Career Ranking Activity Sheet

Name: _____________________________

Instructions: Read each question about jobs. Circle the answer that you like most for your future job (1 point). Cross out the answer you like least (0 points). If you don't mind an option, you can leave it alone (0.5 points). Think about what you would enjoy!

1. Where do you like to work?

• Indoors Only: (e.g., in an office, a classroom, a kitchen)
  
• Outdoors Only: (e.g., outside in a park, on a farm, building outside)
  
• Both Indoors and Outdoors: (e.g., sometimes inside, sometimes outside)
  
  

2. Who do you like to work with?

• Mostly Alone: (e.g., working by yourself, quiet tasks)
  
• With a Small Group: (e.g., 2-4 people on a team)
  
• With Lots of People: (e.g., many co-workers, customers all the time)
  
  

3. What do you like to use for your job?

• My Hands: (e.g., cooking, drawing, taking care of animals)
  
• Tools or Machines: (e.g., fixing cars, washing dishes, using big kitchen equipment)
  
• Computer or Tablet: (e.g., writing, planning lessons, looking up houses)
  
• Vehicles: (e.g., driving a bus, driving to show houses)
  
  

4. How much school do you want to do after high school?

• Just High School Diploma: (ready for work right after high school)
  
• Special Training/Certificate: (a few months or a year of special classes)
  
• College Degree: (usually 2-4 years or more of college classes)
  
  

5. What kind of pace do you like at work?

• Fast Paced and Busy: (e.g., always moving, lots to do quickly)
  
• Calm and Steady: (e.g., takes time, peaceful, not a lot of rushing)
  
• Both: (e.g., some busy times, some calm times)
  
  

6. What is the most important part of your job?

• Helping People: (e.g., teaching, caring for animals, serving food)
  
• Making or Building Things: (e.g., baking, creating art)
  
• Fixing Problems: (e.g., repairing tires, solving tricky puzzles)
  
• Selling or Serving: (e.g., selling houses, serving coffee)
  
  

My Top Job Pick:

Based on your choices, which of the jobs you researched sounds most interesting to you right now?

____________________________________________________________________

Why does it sound interesting to you?

____________________________________________________________________

Teacher Script: Career Ranking Challenge

Warm-Up: Job Talk (5 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk more about jobs. You've all been doing some amazing research on different careers. Give yourselves a pat on the back for that!

To start, I want you to think about the jobs you researched. What was one thing you learned about a job that you thought was really cool or really not cool? Maybe it was about working outside, or using a computer, or how busy the job was.

Who would like to share one thing they found interesting? Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, just what you thought!"

(Allow 2-3 students to share briefly. Keep it positive and encourage participation.)

Introduction to Ranking (5 minutes)

"Great sharing, everyone! Today, we're going to take what you learned about these jobs and figure out what you like most and least about different types of work. This will help you start thinking about what kind of job might be a good fit for you in the future.

(Display Career Ranking Challenge Slides - Title Slide)

Our activity today is called the Career Ranking Challenge! We're going to use what you already know from your research to rank different parts of a job, based on what you prefer.

(Advance to next slides, briefly reviewing each category)

• Indoors or Outdoors? Do you like fresh air, or being in a climate-controlled building?
• Work Alone or with People? Are you a solo worker, or do you love teamwork?
• What Tools Do You Use? Do you like working with your hands, machines, computers, or driving?
• How Much School? Do you want to go straight to work, get special training, or go to college?
• Job Speed? Do you like a super busy job, a calm one, or a mix?
• Main Focus? Do you want to help people, make things, fix problems, or sell/serve?

(Hand out the Career Ranking Activity Sheet and the Career Reference Sheet.)

"Okay, everyone, you now have your Career Ranking Activity Sheet and a Career Reference Sheet. The reference sheet has a table with all the jobs you researched and their characteristics. Look for the bolded words on the reference sheet to help you quickly find the characteristics for each job. Let's look at the instructions for the activity sheet together. For each question, I want you to circle the answer you like most for your future job. That will be 1 point. Then, cross out the answer you like least for your future job. That will be 0 points. If you don't really mind an option, you can leave it alone – that's like 0.5 points. The most important thing is to think about what you would enjoy! Any questions before we start?"

(Answer any questions, modeling the first question if necessary.)

Individual Ranking Activity (10 minutes)

"Alright, let's get started! You have about 10 minutes to complete your Career Ranking Activity Sheet. You can use your Career Reference Sheet if you need to remember details about the jobs. Remember to use the bolded words on the reference sheet to help you. Really think about what you want in a job. I'll be walking around to help if you have any questions or get stuck. Remember to be honest with yourselves about your preferences!"

(Circulate, provide individual support, prompt students to explain their choices if appropriate.)

Share and Discuss Rankings (8 minutes)

"Okay, everyone, let's bring it back together. Great job thinking deeply about these job characteristics! Now, we're going to share some of our ideas.

Who would like to share one characteristic they circled as their favorite? Why is that important to you?"

(Call on a few students. Encourage them to explain their 'why'. Follow up with questions like, "Did anyone else choose that as a favorite?")

"How about a characteristic you crossed out – something you liked least? Why don't you think that would be a good fit for you?"

(Call on a few students.)

"Did anyone find it easy to make their choices, or was it hard? Why? It's okay if it was hard, sometimes it takes time to figure out what we like!"

(Facilitate a brief discussion, ensuring everyone feels comfortable sharing their personal preferences.)

Cool-Down: My Top Pick (2 minutes)

"Fantastic discussion! To finish up today, I want you to look at your Career Ranking Activity Sheet one last time. Based on all the things you just ranked, and thinking about the jobs you researched, which job sounds most interesting to you right now?

Write down that job name and one quick reason why it sounds interesting on your sheet. If you don't want to write, you can just think about it.

(Give students a moment to think/write.)

"Great job today, everyone! Knowing what you like and dislike in a job is a really smart way to start thinking about your future. I'll collect your sheets now. Have a wonderful rest of your day!"

Career Reference Sheet

Here is a list of the jobs you researched and some of their common characteristics. Use this sheet to help you think about your preferences when completing the Career Ranking Activity Sheet! Look for the bolded words to help you quickly find the different characteristics for each job.