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What's Your Superpower Career Match?

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Lesson Plan

Superpower Career Match

Students will identify their personal strengths and interests, and connect these "superpowers" to potential career paths.

Building self-awareness and motivation are key to effective career exploration. This lesson empowers students to see their unique talents as valuable assets in the professional world, fostering confidence and engagement in their future planning.

Audience

8th Grade Class

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and self-reflection activities.

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

Step 1

Introduction: What's Your Superpower?

10 minutes

  • Begin with a hook using the Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation (Slide 1-2).
  • Ask students: "If you had a superpower for school or helping others, what would it be?" Allow a few students to share.
  • Introduce the idea that everyone has unique "superpowers"—their strengths and interests—that can lead to amazing careers.
  • Briefly explain the lesson objective: to discover their career superpowers and match them to jobs. (Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation Slide 3)

Step 2

Interest Inventory & Skill Sort

20 minutes

  • Distribute the Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards.
  • Explain that students will sort these cards into categories: "Love It!", "Like It", "Neutral", "Dislike It", "Hate It!" for interests, and "Strong Skill", "Developing Skill", "Need to Learn" for skills.
  • Guide students through the sorting process. Encourage them to be honest and thoughtful.
  • Circulate and assist students as they sort, prompting them to think about why they categorize things the way they do.

Step 3

Connecting Superpowers to Careers

15 minutes

Step 4

Worksheet Completion & Reflection

10 minutes

Step 5

Wrap-Up: Future Superpowers

5 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
  • Ask a few students to share one career superpower they identified and one career path they brainstormed. (Discover Your Career Superpower Presentation Slide 8)
  • Emphasize that this is just the beginning of their career exploration journey and their superpowers will continue to grow.
  • Encourage them to keep thinking about their strengths and interests as they consider their future.
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Slide Deck

What's Your Superpower Career Match?

What are your unique talents?

What makes you... YOU?

Welcome students and introduce the exciting idea of discovering their unique talents. Ask a fun ice-breaker question to get them thinking about 'superpowers'.

Everyone Has Superpowers!

It's not about flying or invisibility, but about your special skills and what you love to do!

Connect the idea of fictional superpowers to real-life strengths and interests. Explain that these are their 'career superpowers'.

Today's Mission: Discover Your Career Superpowers!

We will explore your interests and skills to find out what career paths might be a perfect fit for you.

Clearly state the lesson's goal. Emphasize that this will help them think about future jobs in a new way.

Let's Explore: Interests & Skills!

You're about to become a detective of your own talents!

We'll use 'Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards' to uncover your unique strengths and passions.

Introduce the sorting activity. Explain that the cards will help them identify what they enjoy and what they are good at.

Your Superpowers = Amazing Career Opportunities!

Every job needs different skills and interests.

Your unique combination can lead to a fulfilling career you'll love!

Explain how their identified superpowers are valuable in the job market. Give a few diverse examples.

Matching Your Superpowers to Careers

Think about jobs that require the skills you're strong in, or that align with your biggest interests.

What kind of work excites you?

Prompt students to start thinking about specific career types based on their strongest superpowers. Encourage them to be open-minded.

My Top 3 Career Superpowers

Now, let's put your discoveries on paper!

Use your sorted cards and reflections to complete your 'My Top 3 Career Superpowers' worksheet.

Introduce the worksheet and explain its purpose as a consolidation of their discoveries.

What's NEXT for Your Superpowers?

Keep exploring! Your superpowers will continue to grow and evolve, guiding you towards an exciting future!

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the idea that career exploration is a journey and their superpowers are their guides. Encourage continued self-reflection.

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Activity

Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards

Instructions:

  1. Carefully cut out each card below. You will have two types of cards: Interest Cards and Skill Cards.
  2. Sort your Interest Cards into five piles based on how much you enjoy them:
    • Love It! (You absolutely love doing this!)
    • Like It (You generally enjoy this activity.)
    • Neutral (You don't really love or dislike it.)
    • Dislike It (You prefer not to do this.)
    • Hate It! (You really, really don't like doing this!)
  3. Sort your Skill Cards into three piles based on your ability:
    • Strong Skill (You are good at this and feel confident.)
    • Developing Skill (You are learning and getting better at this.)
    • Need to Learn (You don't have much experience with this yet, or need to improve a lot.)

Interest Cards (Cut Along the Lines)

Interest CardInterest CardInterest Card
Helping OthersSolving PuzzlesWorking with Animals
Creating ArtPlaying SportsWriting Stories
Building ThingsReading BooksLearning New Languages
Using ComputersPerforming MusicBeing Outdoors
Cooking/BakingPlanning EventsUnderstanding How Things Work
Debating IdeasGardeningPlaying Video Games

Skill Cards (Cut Along the Lines)

Skill CardSkill CardSkill Card
Problem-SolvingCommunicationCreativity
TeamworkLeadershipOrganization
ListeningCritical ThinkingPublic Speaking
Technology UseManual DexterityAttention to Detail
EmpathyTime ManagementResearch
AdaptabilityObservationWriting Clearly
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Worksheet

My Top 3 Career Superpowers

Instructions: After sorting your Interest Inventory & Skill Sort Cards, reflect on your piles and answer the following questions to discover your unique career superpowers!

Part 1: Your Super Interests

  1. From your "Love It!" and "Like It" piles, list your Top 3 Interests. These are the activities you enjoy most.






    2. ____________________________



    3. ____________________________

  2. Why do you enjoy these interests? What makes them exciting or fulfilling for you?






Part 2: Your Super Skills

  1. From your "Strong Skill" and "Developing Skill" piles, list your Top 3 Skills. These are the abilities you are good at or are actively improving.






    2. ____________________________



    3. ____________________________

  2. How do you use these skills in your daily life (at school, at home, with friends, etc.)?






Part 3: Superpower Career Match!

  1. Now, combine your top interests and skills. Brainstorm at least three potential career paths that would allow you to use these
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What's Your Superpower Career Match? • Lenny Learning