Lesson Plan
Superpower Career Match Lesson Plan
Students will identify their personal strengths and interests and connect them to potential career paths to build self-awareness and motivation in career exploration.
Understanding personal strengths and interests is the first step toward a fulfilling career. This lesson empowers students to see their unique talents as assets in the world of work, fostering motivation and self-awareness as they begin to explore career options.
Audience
8th Grade Special Education Class
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, self-reflection activity, and guided career connections.
Materials
Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (slide-deck), Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards (activity), and My Top 3 Career Superpowers (worksheet)
Prep
Prepare Materials
15 minutes
- Review the Superpower Career Match Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation, Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards, and My Top 3 Career Superpowers Worksheet.
- Print and cut out the cards from the Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards activity (one set per small group or pair).
- Make copies of the My Top 3 Career Superpowers Worksheet (one per student).
- Ensure projector/smartboard is ready for the Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation.
Step 1
Introduction: What's Your Superpower?
10 minutes
- Begin with the Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (Slide 1-3).
- Engage students with a discussion: "What does 'superpower' mean to you?" and "Do you think you have superpowers?"
- Introduce the lesson objective: connecting personal strengths and interests to career paths.
Step 2
Interest Inventory & Skill Sort
25 minutes
- Distribute the Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards (one set per small group or pair).
- Guide students through sorting the cards into 'Love Doing', 'Good At', and 'Neither' piles.
- Facilitate small group discussions about why certain cards were placed in specific piles. Encourage students to identify patterns in their 'Love Doing' and 'Good At' categories. Use Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (Slide 4-5) to explain the activity.
Step 3
Connecting Superpowers to Careers
15 minutes
- Transition to whole-class discussion, using Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (Slide 6-8).
- Ask students to share some of their top interests and skills.
- Brainstorm together how these interests and skills could be useful in different jobs or career fields.
- Introduce the concept of matching superpowers to career paths, using examples from the slides to spark ideas.
Step 4
My Top 3 Career Superpowers Worksheet
10 minutes
- Distribute the My Top 3 Career Superpowers Worksheet.
- Instruct students to select their top three interests/skills from their 'Love Doing' and 'Good At' piles and write them down as their 'Career Superpowers'.
- Guide them to brainstorm and write down 1-2 potential career paths for each superpower.
- Encourage creative thinking and remind them there are no wrong answers at this stage.
Step 5
Wrap Up: You Are Super!
5 minutes
- Conclude with Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (Slide 9).
- Briefly review the main idea: everyone has unique strengths that can lead to fulfilling careers.
- Ask students to share one new thing they learned about their own 'superpowers' or potential career interests.
Slide Deck
What's Your Career Superpower?
Ever wonder what makes you awesome?
What are you really good at?
What do you LOVE doing?
Today, we're going to uncover your unique talents and see how they can lead to an amazing career!
Welcome students and introduce the exciting topic of discovering their career superpowers. Ask a rhetorical question to get them thinking.
What is a Superpower?
Think beyond capes and flight!
A superpower is a special skill, talent, or strength you have.
It could be:
- Being a great listener
- Solving tricky problems
- Being super creative
- Helping others
- Staying organized
What are YOUR personal superpowers?
Engage students in a brief discussion about what 'superpower' means beyond comics. Relate it to personal strengths and abilities.
Our Mission Today
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Identify your personal strengths and interests.
2. Connect these 'superpowers' to different career paths.
3. Start thinking about what kind of job would make YOU happy!
Clearly state the lesson's objective so students understand the goal.
Uncovering Your Superpowers
It's time for a hands-on activity!
You'll get a set of cards with different interests and skills.
Your task: Sort them into three piles:
1. Love Doing!: Things you enjoy and could do all day.
2. Good At!: Things you're skilled at, even if they aren't your absolute favorite.
3. Neither: Things you don't enjoy or aren't good at... and that's okay!
Introduce the 'Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards' activity. Explain the purpose and how students will categorize their cards.
Activity Time: Card Sort!
Work with your group or partner.
Carefully read each card.
Discuss why you're putting it in a certain pile.
Look for patterns: Do you have a lot of 'Love Doing' cards related to art? Or helping people? Or building things?
