Pathway(s) Addressed: Survey

Submitted by: Christine Ermold

Date: November 15, 2000

Age(s): 11 and up

Prerequisites:
Ability to access internet or access to the printed off copies of each step.
Ability to read at approximately Level 5.
Ability to communicate through oral or written means.
Ability to type or write notes and a summary.
Access to adults with careers via phone, internet, or in person.

Recommend:

Online / Offline
Teacher Directed / Student Directed

Time frame: Several 30-45 minute sessions over 3-5 days.

English/Language Arts

A. A student should be able to speak and write well for a variety of
purposes and audiences.

1. apply elements of effective writing and speaking; these elements include ideas, organization, vocabulary, sentence structure, and personal style;

B. A student should be a competent and thoughtful reader, listener, and viewer of literature, technical materials, and a variety of other information.

2. reflect on, analyze, and evaluate a variety of oral, written, and visual information and experiences, including discussions, lectures, art, movies, television, technical materials, and literature; and

3. relate what the student views, reads, and hears to practical purposes in the student's own life, to the world outside, and to other texts and experiences.

Technology

A. A student should be able to operate technology-based tools.

1.use a computer to enter and retrieve information;
2.use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity;
3.use local and world-wide networks;
4.manage and maintain technology tools.

B. A student should be able to use technology to express ideas and exchange information.

1. convey ideas to a variety of audiences using publishing, multi- media, and communications tools;
2. use communications technology to exchange ideas and information; and
3. use technology to explore new and innovative methods for interaction with others.

Employability / (Scans)

A. A student should be able to develop and be able to use employability skills in order to effectively make the transition from school to work and life-long learning.

1. Develop and maintain a work ethic necessary for success in the workplace that includes honesty, integrity, dependability, punctuality, self discipline, initiative, reliability, accuracy, productivity, respect and perseverance;
2. Understand how to apply skills and academic knowledge in a variety of work settings;
3. Understand the process for seeking employment including resume development, application completion, interview skills and appropriate dress for work settings;

B. A student should be able to identify career interests and plan for career options.

1. Identify and appreciate personal interests, aptitudes, abilities, and priorities;
2. Identify possible career options, considering both employment and self employment and understand how changes in the workplace affect career choice;
3. Use labor market information to identify occupational and economic trends and opportunities, and evaluate possible career options;
4. Identify education and/or training needed for career options and advancement, and develop a career plan;

Overview:

A student will use this lesson to guide him through the process of:
Brainstorming careers which interest him;
Listing people who work in the career fields which interest him;
Selecting a person from that list to interview;
Scheduling, preparing for and conducting an interview;
Summarizing the information gathered during the interview;
Applying the information the student learned to his or her own future career options;
Evaluating the student's own performance on the lesson tasks.

Objectives:

1. Using her teacher and family as resources, the student will list careers which interest her and and list people who work in those career fields whom she could contact for a potential interview.

2. Using the lesson as a guide, the student will schedule, prepare for, and conduct an interview with a person from the list created under Objective 1.

3. After the completion of the interview, the student will summarize the information gathered in the interview,

4. Using the student's understanding of herself and the information learned from the interview, the student will identify her own strengths and weaknesses in relation to this career field.

5. The student will determine if she still has an interest in pursuing a career in this field and articulate why she is or is not still interested.

6. Using the Lesson Rubric, the student will evaluate his or her own performance and completion of the lesson tasks.

Resources/Materials:

internet access for each student or copies of Parts A through E (for each student) off the internet

access to adults with careers by phone, e-mail, or in person

paper and pencil

an envelope and stamp

optional: word processing program

Vocabulary:

interview

career field

basic skills

thinking skills

personal qualities

interpersonal skills

information skills

Classroom Setting:

individuals or small group: Younger students or those with special needs could conduct the interviews as a team.
large group: Introduction to lesson, interviewing techniques can be covered with the whole class.

Activities:

1. Lead a class discussion about interviewing someone for information.
Issues to discuss include:
preparing for the interview by knowing what information you'd like to get during the interview;
being "professional" during the interview;
being timely in starting the interview, asking questions, and concluding the interview;
taking notes in a way that is quick, yet accurate, and;
writing a thank you note.

2. Introduce the idea of interviewing someone about his or her job. For younger students, arrange to have a community person come in and interview them as a whole group with each student asking one question and taking notes on his or her answer.

3. Brainstorm careers that interest the class. Model the process the students will use for each step of the lesson.

4. Set each student (or pair of students) up with access to the internet. If that is not possible, print each page of the lesson (total of 7 pages), and then copy them off for the students.

5. Guide students in the process of listing possible people to interview who have the careers in which they are interested. Make sure that if two students are interviewing the same person that they make arrangements to do it together, at the same time. Contact local business people who would be willing to be interviewed to provide yourself with some resources to recommend to the students.

6. Be available to assist students a they complete each Part of the lesson. Monitor their progress, interview schedules, and lesson completion.

7. Evaluate their completed packets and compare your scores to their scores of themselves. If the two scores are highly discrepant, meet with the student to discuss his evaluation of himself and his own work.

8. Provide an opportunity for the students to share their information with one another. Possibilities include making posters about the career fields they learned about, doing presentations to the class, or making a book or data base of career information the class learned.

Community Connections:

This activity provides the opportunity for students to utilize the community resources they may have available in the people they choose to interview. In a more isolated setting, the use of the internet, e-mail, and the telephone, can provide students access to people outside of their community.

Assessment:

Upon completion of Part E, the student should have all notes, summaries, and lesson activities, combined together with the grading rubric stapled on top.

After completing the self-assessment, the student should give the packet to the teacher.

The teacher should evaluate the student's completion of the activities based upon what the student is capable of and whether or not the student completed each Part satisfactorily. A point value is used to rate the the students performance and completion of each activity and therefore the points awarded for each activity should be modified according to the student's performance.