Career Development
A Curriculum Plan and Teaching Guide

Introduction Standards Aim/Purpose Rationale Goals
Subject Description Learner Description Prerequisites Objectives Materials
Instructional Plan Assessment Evaluation Contact Bibliography
*Teaching Plan        

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Introduction

This curriculum web site is designed to introduce at-risk middle school students to concepts surrounding career development. Specifically, the web site will cover self-assessments, different types of careers, work ethics, and employability skills.

Curriculum Standards

MSCD7-1: Students will identify and evaluate work ethics and behavior characteristics needed for success in a career and in life.

MSCD7-2: Students will investigate Georgia’s Career Program Concentrations that align with their personal assessments and identify possible career pathways.

MSCD7-3: Students will understand the importance of attaining educational achievement and performance levels needed to reach personal and career goals.

Aim/Purpose Statement

The “Career Development” curriculum web site aims to help at-risk middle school students with self-awareness, setting goals, and discovering possible career options that may be suitable for them.  One of the main purposes of the web site is to motivate students to think about their FUTURE.

Rationale

Middle school students are generally only concerned with immediate gratification. It is often hard for them to envision their future. Many of them do not know what they want out of life and others that do know may not know how to achieve what they want. By providing self-assessments, students are able to get to know themselves better and begin setting goals for their future. Because students this age rarely know what is really involved with specific jobs, they are allowed the opportunity to research the type of environment and skills needed for jobs that match their personality type.

General Education Goals

This curriculum web site was designed by a middle school business education teacher who works with at-risk students and felt that the students needed to reflect on their abilities and interests as well as start thinking about their futures. This unit was developed as a way to get students out of the “here and now” mentality and to spark excitement about potential personal and professional goals.

Subject Matter Description

This curriculum web site is centered on the following topics:

Learner Description

The activities included on this curriculum web site were originally designed for at-risk middle school students, but can also be used with any middle school students.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this curriculum, students should be able to:

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Materials

Instructional Plan

  1. ACTIVITY 1:  Students create their own blog using www.blogger.com. The blog will be used throughout the unit to share information about themselves, learning, and to reflect on their activities. Students will also give feedback to other students’ blogs. The first post should be about students’ current goals, thoughts about the future, what they might possibly what to be when they grow up and the lifestyle they would like to have. Conduct brief class discussion about students’ current perceptions about their goals and future.

Estimated time: One – two class periods depending on students’ familiarity with Blogger.

  1. ACTIVITY 2: Students will define career-related vocabulary from their student textbook, Learning for Earning using www.quizlet.com. Students will make a post to their blog about the experience of creating flashcards, as well as mentioning any new terms or concepts that they learned. (Alternate if no book is available:  http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/midcareer/appenda.html - career vocabulary)

Estimated time: One class period

Extended/Enrichment activity: Have students review, practice with the flashcards and then give a quiz over the vocabulary.

  1. ACTIVITY 3: Students are to take the following assessments and then share the results in their blogs as well as review and comment on other students’ reflections. Discuss findings during class discussion.
    1. Study Skills Assessment – http://www.studygs.net/attmot4.htm
    2. Learning Style Inventory –  http://ttc.coe.uga.edu/surveys/LearningStyleInv.html
    3. Work Ethic Survey – http://www.coe.uga.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~rhill/new_owei/owei.pl
    4. Employability Skills Survey – http://www.coe.uga.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~rhill/new_owei/esa.pl

Estimated time: Two class periods (one class period to take surveys, the other to reflect on blog and participate in discussion)

  1. ACTIVITY 4: Students will complete the Career WebQuest. Students will be able to research careers of their choice and will briefly share findings verbally with the class. Students will post their thoughts and lessons learned to their blog.