This helps you see your true superpowers!
Give practical instructions for the card sort, emphasizing discussion within groups.
From Superpowers to Careers
Great job sorting your cards!
Now, let's connect your personal superpowers to the world of work.
Every job uses different skills and interests.
If you love helping people, what kinds of jobs might fit?
If you're good at solving problems, where could that talent shine?
After the activity, transition to discussing how their identified superpowers can lead to careers.
Examples: Superpower & Career Match
Superpower: Great Communicator
Careers: Teacher, Journalist, Marketing Specialist, Customer Service Rep
Superpower: Creative Thinker
Careers: Artist, Designer, Chef, Writer, Engineer
Superpower: Problem Solver
Careers: Scientist, Detective, Mechanic, Doctor, Software Developer
What other connections can you think of?
Provide examples of how different superpowers translate to careers. Encourage students to think broadly.
Your Top 3 Career Superpowers
Now it's your turn to choose!
Look at your 'Love Doing' and 'Good At' piles.
Pick your Top 3 Career Superpowers – the skills and interests you're most excited about.
Write them down on your My Top 3 Career Superpowers Worksheet.
Then, brainstorm 1-2 career ideas for each superpower. There are no wrong answers here, just ideas!
Explain the
You Are Super!
Every one of you has unique superpowers.
Identifying them is the first step to finding a career you'll love.
Keep exploring, keep learning, and keep using your superpowers to make a difference!
What's ONE thing you learned about your superpowers today?
Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the idea that their unique strengths are valuable and guide their future.
Activity
Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards
Instructions for Teacher: Print this document and cut out each rectangle to create individual cards. Distribute one set of cards per small group or pair of students for the sorting activity.
---START CUTTING HERE---
Interests
| Card Content |
|---|
| Reading Books |
| Playing Sports |
| Creating Art (drawing, painting, sculpting) |
| Playing Video Games |
| Listening to Music |
| Writing Stories/Poems |
| Helping Animals |
| Building Things (Legos, models, etc.) |
| Spending Time Outdoors |
| Cooking or Baking |
| Learning About History |
| Solving Puzzles/Mysteries |
| Working with Computers/Technology |
| Taking Pictures/Videos |
| Performing (acting, singing, dancing) |
| Helping Others Learn |
| Caring for Younger Kids |
| Designing Clothes/Spaces |
| Repairing Things |
| Experimenting (science) |
| Telling Jokes/Making People Laugh |
| Organizing Things |
| Planning Events |
Skills
| Card Content |
|---|
| Good Listener |
| Problem Solver |
| Creative Thinker |
| Works Well in a Team |
| Good at Explaining Things |
| Patient |
| Detail-Oriented |
| Strong Reader |
| Good at Math |
| Tech Savvy |
| Organized |
| Good with Hands |
| Empathic (understands others' feelings) |
| Resourceful (finds solutions) |
| Persuasive (good at convincing others) |
| Quick Learner |
| Responsible |
| Good at Following Instructions |
| Strong Communicator |
| Observant |
| Adaptable |
| Independent Worker |
| Good at Time Management |
---STOP CUTTING HERE---
Worksheet
My Top 3 Career Superpowers
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________________________
Great job identifying your interests and skills! Now it's time to pick your top superpowers and brainstorm how they can lead to an awesome career!
Superpower #1: My Top Interest/Skill
What is one strong interest or skill you identified from your card sort that you are really good at and/or love doing?
My Superpower is: _________________________________________________________________
How can this superpower help in a career? (Brainstorm 1-2 career ideas where this superpower would be useful!)
Superpower #2: Another Awesome Interest/Skill
What is a second strong interest or skill you identified?
My Superpower is: _________________________________________________________________
How can this superpower help in a career? (Brainstorm 1-2 career ideas where this superpower would be useful!)
Superpower #3: One More Amazing Interest/Skill
What is a third strong interest or skill you identified?
My Superpower is: _________________________________________________________________
How can this superpower help in a career? (Brainstorm 1-2 career ideas where this superpower would be useful!)
Reflection
What is one new thing you learned about your own superpowers or potential career interests today?