Career Development-Fifth Grade

Below are the lessons recommended for 5th grade.  All of these lesson usually require extended class time.  If you are lessons are typically 30 minutes like mine, you might want to ask your teachers if you can dd 15 minutes at the beginning of the end of the lesson to ensure you have enough time to complete it. 

The 1st lesson starts similar to the 4th grade lesson. We start with a skit to introduce the students to the world of work.  Unfortunately, I can't link the skit because I got it from my handy, dandy copy of Skits, Raps, & Poems for the School Counselor by David S. Young (which I love using by the way).  It can be purchased through Marco Products or Youthlight, if you don't already have a copy! It has the lesson already created.  It even comes with a CD so you do have to photocopy!!!

 

I start the lesson by asking the students these 3 questions:

1.  What types of careers are you thinking about for yourself? 
2.  How those things are different from what they thought they wanted to be when they were younger?
3.  How do you think people decide choose their career?

I then review that their are 16 career clusters, but we only focus on 6 clusters and or groups in elementary.  When they get to middle and high school they will learn more about all 16.  I then tell them that there was a man named John Holland, who felt people fell into 1 of 6 categories no matter what cluster they choose their job.  Holland theory states that we are all either: Doers, Thinkers, Creators, Helpers, Persuaders, or Organizers.  To further explain this concept, I tell them they are going to help me by performing a skit!!

In an effort to have to skit flow smoothly and keep all students engaged, I generally meet with the teacher before the lesson and ask for students that would play certain parts well based on their personality and who can read a lot of line fluently.  The students really enjoy it!!

After the skit, we review the categories and talk a little about each one. The next part of this lesson is a new spin my co-counselor, Kelly VanDaley, added this past school year.  She had the students crack their own Holland Code to determine what category they would fall in based off of their likes and dislikes.  Each student is given a handout...Click on the picture below for the materials. 

They follow the directions on the handout to select their likes and dislikes for each category.  After they calculate their code, we visit O*Net to learn more about each category.  This activity can easily carry over to another lesson.  The play itself will take about 25 minutes...You can save the Crack your Holland Code activity for Lesson 2, which would give your students more time to explore. 

Another activity that I enjoy with 5th grade is the Reality Check.  This activity is a component of SCOIS, a program created by the SC State Department.  It is primarily for middle and high school students, but I allow my students to explore the Reality Check section.  This section can be done 1 of 2 ways.  1. You can do it as a large group and ask the question and go with the majority vote or you can put them in smaller groups if you have iPads/Chrome Books in the classroom that students can use and let them determine as a group their choices and your navigate from the SmartBoard. 

I show the students median earnings for year-round, full-time workers age 25 and older by their educational attainment...from Some HS with No diploma-Professional Degree.  The range is ~$22,000-$82,000.  The system will allow you to put in your region to give you a better indication of living expenses etc.  I ask them how much they think they need to make in order to live a comfortable lifestyle. I usually will focus on HS Diploma to 4 Year Degree...Typically $30,000 per year.  We then work through the activity.  It will ask how much they want to spend on Cable, Cell Phone, Entertainment, Rent/Mortgage, Miscellaneous Expenses  (gym, hair, clothes) etc.  Then it asks if they want a family and how to calculate the cost for that...After everything is entered, it will give students an estimate of how much they need to earn in order to live the lifestyle they want.  Even without me setting an average income, their projections are ~$30,000 under budget. 

The students really enjoy it and it definitely gives them a REALITY CHECK.  Check with your state department and see if you have access to a similar, if not the same, program. 

There are few more lessons I use with 5th grade, but I will continually update this section as lessons are refined!!

Hope this helps!!

Career Development-Fourth Grade

These career development are recommended for 4th grade.  I love combining the Arts into my lessons, so whenever I have the chance I try to include acting, music and movement.  In 4th grade, I start by telling the students that over the next few weeks, we will be Exploring the World of Work.  I then ask them to share with me some of their interest and to share what would they like to be when they grow up.  I review what a career cluster is and that their are 16, but for the purposes of elementary, we generally focus on 6.  After this brief introduction, I let them know that in this lesson, we are going to learn a little more about the Human Services cluster by performing The Human Services Reunion, A Skit About Jobs In Teaching, Counseling, Law And Other Occupations Needing Employees With People Skills.  I cannot link to the play, however, you can purchase a copy of Skits, Raps, & Poems For the School Counselor by David S. Young, for your copy and many others.

When I go into the classrooms, I try to use different people to come up and read and help out because everyone wants to do it, but when doing skits, I've found that isn't the best method.  Generally, I will get with the teacher before hand and ask for a list of the students that can play certain parts well.  I look for those students that can read fluently and have personality and can project their voice.  This helps everyone stay focused and connected with the skit.

At the end we process the skit and discuss more about human services.  I then give them a copy of the Career Pathways inventory (the same one used in the 3rd grade lesson) and have them take it again.  Once they have completed it, I give them their folder from their 3rd grade year and have them compare/contract the new worksheet with the old one.  We then discuss if they notice any differences and why.  If I have a new student who didn't attend my school the previous year, I simply have them look on with someone else. 