Estimated time: Three class periods (two class periods for performing web quest, one for sharing findings via blog and discussion)

  1. ACTIVITY 5: Students will complete the following goal sheets below. In addition they will do a post on their blog about their goals and comment on others’ goals as well.
    1. http://www.willamette.edu/dept/wellness/ler/?resource=goal_worksheet
    2. http://amby.com/worksite/cjs/cjsbook/skill4.htm

Estimated time: One class period

  1. ACTIVITY 6: Students will do a presentation of their findings in Activities, 1, 3, 4, & 5. Students may choose to use PowerPoint, VoiceThread, Glogster, or another web 2.0 tool if approved by the teacher. Students will be expected to share their presentation with the class as well as post a final blog about what they learned about themselves by completing this unit as well as indicate what further research or steps they might take after this project (i.e. looking up a college or technical school, business or professional organizations, talking to different people, etc.)

Estimated time: Three – four class periods (three to prepare presentation, reflect on blog, one period for presentations)

Extended/Enrichment assignment: Research an educational institution that would help you reach your goal or research a company that has jobs that you are interested in.

 

*Teaching Plan

This curriculum web is designed for middle school students (6th, 7th, and 8th). It will take approximately 11-13 days and will take place in the computer lab during computer elective class time. There are 16 students per class and the computer ratio is 1:1. There are two alternate labs that can be used should there be technical difficulties, as well as a technician that is on call. The curriculum web will be evaluated and tested by the 9th grade computer elective class prior to being completed by the middle school students. Middle school students will give their own feedback after completing the curriculum web. The following are alternative websites that can be used in lieu of the websites already provided:

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/
http://www.trumbull.k12.oh.us/teachers/resources/webquests/career%20webquest/CareerWebquest.htmhttp://dictionary.reference.com/
http://www.wwcc.edu/cbc/success/assess.cfm
http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htmhttp://learningconnections.org/ss/pdfs/biotechnologybiomedical/bio4.pdfhttp://www.mkemarketplace.com/shrm/content/HRs_Role_in_Creating_Ethical_Culture.dochttp://specialed.about.com/od/worksheets/ss/goalsetting.htm

The curriculum web will be introduced after covering the career chapter in the Learning for Earning book. The teacher will go over the layout and navigation of the website as well as the instructional goals. Students will receive guided practice on things such as Quizlet and their blogs as they work through the lessons. Students will be monitored through close observation, the specific assignments they submit, verbal feedback, and through feedback on their blogs.

Students will work individually at times and in small groups other times. When possible, students will be prepared with other students who will hopefully help them be more successful (i.e., non-motivated student paired with a motivated student; technologically gifted student with student who is not good with technology). Even working individually, it is encouraged that students will assist other students as needed. Students who misbehave will have an alternate book assignment. Students’ follow up activities will vary according to their goals and plans. (i.e. some may research colleges, while other research training for specific careers, some may research the appropriate high school path to take).

Assessment Plan

Curriculum Web Evaluation Rubrics

Students will be assessed using 3 different rubrics and on the following activities:

Blogs and Vocabulary – Students are responsible for and will be evaluated on creating a blog and reflecting on each assignment throughout the curriculum web. Students are also responsible for creating vocabulary quiz cards online.

Career Web Quest – Students are responsible for and will be evaluated on completing a career web quest which consists of self assessments, job research, and sharing findings with the class.

Presentation – This is the culminating activity for the curriculum web. Students are responsible for and will be evaluated on completing a multimedia presentation that shares their findings and reflections of the entire curriculum web. Students will present their findings to the class and are expected to share future steps they might take after completing this curriculum web.

Evaluation Plan

Prior to implementing the curriculum web with my middle school students, the web site will be evaluated by a 9th grade computer elective class. They will also do the Google survey evaluation to provide feedback.

Middle school students will complete the Google survey form evaluation after completing the curriculum web.

Curriculum Web Site Evaluation


Contact Information

Kristen R. Honaker
UWG M.Ed. Student
Instructional Technology
Computer Teacher
Houston County Crossroads Center
kristen.honaker@gmail.com

Bibliography

Cunningham, C. A., & Billingsley, M. (2006). Curriculum webs:  weaving the web into teaching and learning. Boston:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Georgia Performance Standards: Georgia Department of Education

Wanat, John A., E. Weston Pfeiffer, and Richard Gulik. Learning for earning: your route to success. Tinley Park, Ill.: Goodheart-Wilcox, 2006.

 

Curriculum Web Home Page

Last Updated on November 20, 2010 by Kristen Honaker