Puzzle Piece Matching Activity

Overview:
In this hands-on activity, student teams will sort, read, and match individual Skill and Trend tiles to the correct Industry headers. This builds content knowledge, discussion skills, and critical thinking before racing to complete the full mosaic.

Materials:

• Skill Tiles (printed, cut) from Industry Tiles Gallery
• Trend Tiles (printed, cut) from Industry Tiles Gallery
• Industry Header Cards (Healthcare, Technology, Construction, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Education)
• Table or large sheet of butcher paper for each group
• Markers or sticky tack to affix tiles

Instructions:

1. Introduction (2 minutes)

   • Review the six industries and remind students to use the images and titles on the header cards.
   • Explain that they will first match Skills, then Trends, to build partial sections of the mosaic.

2. Sort Tiles (3 minutes)

   • In each group, dump the mixed tiles and quickly sort into two piles: Skills vs. Trends.
   • Ask: “How did you decide which tiles are skills and which are trends?”

3. Match Skill Tiles (5 minutes)

   • Take one skill tile at a time. Read it aloud.
   • Discuss with your group: “Which industry needs this skill most? Why?”
   • Place the skill tile under the chosen Industry header on your workspace.

4. Match Trend Tiles (5 minutes)

   • Repeat the process for trend tiles. Read each trend.
   • Discuss: “How does this trend shape the future of that industry?”
   • Affix the trend tile under the matching header.

5. Review & Feedback (5 minutes)

   • Teacher circulates: ask guiding questions, prompt deeper thinking, and help correct any mismatches.
   • Groups make adjustments based on feedback.

Guiding Questions:

• Why does this skill fit that industry better than another?
• How might that trend change the daily work in the industry?
• Could any skill or trend apply to multiple industries? Why?

Teacher Notes:

• Encourage every student to read aloud and share their reasoning.
• Provide sentence starters: “I think this goes with… because…”
• Refer back to the images and lists in Industry Tiles Gallery when students need support.

Next Steps:
Once skill and trend matching is complete, each group will be ready for the Market Mosaic Race!

Market Mosaic Race Game

Bring the energy of a timed puzzle challenge to your career exploration activity! In the Market Mosaic Race, groups sprint to correctly assemble their full industry–skills–trends mosaic and then tackle a quick bonus challenge to secure the win.

Materials

• Completed partial mosaics from Puzzle Piece Matching Activity
• Industry Header Cards (Healthcare, Technology, Construction, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Education)
• All Skill & Trend Tiles on each table
• Race Cards Deck (6 challenge cards printed & cut)
• Timer or Stopwatch
• Answer Key for Race Cards (teacher copy)

Setup (2 minutes)

1. Ensure each group’s table has its Industry Header Cards and the full set of Skill & Trend Tiles.
2. Shuffle and place the Race Cards face-down in the center.
3. Explain timing, finish-line procedures, and bonus challenge rules (below).

How to Play

1. On your signal (“Go!”), each group races to place every Skill Tile and Trend Tile under the correct Industry Header.
2. Teacher tracks each group’s finish time as they shout “Done!”
3. Upon shouting “Done,” a group immediately draws the top Race Card and has 30 seconds to complete its challenge.
   • If they place the specified tiles correctly, their official time is recorded.
   • If incorrect, time continues until corrections are made.
4. After all groups have finished and completed their Race Card challenges, compare times. The fastest fully correct group wins!

Race Cards

Print and cut these six cards. Shuffle and draw at race end.

Card 1:
Industry: Healthcare
Challenge: Place Empathy and Health Data Analytics under Healthcare.

Card 2:
Industry: Technology
Challenge: Place Cybersecurity Basics and Cloud Computing under Technology.

Card 3:
Industry: Construction
Challenge: Place Blueprint Reading and Sustainable Building under Construction.

Card 4:
Industry: Hospitality
Challenge: Place Multitasking and Experiential Travel under Hospitality.

Card 5:
Industry: Manufacturing
Challenge: Place Quality Control and Lean Manufacturing under Manufacturing.

Card 6:
Industry: Education
Challenge: Place Instructional Design and Online Learning Platforms under Education.

Teacher Answer Key

• Card 1: Empathy + Health Data Analytics → Healthcare
• Card 2: Cybersecurity Basics + Cloud Computing → Technology
• Card 3: Blueprint Reading + Sustainable Building → Construction
• Card 4: Multitasking + Experiential Travel → Hospitality
• Card 5: Quality Control + Lean Manufacturing → Manufacturing
• Card 6: Instructional Design + Online Learning Platforms → Education

Celebrate the winning team, then transition to the Tile Reflection Sheet to help students process what they learned about industries, skills, and trends. Have fun racing!

Tile Reflection Sheet

Name: ___________________________ Date: ___________

1. What is one new thing you learned today about an industry?
   
   
   
   

2. Choose one industry you matched. Why is a specific skill or trend important for that industry?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Can any skill or trend apply to more than one industry? Provide an example and explain how.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. How could one of these skills or trends help you in a job you are interested in?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. What was the hardest part of the activity, and how did your group work together to solve it?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

6. What question do you still have about careers, skills, or trends?