Riverside Brookfield High School

160 Ridgewood Rd., Riverside, IL 60546 College and Career Lesson Plan: What Career Might Be Best For Me? School Counselor: Beth Augustine (or other counseling staff) Date: 2013-2014 Academic Year Grade(s):Sophomore Students

ASCA Student Standards (Domain/Standard/Competencies): Career Development: Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions. Competency: C:A1 Develop Career Awareness C:A1.1Develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career information C:A1.3.Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests and motivations C:A1.8Purse and develop competency in areas of interest Competency: C:B1 Acquire Career Information C:B1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of the career-planning process C:B1.4 Know the various ways in which occupations can be classified C:B1.5 Use research and information resources to obtain career information Learning Objective(s): Students will learn their personal interest, skills and values. Students will explore career areas and learn about entering into their fields of interest Students will gain a general idea about what career direction they might like to take. Materials: Pre-Post Tests Pens or Pencils Copies of What Career Might Be Best for Me? Career Exploration Next Step handouts. Computers for Occupational Outlook Handbook (Naviance) or the online version at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. Procedure: 1. The School Counselor will distribute the pre-test. Upon completion of the pre-test, the school counselor will ask students about their current or potential career interests. The responses will vary. A range of answers will form from students who are very committed to a career path, to others who have never thought about future careers. Ask students to discuss different things they have done to assist them in the career decision-making process.

Riverside Brookfield High School

160 Ridgewood Rd., Riverside, IL 60546 2. Discuss with students that career exploration is a process. Help students understand that they do not have to make irreversible decisions within this activity, and that it is only the beginning of their exploration. 3.Hand out What Career Might Be Best for Me? packets. Students should complete the pages titled: My Interests and Abilities, Values Checklist, and Interest and Skill Areas. These can be assigned as homework or as an in- class assignment, or in any combination. 4.At this point, students will be able to complete the top half of the Brainstorming Careers page. The next step will be for students to determine their desired educational level. Explain the statistic that only 15% of new jobs in the future will require only a high school diploma. 5.Based on their previous work, students can now pick potential careers from the Occupations list. The Occupational Outlook Handbook online is useful for students that want more information about particular careers. As students complete the last page, they should be able to narrow their choices to 5 career areas. Emphasize that they are not making a final decision. This is just the start of the process. 6.Distribute the handout Career ExplorationNext Steps, and use it to discuss options for learning more about specific careers. 7. Distribute the Post-Test. Plan for Evaluation: How will each of the following be collected? Process Data: Approximately 200 students (entire sophomore class) will take the lesson. School counselor will conduct lessons during Health Class over two periods Perception Data: 90% of sophomores will have a better idea about their interest and how they relate to careers. 85% of sophomores will feel more comfortable about making career decisions 95% of sophomores will feel more comfortable discussing their options of careers in fields of interest

Outcome Data: Over the next two years there will be a 75% increase in juniors selecting courses that align with student career interest

Follow Up:

Riverside Brookfield High School

160 Ridgewood Rd., Riverside, IL 60546 Students who do not show improvement in their junior year will be given the opportunity to sit in the sophomore sessions the following year. Students, whose schedule dont permit sessions, will be given the opportunity to complete the career packet and schedule one-on-one time with their counselor to discuss career possibilities before scheduled registration for senior classes.