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!!