in more pay than certain trade school jobs or being an entrepreneur. For example, HVAC careers (people who work with air conditioning and heat) require between 6 months – 2 years of college and average a salary of $50,000 a year. Meanwhile, someone who studies psychology at a 4 year college average a salary of $49,000. Therefore, these two careers differ in schooling required, but pay around the same.
K-2:
Students will explore different careers using the following website: https://pawsm.xap.com/paws-mobile/index.html#/
3-5:
Have students begin by taking the following test to explore their interests. Explain that exploring your interests (what you like) helps you to find a career that they might one day be interested in pursuing. Explain that student’s interests will change over time, and that learning one’s skills (what you’re good at) may also be helpful in determining a career: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Once students finish the test, have them record their answer (top interests and career categories) using the following worksheet: https://www.onetcenter.org/dl_tools/ipsf/IP_Score_Report_Starter.pdf
Next, go over the worksheet. This will instruct them to explore careers using one of the websites listed below. They will use the information they find (such as years of education required) to fill out their worksheet:
OR
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/elementary-middle-and-high-school-principals.htm
Love for the Elementary Counselor 