For the 2nd lesson, we move into the computer lab.  Much with 3rd grade, my 4th graders explore a site called Coin Climb.  This site was given to me by our State Department.  I am in South Carolina and our state department provides us with career resources...SCOIS in particular.  For anyone reading this who is from a different state, I would suggest you check with your State Department to see what resources are available to you. 

In the event that your state doesn't have career resources available for elementary, there are tons of sites that you can access from the internet.  I also created several Kahoot.It Games that can be played.  I took Career Bingo and made it into a Kahoot It because its more exciting for my students. I place them in groups of 4 or 5 and we play the game!! They love it!! Click on the link below! If you don't already have an account, you will have to sign up for one!! Its very simple and best of all, its FREE!!  No hassle, no daily e-mails, completely FREE!! Check it out!

I have more than one Kahoot available for careers and other topics, so if you are interested, search my name and they should populate!!!

I hope this helps!!! 

Career Development-Third Grade

Below are the lessons for 3rd Grade. I typically have 2 lessons for this grade level, however, more often than not, I need an extra lesson in the upper elementary classes to complete everything!!! When I start my 3rd grade lesson, I start by asking:

"By a show of hands, how many of you already know what you want to be when you grow up"?

The hands will fly in the air and nearly every student will already have their mind made up!! I then tell them that I want to tell them a story about a 3rd grader that already had his mind made up to!!I proceed to read the story, "Roger the Vet".  This story is about a boy who made a decision to be a Veterinarian, and refused to consider any other option.  He didn't know what it really meant to be a Vet, he just knew he liked playing with animals.  Its a really neat story and many students can relate.  After the story, we talk about the importance of career exploration and how important it is explore all your options and learn as much as you can about your interest.  After the discussion, I give the students a copy of the Career Pathways worksheet that goes with the story.  This worksheet explores 6 of the sixteen clusters.  As I pass it out, I let the students know that there are 16 career clusters, but for the purposes of elementary, we will over cover 6 areas/clusters. After they complete the worksheet, I give each student a folder and tell them this will be their career folder and we will use it for the next 3 years!! The story and worksheet can be found in "Lively Lessons" by Rosanne Sheritz Sartori; unfortunately, I cannot post a copy of the worksheet due to copyright laws, but many of you may already have this book on your shelf!!

Lesson 2 requires the computer lab!! I have students explore the site, Paws in Jobland...This is a great resource and students really enjoy it and have fun while navigating through the site.  The get the chance to take another personality assessment and can compare this to the career pathways assessment, and they are given the opportunity to learn about jobs that they interested in, not just what was selected for them.  There are 2 different versions, the version I have linked on this site is the FREE one...if you simply go to Paws in Jobland from Google, its the more updated version and newer so I'm sure you have more options in the updated version, however, they do offer a free trial. I created a simply worksheet to go along with the lesson.  The link to the worksheet we used is listed below:

This activity usually takes 2 lessons.  If you've ever been in a computer lab with 25+ kids you can imagine how much fun it is to get everyone logged in on the computer and to right location!! I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "What am I suppose to do?" I don't always have time to go back in to do that 3rd lesson, but I do give the option to the teachers so they can have students work on it during the finals days of school if they have time.

Career Development-2nd Grade

Below you will find Career lessons I recommend for 2nd grade. Typically, I will have 2-3 lessons on this topic if time permits.  I usually only have time to create 2 lessons per topic because of how I have my schedule set.  You can choose any of the lessons I have listed in any post and use how you see fit!!

With my first lesson for 2nd grade, I start by asking the students the age old question...What do they want to be when they grow up?  Hands fly in the air and I let a few students share.  I read with them the book, "When I Grow Up" by: Al Yankovic.  This is a pretty cool and funny story that the students really connect with!!  After the story, I have the students write/draw about what they want to do...I give them to option to draw more than one, but it must be detailed and descriptive. (If you haven't noticed, I make sure to incorporate the writing component to help with state standards).  If time permits, I let those who want to share, share with class.

Lesson 2 is set up differently.  I take the students on a "Career Walk".  As I am preparing for the career lessons, I check out almost if not all the Career Books from the library.  I put the books in 6 groups by cluster (if I can), and set them up in whatever empty room we have in the building.  The students get a worksheet and I explain they will be going on a career walk. They have to visit each cluster and read through the books listed in each group.  After they read through the books, they have to choose ONE job they would like to do in that cluster.  After they have picked a job from each group, they have to pick the one job they like the most and write about it.  After they have completed the entire worksheet, I give them a crossword puzzle they can work on with a friend.  The puzzle reflects several of the jobs described in the groups so its a review of sorts.  Below is the worksheet I give them...The Crossword Puzzle was generated online, and unfortunately, I can't remember which site I used, but I'm sure you can google it to create your own based on the jobs you have in the Career Walk.  Below is a picture of how I had mine set up!!

 

If you tilt your head to the right you can get a better idea of how the picture is should look.  For some reason, I couldn't rotate the image!! Below is a link to the worksheet I gave each student. 

Hope this helps!!

