Nebraska Department of Education
Blue Collar and Proud of It
There is a strong need for workers skilled in trades (agriculture, construction, transportation, the service industry, manufacturing, industry). Middle schoolers listen to an interview with a tradesperson and then go online to...
Nebraska Department of Education
Career Family Tree
What do you want to be when you grow up? How does your family influence your choices of occupations? These are the questions middle schoolers consider as they interview family members and create a career Family Tree.
Nebraska Department of Education
A Letter to Myself
Middle schoolers craft a letter to themselves describing what their life will be like in four years using a prewriting organizer to guide their work.
Nebraska Department of Education
Reflective Listening
Reflective listening is not casual! After learning about the practice of reflective listening, middle schoolers practice reflective listening skills in a role play activity that has them take turns being a speaker, listener, and observer.
Nebraska Department of Education
Social Class and Fitting In
Social classes may be explicitly defined as in a caste system or based more informally on such ideas as wealth or education. After reading and discussing an article about one woman's experience with trying to fit into a system different...
Nebraska Department of Education
Coat of Arms
After discussing the significance of a Coat ofArms, eighth graders design their own to represent their strengths, values, goals, and culture.
Nebraska Department of Education
Communication Skills
It's not just what you say but how you say it! That's the take-away from a lesson plan about verbal and non-verbal communication. An engaging activity has middle schoolers demonstrating how tone of voice and body language can totally...
Nebraska Department of Education
Stress and Coping
Life can be stressful. Class members fill out T-charts identifying stressors associated with school, parents, friends, and life then list coping strategies that can help with each category.
Nebraska Department of Education
This I Believe
As part of a Career Develop unit, eighth-graders reflect on their beliefs and values and consider how these beliefs might affect their relationships with friends and with colleagues when they join the workforce.
Nebraska Department of Education
Time Management
As eighth-graders move on to high school, strong time management skills become critical. As part of a career Planning & Management unit, scholars learn how to analyze their time and consider how their choices impact their ability to...
Nebraska Department of Education
Who Am I?
When people look in a mirror, they rarely see themselves as others see them. Tweens and teens can consider the significance of these disparities in a lesson that asks them to reflect on the kind of person they are and how they think...
Nebraska Department of Education
Collaborative Resume Writing
A resume is a key requirement in the job application process. As part of a career unit study for high school freshmen, pairs critique a bad resume, brainstorm as a whole class what should be included in a resume, and then as individuals,...
Nebraska Department of Education
Goal Maps
High school freshmen are asked to think about their future goals and reflect on what they have learned about the barriers they may face and the resources they have to overcome these barriers. Individuals then respond to questions on a...
Nebraska Department of Education
How Do You Define “Friend?”
Shared values are often the keystone in friendships. Class pairs use their "Values" handout from a previous lesson and interview one another to identify values they share and don't share. Then, consider how their differences contribute...
Nebraska Department of Education
Mock Interviews
Completing a job application and sitting for an interview are essential parts of the job search process. High schoolers receive guidance as they fill out a job application and participate in mock interviews to prepare. They also access a...
Nebraska Department of Education
Phone Etiquette
High school freshmen prepare for the world of work by practicing a phone interview. After examining a list of "Do's and Don'ts," pairs take turns being the job applicant and the interviewer.
Nebraska Department of Education
The Five Things
High school freshmen consider how their resources and values can support them in their future goals by answering questions such as; What do you value? What do you enjoy doing? What do you do well? Of what accomplishments are you...
Nebraska Department of Education
Resources and Barriers
The journey along the the road of life is filled with roadblocks and detours, but not every traveler is equipped with the same advantages. As part of a career study unit, high school freshmen analyze the resources used by someone they...
Nebraska Department of Education
Managing My Money
Rent, food, utilities, gas, clothing, taxes! It all adds up. As part of a career planning and management unit, high school sophomores learn about financial planning and budgeting.
Nebraska Department of Education
Work: Love It or Hate It?
Future job seekers interview adults who love their work and ones that dislike their work. After reflecting on what they learned in a whole-class discussion, participants create a mission statement that details what they want and don't...
Nebraska Department of Education
Leaving A Job
Neither "You're fired!" nor "I quit!" make for leaving a job on good terms. As part of a career development study, job seekers learn to craft both a verbal resignation and a formal resignation letter.
Nebraska Department of Education
Writing Emails That Matter
LOL! BRB! :-) The rules for business and professional emails differ significantly from online communications among friends. As part of a career readiness study, pupils learn the do's and don'ts of writing professional emails.
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...