Choosing a Career That's Right For Me! Lesson 5

Choosing a Career That's Right for Me!

Lesson 5: Steps - Goals and Planning

Grade Level: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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

Learner Outcome: Students will list what they hope to be doing in their life in one, five, and ten years. Additionally, students will list three goals and four steps to attain those goals.

Duration of Lesson: One 50 minute class period.

Materials: Career plan rubric, goals rubric, paper, pencil, PowerPoint presentation Steps Leading to a Career That's Right For Me!

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

Teacher Notes:

ø Teacher may choose to use the PowerPoint slides or to print the slides out and make an overhead for viewing.
ø In the PowerPoint slide, steps one and two are checked off, Steps three and four will be covered in this lesson. The rest of the steps will be covered in Unit 2 - Achieving Success in a Career That's Right For Me!
ø This may be a good time to introduce/teach the five year plan for scheduling purposes. You may want to have a counselor as a guest speaker to help with the topic or answer questions.
ø Transition for the PowerPoint presentation will be on mouse click.

Lesson:

1. Bring up the PowerPoint presentation Steps Leading to a Career That's Right For Me!
2. Discuss each slide with students, be sure to remind the students that they have covered steps one and two. (Know yourself - lesson two survey from Bridges; Research possible careers - lesson two and three survey results and career research questions).
3. Tell the students that steps three and four will be covered in this lesson.
4. Review with students that they probably had (or will have) to fill out a five year plan with their counselors. Also tell students to keep in mind the careers they have researched and selected.
5. Discuss the importance of setting goals and making plans. (Be sure to get student input.) This step corresponds to slide 2.

Helps you to see what you want to do.
Helps you to see how to get there.
Helps you to see what needs to be done to get there.
Helps you to make important decisions.
If you don't make an informed decision about yourself, someone else will.

6. Discuss the importance of setting goals for your career: Corresponds to slide 3.

You will spend more "awake" time at your job than you will with your family.
Your career must fit your personality if you plan on keeping that career.
You want to continually advance in your career and in life.

7. Ask for students' suggestions as to why it is important to set goals.
8. Remind students to be flexible with their decisions since the world is continually changing.
9. Additionally, remind the students to be realistic in their goal setting based on their abilities, interests, personality, education they expect to get, and work habits. Corresponds to slide 4.
10. Finally tell students they need to keep guidelines in mind when they set their goals. Corresponds to slide 5.
11. Students will now decide what they want to do in one year, five years and 10 years.
12. Students can copy slide 6 from PowerPoint, or they may use a handout that teacher prints. Students will be listing the job they would like to have, how much money they would like to make, where they would like to live, and activities they would like to be doing in one, five and 10 years.
13. Once the students have written down their plans, they need to select four different goals (from their plans) they want to achieve. See slide 7.
14. The students now need to list four steps to achieve each of their goals. An example is on slide eight.
15. Tell students to remember they will be revising and updating their goals, and, therefore, their steps often. They may even have to change their plans. The most important thing to remember is that they must have a plan to be successful.
16. You should encourage one of the goals to be additional training if the career they have selected requires further education/training.

Modifications:

For special needs students, all material can be read orally.
The PowerPoint presentation can be printed for near-point copying.
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.
Students could list fewer goals.
Students could list fewer steps.

Enrichment Activities:

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 goals they have selected.
A digital or polaroid camera could be used to visually capture the steps involved in completing an activity, for example - tying a shoe, planting a flower, detailing a car, etc.
Students can create a poster of their goals/plan.
Students can interview a professional in the career they have chosen. (A cassette recorder could be used for modifications or for additional support.) The interview should center around advice the professional would give, steps they took to get to where they are today, goals they had, and additional plans the professional may have in the next year, five years, and ten years.
Students can take home any available technology to interview and record the advice of family members.

Evaluation/Assessment: The list of goals and the five year plan will provide the teacher with one type of evaluation and/or assessment. Additionally, a rubric has been constructed for both the one, five and 10 year plan, as well as the list of goals.

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.

Language Arts:

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

Geography:

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
6. Pre-Employment and Work Maturity Skills Resource Manual: Instructional Materials Laboratory. University of Missouri - Columbia

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Monongalia County Technical Education Center
Morgantown, WV

Vickie Cutright Rhonda Bolyard Jerry Parsons