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Future Ready Start

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Lesson Plan

Future Ready Start Lesson Plan

Students will envision their future college and career selves, identify their skills and interests, and plan present-day actions to support long-term goals.

Early self-awareness and goal-setting build motivation and study habits, connecting classroom effort to future success and fostering lifelong planning skills.

Audience

5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Guided visualization, interactive worksheets, and group discussion.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and state today’s objective: linking current interests to future goals.
  • Ask: “What do you know about college? What jobs might you do one day?”
  • Record quick ideas on chart paper to activate prior knowledge.
  • Differentiate: Provide sentence starters for students who need support; advanced learners can add additional ideas.

Step 2

Future Self Visualization

7 minutes

  • Guide a 2-minute silent visualization: imagine yourself as a college student or working professional.
  • Students complete the Future Self Exploration Worksheet, drawing and writing about their future selves.
  • Circulate to support students in adding rich details.
  • Differentiated support: Offer word banks and visuals for ELL students; extension: encourage advanced writers to write a short diary entry from their future self’s perspective.

Step 3

Identify Skills and Interests

8 minutes

  • In pairs, students share their worksheets and discuss what skills and interests they see in their future selves.
  • Distribute Career Exploration Cards; pairs match cards to peer interests.
  • As pairs share, record common skills/interests on the Skills and Interests Chart.
  • Assessment: Observe discussions and check chart entries for understanding.
  • Differentiation: Simplified cards for students needing language support; challenge advanced pairs to research an additional career online.

Step 4

Connect Actions to Goals

7 minutes

  • Individually, students brainstorm 2–3 present-day actions (e.g., reading, practicing teamwork) that help build the skills they identified.
  • Add these actions to their worksheets under “My Next Steps.”
  • Teacher circulates to provide real-time feedback and scaffold where needed.
  • Differentiation: Provide an action-planning template for students who need structure; advanced students can set SMART goals.

Step 5

Reflection and Sharing

3 minutes

  • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share one future goal and one action they’ll take this week.
  • Offer positive feedback and encourage peers.
  • Summarize: Today's small steps lead to big futures.
  • Assessment: Use student shares and worksheet entries to gauge readiness and plan follow-up support.
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Slide Deck

Future Ready Start

• Exploring College & Career Readiness
• Envision Your Future Self
• Identify Skills & Plan Next Steps

Welcome students and introduce the lesson. Say: “Today we’ll explore how what you do now connects to your future college and career goals.” Review the objective: envisioning future selves, identifying skills, and planning actions.

Introduction: What Do You Know?

• What is college?
• What jobs might you do one day?

Share ideas, then we’ll connect them to our goals.

Activate prior knowledge. Ask two questions and record answers on chart paper. Support struggling writers with sentence starters: “College is…” or “I might work as a…”

Future Self Visualization

  1. Close your eyes and imagine your life as a college student or working professional.
  2. Sketch and describe your future self on the Future Self Exploration Worksheet.
  3. Add details: what you study, where you live, what you do each day.

Guide a 2-minute silent visualization. Then hand out the Future Self Exploration Worksheets. Prompt students to draw and write details about their future college or career life.

Identify Skills & Interests

• In pairs, share your worksheets.
• Match with careers using Career Exploration Cards.
• Record shared skills/interests on the Skills and Interests Chart.

Pair students and distribute Career Exploration Cards. Monitor discussions, prompt with questions like “What skills do you need for that job?” Record common skills on the chart.

Connect Actions to Goals

• Brainstorm 2–3 actions (e.g., reading, teamwork practice).
• Write your actions under “My Next Steps” on your worksheet.
• Think: How will this help you reach your future goal?

Have students work individually. Guide them to think of present-day actions that build identified skills. Provide an action-planning template for those who need it and challenge advanced students to set SMART goals.

Reflection & Sharing

• Share one future goal and one action you’ll take this week.
• Listen and encourage peers.
• Remember: Small steps today lead to big futures.

Invite a few volunteers to share. Offer positive feedback and connect shares back to the lesson objective. Use student responses to inform follow-up.

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Worksheet

Future Self Exploration Worksheet

Name: ________________________ Date: _______________

1. Draw Your Future Self

Imagine yourself as a college student or working professional. In the box below, draw a picture of yourself in the future:













2. Describe Your Future Life

Answer the questions about your future self:

What are you doing? Where are you living? What are you studying or what work are you doing?












3. Skills & Interests

List three skills or interests you will use in this future role:










4. My Next Steps

Brainstorm two or three actions you can take now to build these skills and interests. Write your actions below:

  • Action 1: ______________________________________________________________











  • Action 2: ______________________________________________________________











  • Action 3 (optional): ___________________________________________________











Use this worksheet to guide your goal-setting and share your ideas during our discussion.

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Activity

Career Exploration Cards

Use these cards in pairs or small groups. Each card shows a career, a simple description, and key skills needed. Match cards to your interests and discuss why these skills are important.

Card 1: Doctor
• Helps people stay healthy and treats illnesses.
• Skills: Empathy, science knowledge, communication.

Card 2: Engineer
• Designs and builds structures, machines, or software.
• Skills: Math, problem-solving, creativity.

Card 3: Teacher
• Teaches students new things and helps them learn.
• Skills: Communication, patience, organization.

Card 4: Chef
• Cooks meals in restaurants or bakeries.
• Skills: Teamwork, creativity, time management.

Card 5: Veterinarian
• Cares for animals' health and treats sick pets.
• Skills: Science knowledge, compassion, observation.

Card 6: Artist
• Creates paintings, sculptures, or digital art.
• Skills: Creativity, attention to detail, self-expression.

Card 7: Software Developer
• Writes code to create apps, games, or websites.
• Skills: Logical thinking, computer skills, problem-solving.

Card 8: Architect
• Plans and designs buildings and spaces.
• Skills: Math, drawing, creativity.

How to Use:

  1. Shuffle the cards and deal one to each student.
  2. In pairs, share your card: read the description and skills.
  3. Discuss why each skill matches the career.
  4. Match your card to a partner’s career or interest from the worksheet.
  5. Share your matches and why they go together.
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Activity

Skills and Interests Chart

Use this chart to record the skills and interests students identify and connect them to careers and student names.

Skill or InterestExample Career(s)Students Who Mentioned This

Instructions:

  • As each pair shares their matched careers and skills, write the skill or interest in the first column.
  • In the second column, note one or more example careers that use that skill.
  • In the third column, list the name(s) of the student(s) who mentioned it.
  • Use this visual to see common interests and plan future activities around these skills.
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