Lesson Plan
Career Quest Plan
Students will explore various careers using pictorial cards, identify skills needed with tokens, and build confidence through a no-reading interactive game.
This lesson empowers special ed life skills students to recognize job options, practice decision-making, and gain confidence in career exploration through accessible, hands-on activities.
Audience
Special Education Life Skills Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Visual hands-on activities and game
Materials
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Print and cut out Career Illustration Cards.
- Assemble the Skill Token Set pieces (e.g., colored counters).
- Lay out the Career Quest Game Board on a table or floor.
- Attach or set up the Career Wheel Visual Spinner.
- Have the Reward Stickers Set ready for wrap-up.
- Review all materials and familiarize yourself with the pictorial cues.
Step 1
Introduction
5 minutes
- Gather students in a circle and show excitement about exploring jobs.
- Display each Career Illustration Card and ask students to point to ones they like.
- Give each student a few tokens from the Skill Token Set and explain that tokens represent skills.
Step 2
Career Exploration Activity
10 minutes
- Invite students to choose their favorite Career Illustration Card.
- On the table or board, have pictorial skill icons; students place tokens on the three skills they think that job needs.
- Prompt with simple yes/no questions (e.g., “Do builders need to lift heavy things?”) to guide token placement.
Step 3
Career Quest Game
10 minutes
- Place student markers at “Start” on the Career Quest Game Board.
- Students take turns spinning the Career Wheel Visual Spinner and moving their marker.
- When landing on a career space, the student picks that Career Illustration Card and names (or points to) one skill, placing a token from the Skill Token Set.
- Continue until each student has had at least two turns.
Step 4
Wrap-Up & Reflection
5 minutes
- Reconvene in a circle and have each student show their favorite career card.
- Hand out a sticker from the Reward Stickers Set for participation.
- Encourage students to say or point to one job they enjoyed and one skill they practiced.
use Lenny to create lessons.
No credit card needed
Activity
Skill Matching Activity
Objective: Students will match career cards to pictorial skill icons using tokens to reinforce understanding of job-related skills.
Time: 10 minutes
Materials:
Instructions
- Setup (2 minutes)
- Spread the Career Illustration Cards face-up on a table or floor.
- Arrange the Skill Token Set nearby.
- Display pictorial skill icons around the cards (e.g., lifting heavy things, counting money, drawing).
- Skill Matching (7 minutes)
- Invite one student at a time to pick a Career Illustration Card they like.
- Ask the student to think about which skills are important for that career.
- Student places three tokens from the Skill Token Set onto the pictorial icons matching those skills.
- Use simple prompts to guide them, such as:
- “Does a chef need to count ingredients?” (point to counting icon)
- “Do builders need to lift heavy things?” (point to lifting icon)
- “Does an artist need to draw shapes?” (point to drawing icon)
- Continue until each student has matched tokens to three skills for their chosen card.
- Reflection & Follow-Up (1 minute)
- Have each student show their career card and point to one skill they matched.
- Ask, “Why did you choose this skill for that job?” Allow verbal or pointed responses.
- Praise each student with a smile, clap, or sticker to celebrate participation.
Game
Career Quest Game
Objective: Students will apply their knowledge of career skills by moving around the board, landing on career spaces, and selecting skills for each job without reading or writing.
Time: 10 minutes
Materials:
- Career Quest Game Board
- Career Wheel Visual Spinner
- Career Illustration Cards
- Skill Token Set
- Student markers (small figures)
- Reward Stickers Set
Instructions
- Setup
- Place the Career Quest Game Board in the center of the playing area.
- Each student picks a marker and places it on “Start.”
- Lay the Career Wheel Visual Spinner next to the board.
- Shuffle Career Illustration Cards face-down and place them in a stack.
- Put the Skill Token Set and Reward Stickers Set within reach.
- Spin & Move
- Students take turns spinning the Career Wheel Visual Spinner.
- Move your marker forward to the next space matching the spinner color or number.
- Skill Match
- When you land on a career space (with a pictorial icon), draw the top Career Illustration Card.
- Look at the job picture. Choose one skill that job needs and place a token from the Skill Token Set on the matching skill icon (e.g., lifting, counting, drawing).
- Teachers use simple yes/no prompts if students need help (e.g., “Does a chef need to count?”).
- Earn a Reward
- If you place the token correctly, earn a sticker from the Reward Stickers Set.
- Continue Play
- Return the card to the bottom of the stack.
- Pass the spinner to the next student.
- Continue until each student has had two turns or time is up.
- Wrap-Up
- Bring everyone back to the circle.
- Have each student show one Career Illustration Card they landed on and point to one skill they matched.
- Give a final sticker for celebration.