Career Developement for Elementary Students-Kindergarten

I don't know about you all, but Career exploration with my students is my favorite time of year!!!  I love doing career development activities!! Helping and watching my students learn about themselves in personality assessments and learning about different careers.  In my humble opinion, Career Development in elementary school is just as vital as career development in high school, because we lay the foundation!! Listed in this post, you will find a few of my favorite career development activities.  I usually have time for 2 maybe 3 lesson per grade level for career exploration. I've separated the posts by grade level to help get to what you are specifically looking for quicker, so this post will focus on Kindergarten lessons.  You can adapt each lesson to fit any grade level, but this is how I use them. If you are looking for the other grades, check the right hand side of the page and click on the grade level you are interested in...Hope this helps!!

In Kindergarten we start off by talking about people we know who have jobs and what kind of work they do!!! This is always a very interesting introduction.  You never know what kids are going to say when I ask if they know anyone who works and why they have/need a job.  Following my opening, I read the book-"Clifford Gets a Job" by Norman Birdwell.  Everybody knows and loves Clifford, so the students get really excited to see he too had to get a job!! 

After reading the book, we go over some discussion questions:

1.  Why did Clifford have to get a job?

2. What/Where was his first job?

3. What happened at the circus?

4. Where did Clifford go next?

5. Did things start out pretty good at the farm?

6.  What were some of his responsibilities at the farm? 

7. What finally happened at the farm?

8. How do you think Clifford felt when he was leaving the farm? 

9.  What happened as Clifford and Emily Elizabeth were going home?

10.  Did Clifford ever find a job that worked for him?

I use questions 8 and 10 to talk about disappointment and how we might not win or be great at everything we try, but the most important thing is to never give up!! I ask what would have happened if Clifford gave up and quit after he got fired from the circus.  This allows to students to see failing to try is worse than actually failing...(does that make sense?).  After Reading and discussing the story, I have the students go back to their seat and draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up!! After the drawing, I have them come back to carpet and the students share their picture and have to tell us what they want to be when they grow up using a complete sentence.  Click on the picture below for a copy of the worksheet I use:

 

For our next lesson, we play a game that takes the entire lesson.   I created a Smart Notebook lesson that was a matching game.  I created 2 different boards.  On one board, the students had to match the career name with the picture. When they click on the first picture (either the title or picture) we discussed they job title and what that person did in their job.  (For example: Tile One: Dentist student must tell what a Dentist does and then find the matching picture) This is a great game and every students gets to participate.  At the end, it tells you how many attempts you make...if time permits, we play both boards and the goal is to beat their original score as a group.  Not only are students learning about different careers, its also a game of concentration and memory.  I've linked the lesson I use below to my Google Drive, but if you don't have Smart Notebook, you might not be able to access it. Click on the link below to access the file.  You can also create this game using a number of different online resources.

You can also create this fame using a number of different online resources...You may or may not be able to use it pictures, but its worth a try.  Two online games that I've found are EducaPlay

and SuperTeacherTools; they both seem to be pretty simple to use.  If you can access the Smart NoteBook file, feel free to change it and make it your own!!! Enjoy!!

Career Development-First Grade

 I don't know about you all, but Career exploration with my students is my favorite time of year!!!  I love doing career development activities!! Helping and watching my students learn about themselves in personality assessments and learning about different careers.  In my humble opinion, Career Development in elementary school is just as vital as career development in high school, because we lay the foundation!! Listed in this post, you will find a few of my favorite career development activities.  I usually have time for 2 maybe 3 lesson per grade level for career exploration. Listed in this post, you will find a few of my favorite career development activities for First Grade:

When I start this lesson by telling the students that we are going to be exploring the world of work!! I ask them why they think it's important for them to have a job to kick start the conversation.  I tell the class that I have a story about a first grader who was challenged to think about what she wanted to be when she grew up!! I then read the story: The World is My Playground, What Should I Be? By: Shandra Hall ( Yes!! That's Me!!)  Followed by the activity, we talk about all the different things we can do in the world and then I have the students to think of 3-4 different things they want to be when they grow up, then draw AND write a sentence about it!! Below is the link to the book if you don't already have a copy!! I also included a link to the worksheet I created for this lesson!!

Lesson 2 follows a similar pattern. I read the book What Shoes Will You Wear? by Julia Cook, which talks about the different shoes people where when they do a certain job. While reading the book, we talk about the tools the person would use in the job described as well. 

Another option for Lesson 2 is to do the Alphabet Careers activity.  I usually do this as a group activity.  I separate the students into small groups based on the alphabet (A-D, E-H, I-L etc) and have them brainstorm jobs that start with each letter they are assigned.  The groups have to discuss what a person with that job does, what tools they need to do their job and what their work clothes would look like.  After the discussion, the students each pick one and they have to create a page with the listed information described above.  Because this is a long lesson, we usually do this over 2 periods.  I bind the books for each homeroom and let them keep them in the classroom for future use.  The amount of letters you give each group is determined by the number students you have in your class, so it helps to have this determined before you go to do your lesson.  The students must write a descriptive sentence and have detailed picture for the their assigned alphabet. 

As a culminating activity, I like to have a "Career Day" where students can dress in what they want to be when they grow up! This is usually school wide, but this past school year only our First Graders participated.