Interests to Careers Exploration

Amber Johnson

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Interests to Careers Exploration

Connect interests to career fields

In this lesson, students will explore how their personal interests can align with various career fields. They will use online resources to investigate different career clusters and identify potential career paths that match their interests. This lesson is important as it encourages students to think about their future and understand the connection between their passions and potential careers, fostering early career awareness and planning.

Audience

5th Grade Students

Time

1 hour

Approach

Connect interests to career fields

Materials

Computers or tablets with internet access, Worksheet: Career Exploration, Discussion Questions, and Handout: Career Clusters Overview

Step 1

Introduction

10 mins

Begin with a brief discussion on what a career is and why it's important to think about careers early.
Ask students to share some of their interests and hobbies.

Step 2

Career Clusters Overview

10 mins

Distribute the 'Career Clusters Overview' handout.
Explain the concept of career clusters and how they group similar occupations.
Highlight a few examples of career clusters and related jobs.

Step 3

Online Career Exploration

25 mins

Provide students with computers or tablets.
Guide them to use a specific online resource to explore different career clusters.
Instruct students to choose a cluster that interests them and find at least three careers within that cluster.

Step 4

Worksheet Activity

10 mins

Distribute the 'Career Exploration' worksheet.
Have students fill out the worksheet with information about the careers they researched, including why they are interested in them.

Step 5

Closure and Discussion

5 mins

Gather students for a closing discussion.
Use the discussion questions to reflect on what they learned and how their interests can guide their career choices.

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Worksheet

Career Exploration Worksheet

This worksheet helps students document their research on career clusters and specific careers that interest them.

List three careers you found interesting in your chosen cluster.

Think about what you enjoy doing and how it relates to these careers.

Why do these careers interest you?

What skills do you think are important for these careers?

Reading

Career Clusters Overview

This handout provides an overview of different career clusters and examples of jobs within each cluster.

Career Clusters Overview

Career clusters are groups of similar occupations and industries. Here are a few examples:

Health Science: Careers in this cluster include doctors, nurses, and medical researchers.
Information Technology: Careers include software developers, IT support specialists, and web designers.
Arts, A/V Technology & Communications: Careers include graphic designers, journalists, and filmmakers.

Explore more clusters to find careers that match your interests!

Discussion

Career Discussion Questions

These questions guide a discussion on how personal interests can align with career choices.

How can your hobbies and interests influence your career choice?

Encourage students to think about how their favorite activities might translate into a career.

What did you learn about the careers you researched?

Ask students to share interesting facts or insights they discovered.

Why is it important to start thinking about careers now?

Discuss the benefits of early career planning and awareness.