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 options, and answer basic questions pertaining to those careers.

Duration of Lesson: One to two 50 minute class periods.

Materials:  Printout of careers that match interests (from Lesson 2), career research questions,
 assessment rubric. If teacher does not have access to Bridges from Lesson 2, student can select any 5 careers in which they are interested.

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

Teacher Notes:

ø The teacher must be computer literate and comfortable with the internet.
ø Students must have a signed acceptable use policy. If the student does not possess a signed acceptable use policy, he/she can be paired with another student.
ø The teacher must obtain a site license to use 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.)
ø  However, if the teacher can not obtain a site license, then the Occupational Outlook Handbook site can be used just as effectively:
ø  The teacher should be familiar with the Bridges or Occupational Outlook Handbook internet site.
ø The teacher may want to do an introduction to internet, depending on the skill level of students. A helpful site is www.learntheinternet.com

Lesson:

1. Using the career matches from previous lesson, students will select their top five career choices to investigate and list on career research questions, or students can list five careers in which they are interested.
2. Bring up the internet site http://cx.bridges.com on the presentation device, as well as having the students go to the site.
3. Students will select “WV” and “Student.”
4. Students will select “Search.”
5. The students will then type their first career selection into the blank box and hit enter.
6. Once they are at the article pertaining to their career, they will search the article for the answers to the following questions:
a. starting salary
b. training needed
c. hours per week
d. occupational outlook
e. benefits.
7. Once one career is complete, the students will go back to search a new career until all five careers have answers to the five questions.
*Depending on the skill level and work pace of students, this may take one to two class periods.

Modifications:

• For special needs students, the career articles on the Bridges site could be read orally.
• Be sure to point out to the students that they can follow your oral directions by watching the overhead projector or screen.
• Go slow!
• Students can be paired or utilize peer tutoring.
• Additional research questions could be added to or taken from the activities sheet.
• Students could answer three of the five questions.
• Students could select three careers instead of five.

• 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 at the Bridges site or at ACT, as well as a scholarships and financial aid database.
• Students can create a collage of the different careers they have discovered.
• Students can create a poster advertising the career they have selected.
• Students can put together an amateur production of a recruitment video for a given or selected career.

West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives:

Process/Workplace Objective: PW.45, PW.46.
English Language Arts Objectives: 9.15, 9.16, 9.19, 9.25, 10.15, 10.24, 10.31, 10.81, 11.25, 11.26, 11.82, 12.15, 12.24.
Social Studies: 11.57

National Standards:

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. Bridges Internet site:Bridges
2.  Learn Net
3.  Teach-nology.com.Rubric
4.  Occupational Outlook Handbook
5.  ACT
 
 
 

Vickie Cutright                                     Rhonda Bolyard                                    Jerry Parsons