Grade Level:  8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Subject:  Vocational/Technical Skills, Language Arts, Social Studies

Learner Outcome: Students will be able to identify multiple career terms.

Duration of Lesson: One 50 minute class period.

Materials:  Power point presentation, word search and assessment rubric.

Technology Tools/Courseware: Presentation device (LCD panel, TView [scan converter], or multimedia projector), computers with internet access.

Teacher Notes:

ø The teacher must be computer literate and comfortable with the internet.
ø If the teacher plans on using Bridges he/she must obtain a site license for the Bridges internet site. This can be accomplished through the county technology coordinator. (Check with your school’s technology contact first. Your school may already have a site license.) There is a free trial for students and teachers that lasts one month.
ø If the teacher wishes to use an alternate site, this can be accomplished through the Occupational Outlook Handbook site.
ø The teacher should be familiar with the Bridges internet site or the site of selection.
ø The teacher should be familiar with the power point presentation before presenting it. *"S" pauses the slide show and "enter" resumes it.
ø The teacher may want to do an introduction to internet, depending on the skill level of students. A helpful site is learntheinternet.com
ø The word search has a list of the terms on page two if special needs students need a hard copy. Word searches should be given out after the PowerPoint presentation to hold attention.

Lesson:

1. Begin with a review or discussion of careers. This may vary depending on the age of the students. For example, you may want to discuss what students have considered becoming when they "grow up," or you may want to discuss what students are planning on doing once they graduate.
2. Be sure to discuss the fact that many considerations must go into making a career decision, such as your personal values, skills, interests, and style. This is the reason students must consider each of these personality traits in their career selection. The Bridges site does a good job of matching personality traits to careers.
3.  As students go through the power point presentation, the teacher will advise them of terms they need to copy down.
4. Access the power point presentation. As the address, logos and targets come onto the screen, students can be told what to expect in lessons two and three:  They will be going to the Bridges internet site, selecting student  and their individual state (or American), going to the planning section and then selecting the career research tool. Once in the career research tool, students will go through each of the sections entitled values, skills, interests, and style. On this screen, students need to copy the terms: Bridges, careers, research, planning.
5.  The next slide describes the type of questions students will answer under the value inventory. Simply read it and tell the students to copy the term value.
6.  This slide describes the type of questions students will answer under the skills inventory. Read it and tell the students to copy the term skills.
7.  This slide describes the interests inventory. After it is read, have the students copy the term interests.
8.  This slide describes the style inventory. Style is the term they copy.
9.  At the end of the inventory, students will encounter a screen that asks for their name. They need to type this information in the white box and select either career information, recreation information, or both, then click on search. The students copy the terms search and information from this slide.
10. Tell the students they will be provided with a list of at least 30 careers that match their personalities. They need to print this information once it is compiled. This slide is the conclusion to the Bridges introduction and to what the students will do in lesson 2. Students need to copy the term cxonline.
11.  In lesson three, students will be selecting five careers from their list of 30. From this slide, students need to copy the terms welder and auto mechanic.
12. Students will then answer five questions about each of the five careers they selected: Starting salary, training needed, hours per week, occupational outlook, and work done. Copy the terms salary, training, hours, outlook,
13.  The possibilities for students (in their careers and futures) and teachers (in their lesson plans) are endless. Copy the term possibilities.
14. From the list of five, students will select one career to present for lesson four.
15. In lesson four students will create a power point, but the teacher may also have students do a poster, an interview with a professional, research additional articles on the internet, a collage, etc. Just be creative! Copy the terms power point and interview.
16. Once the students are done viewing the power point, they can use the terms they copied to do the word search.

Modifications:

• For special needs students, the power point presentation can be paused allowing students to copy terms from screen.
• Extended time to complete word search can be given.
• Be sure to point out to the students that they can follow your oral directions by watching the overhead projector or screen.
• Peer tutoring and/or pairing.
• Go slow!

• The Bridges site contains many extension activities that the instructor will want to explore both in the student mode and in the teacher mode. Some to note are the “Career Information,” “WV Link,” and “Employment Trends” articles in the student mode.
• Also on the site is a “Decision Making Guide” that allows students to practice making decisions and gives the student several outcomes based on the decision selected.
• Finally, a college database is accessible on the Bridges site or at ACT, as well as a scholarships and financial aid database.
• Students can complete journal entries as to some of the job requirements that are necessary for a job, both on behalf of the employer and the employee.
• A class discussion on predicting careers students may enjoy or wish to pursue.

West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives:

• Process/Workplace Objective PW.45, PW.46.
• English Objectives 10.24, 11.98, 12.3.
• Social Studies 11.57.

Life Work Standards -

• Uses various information sources, including those of a technical nature, to accomplish specific tasks.
• Pursues specific jobs.
• Makes general preparation for entering the work force.

• Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

• Understands the concept of regions.

References:
1.   Permission has been obtained for the use of Bridges pictures.
2.  Bridges Internet site:  Bridges
3.  Learn Net
4.  Teach-nology.com
5.  Occupational Outlook Handbook
6.  Puzzlemaker.com
7.  ACT
 

Vickie Cutright                                     Rhonda Bolyard                                    Jerry Parsons