Nebraska Department of Education
Where I'm From
We are a tapestry woven of the threads of our family and its history, our environment, our ethnicity, and our culture. High school freshmen reflect on how these threads influence their goals for the future. After reading George Ella...
Nebraska Department of Education
Zeteophobia
You know hydrophobia, arachnophobia, and maybe even ophidiophobia, but do you recall Zeteophobia, the least famous phobia of all? As part of a Career Development series, job seekers investigate the power of zeteophobia, the fear that...
Nebraska Department of Education
You're Fired!
Is willing to learn. Follows directions. Takes the initiative. The big idea in this career development lesson is that the work habits that make one successful in school are the same as those required to succeed in a career. Class members...
Nebraska Department of Education
Personal Roadmap
Sometimes you need a map to get to your destination. High schoolers list 10 short and long terms goals and personal assets they have that will help them achieve these goals. They then craft a paragraph in which they reflect on how these...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Career Portfolio
Climb the career ladder! Using a guiding resource, pupils develop an individual career plan including goals, a resume, and self-assessments. Additionally, scholars write a cover letter to a company of choice.
Workforce Solutions
Networking Bingo
A game of Bingo gets scholars networking. Independently, participants complete the worksheet responding to each applicable prompt. With the group, peers roam the room to network in search of similar answers.
Workforce Solutions
Survivor Island
Decisions, decisions! Small groups decide on their dream career then enter a scenario that challenges them to make another big decision—if stranded on a deserted island, who would be saved or fed to the sharks. Because decisions are...
Workforce Solutions
Egg-streme Sports
Challenge small groups to build a structure that catches a raw egg without breaking—working collaboratively and applying mathematical and engineering principles. Pretending the frame was made by a business, scholars create a marketing...
Workforce Solutions
Discover Your Interests
Career exploration is the focus of a activity that encourages pupils to choose a profession based on their strengths and interests. Following a thoughtful discussion covering different character traits, class members complete an interest...
Workforce Solutions
Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt
How are simple machines used in professional settings? To find out, scholars examine various pictures, cross-reference a list of simple machines, and write or verbally share how those items are used in specific jobs.
Workforce Solutions
A Colony for Lunar Living
Two lessons explore the possibility of living on the moon. First, scholars read various scenarios to identify which careers would best transfer to life in space. Finally, pupils examine a website to locate items made for outer space,...
Workforce Solutions
Newton's Laws
Two lessons explore the connection between energy transformation and a given job. In lesson one, small groups role-play a scenario that showcases the energy transformations that may take place during a job-specific task. The second...
Workforce Solutions
On the Job
Four lessons spotlight a variety of professions while boosting listening and observational skills and making inferences. Lesson one challenges pupils to group cards based on a commonality then justify the relationship they see. Lesson...
Workforce Solutions
Let’s Take a Selfie
Professional or unprofessional? That is the question addressed by a instructional activity on workplace attire. Class members examine images posted on job search sites like Linkedin and those posted by celebrities. They consider the...
Workforce Solutions
Social Media Pit Stop
Think before you post! Employers are watching! That's the takeaway from an activity that asks learners to rate their social media posts using a scale developed by recruiters. The activity ends with scholars brainstorming ways to improve...
Workforce Solutions
Workplace Ethics
An activity that focuses on workplace ethical dilemmas asks groups how to respond to a series of scenarios. First, the class brainstorms a list of ethics that apply to employers, then a second one that applies to employees. Using their...
Workforce Solutions
Workplace Personalities
Being able to get along with a variety of personalities in the workplace is a key job skill. To gain insight into the importance of this skill, class members take on roles of various personality types and work in groups to try to build a...
Workforce Solutions
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
A short video demonstrates the importance of non-verbal communication in the forming of first impressions. Viewers observe the facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and appearance of job seekers in an interview, then discuss...
Workforce Solutions
Skills that Pay the Bills
Actions take center stage in an activity that underscores the importance of non-verbal communication. Groups present skits that demonstrate the important role body language plays in any conversation.
California Department of Education
California CareerZone Student Workbook
A 13-page workbook walks scholars through the California CareerZone website. Class members start by creating accounts then take an interest survey. Results from the survey are used in activities that explore lifestyle choices, budgeting,...
California Department of Education
California CareerZone Make Money Choices Student Workbook
An activity challenges scholars to make smart money choices. While visiting the California CareerZone website, pupils choose between budgeting for one's lifestyle or salary and complete a two-page instructional activity based on the...
Workforce Solutions
30 Seconds
Attention spans are short, but memories are long. Job seekers are challenged to develop a 30-second commercial that highlights their strengths in a job interview.
Workforce Solutions
Networking BINGO
A Networking BINGO game asks participants to find scholars who share a variety of the same interests and characteristics. Categories include everything from shoe size, to biggest fear, to intended college major.
California Department of Education
What’s Next?
A richly detailed, step-by-step plan is designed to help high school seniors create a postsecondary plan for pursuing their career goals. Using the template provided by the California Career Center website, individuals complete their...