Objectives

Method of Summative Evaluation

1.  Using the PA Career Zone website (www.pacareerzone.org), students will complete an online self-assessment to identify their preferred interests with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Written evaluation – Teacher review of hard copy of printed self-assessment results

2.  After exploring the PA Career Zone website (www.pacareerzone.org) and participating in a class discussion, students will be able to describe the basic characteristics of each of the five job zones with 80% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Written evaluation - teacher observation and written examination of related graphic organizer/activity sheet

3.  Utilizing self-assessment information and job zone knowledge, students will be able to generate a list of three potential careers and assess whether or not those careers are an appropriate match for them with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Written evaluation - teacher examination of related graphic organizer/activity sheet

W

The activating strategy for this lesson draws upon their perceptions (where they are coming from) and sets the stage for the lessons they will learn as they proceed through the various activities.  Frequent “check for understanding” formative assessments will occur throughout the lesson and rubric for summative assessments will be shared and reviewed with students.

H

Allowing students to identify their favorite and least favorite subjects and providing them with the opportunity to share their feelings and motivations about them helps students to invest in this career exploration activity.  Providing multiple opportunities for personal choice through the lesson will hold the students’ interest as the lesson progresses.

E

Engagement will occur by allowing students to draw on their own personal thoughts about school.  Also, the pace of the lesson along with shifts in delivery will engage students.  Literature, technology, and group discussion will require students to actively participate in all portions of the lesson.

R

The lesson requires students to frequently revisit previous lesson components.  In doing so, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the critical role that their personal interests play in career development.  The multiple formative assessments will allow students to demonstrate their understanding prior to the completion of the final assessment (their graphic organizer/activity sheet).

E

The summative assessments for this lesson will include a graphic organizer (GO) which document student feelings, behavior, and motivation in relation to their most and least favorite subjects.   A second graphic organizer will require students to document their understanding of the difference between job zones and the training necessary for careers in a particular job zone.  The second graphic organizer will also require students to evaluate whether they have the work values, and skills they need to pursue a particular career.

T

Adaptations and modifications will be made to this lesson based on individual student IEP’s.  They may include but are not limited to (providing the lesson in braille, reading the materials from the website/graphic organizers, scribing, and/or allowing for student to provide verbal responses).

O

The lesson is organized in a manner that coincides with the way information is presented on the PACareerZone webpage.  This logical progression will assist students in completing the tasks that are assigned.

Strategy

Outline

Resources/Materials

Related Skills

Objective 1 - Using the PA Career Zone web site (www.pacareerzone.org), students will complete an online self-assessment to identify their preferred interests with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Activating Strategy/ Introduction

Ask students to complete the How Do You Feel? activity sheet. On it they should consider the following: What is your favorite school subject?  What is your least favorite school subject? Compare and contrast your feelings, behavior and motivation while you are in each of those classes. Complete the rating scale provided.  Follow up by engaging in a class discussion prompting students to review their results and further consider their grades in each subject/class. Ask if they are able to determine whether or not a relationship exists, and what further conclusions they can draw. 

Resource 1

Activity

Introduce students to the Pennsylvania Career Zone web site (www.pacareerzone.org). Explore the offerings of the site, focusing in on the Assess Yourself feature. Demonstrate how to complete the assessment, thinking aloud as you make decisions for yourself, in an effort to encourage students to also use careful self-reflection as they make their choices. Read aloud and clarify each of the different interest areas. Instruct students to complete their own self-assessment utilizing the “Quick Assessment” link provided. Encourage thoughtful and honest completion of survey in order to obtain results that will provide an accurate match between their personality and potential career options.

Equipment 1

Resource 2

13.1.5A

CC.1.2.5.G

CC.1.2.5.L

Students will record information collected via their self-assessment on the “Assess Yourself” graphic organizer, electronically. (Note:  This electronic document will then be saved within in each student’s electronic portfolio, as outlined in the 5^th grade lesson titled, “The Necessities for Success”.) After this information has been recorded, students will then click the “view results” button to see how their interests (interest code) match up with occupations. Check each student’s results to make sure the organizer has been completed correctly.

Equipment 1 Equipment 2

Resource 2 Resource 3

13.1.5A

CC.1.2.5.G

Objective 2 - After exploring the Pennsylvania Career Zone web site (www.pacareerzone.org) and participating in a class discussion, students will be able to describe the basic characteristics of each of the five job zones with 80% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Discuss the elements of information provided for students on the results page, focusing on providing a clear explanation of “job zones.” Instruct students to enter “What is a job zone?” into the search box provided at the top of the site. Open the related link (“What is a Job Zone?”) that provides additional job zone clarification. Divide students into pairs to complete a “Think-Pair-Share” session. Count off, assigning each pair one of the five zones to analyze and summarize on the related “Job Zones” chart.

Information collected should focus on education and job training. Guide groups in sharing the information collected with the class, while instructing all students to electronically record information shared for each zone on their own graphic organizer. After all info has been recorded, students will need to use the “back” button in their web browser to return to their self-assessment results.

Equipment 1

Resource 2 Resource 3

13.1.5D

CC.1.2.5.G

CC.1.2.5.L

Provide adequate time for students to explore the links and information on their results page before proceeding to the next step. Encourage students to select and explore some careers they find interesting.

Equipment 1

Resource 2

13.1.5A

CC.1.2.5.G

CC.1.2.5.L

Objective 3 – Utilizing self-assessment information and job zone knowledge, students will be able to generate a list of three potential careers and assess whether or not those careers are an appropriate match for them with 100% accuracy as evaluated by the teacher.

Students should now analyze their personal results, narrowing their preferences down to three occupations they would like to explore in more depth (one occupation from zones 1-2, one from zone 3, and another from zones 4-5). Each should then be recorded on the chart provided (“A Fit For Me?”), requiring further self-reflection and analysis of the occupation, with respect to current personal knowledge, skills and abilities (a rating scale is provided). Direct students to draw conclusions based on the information within the chart, and summarize their results. Check each student’s results to make sure their choices are true to the information they collected.

Equipment 1

Resource 2 Resource 3

13.1.5A

13.1.5D

CC.1.2.5.G

CC.1.2.5.L

Students should save their completed “Assess Yourself” document to their e-portfolio (see above). Additionally, instruct students to return to their original results page and print a hard copy of the results for further inspection and future reference. (NOTE:  Teachers and/or school counselors may wish to collect and keep the printed results in student files.)

Equipment 1 Equipment 2 Equipment 3

Resource 2 Resource 3

Summarization

Engage in a class discussion that reexamines the activity completed in the Introduction portion of the lesson. Lead students to draw conclusions between how their interests and abilities impact their academic performance, just as someday they will also impact their professional performance. Consequently, seriously considering individual interests and abilities is critical when pursuing a future career. 

Resource 1 Resource 3

13.1.5A

13.1.5D