Elementary (K-6) Career Day
Kristen Cooper, MSUM Intern 2001-2002
Shakopee High School
Shakopee, MN
Career Day will incorporate three speakers coming into the 5th and 6th grade classrooms. These speakers will be professionals who work in three distinct career areas. After listening to the speakers, students will understand differences and similarities between the various careers, the people who work in them, and their impact on other life roles.
Three speakers will be obtained. They should represent distinct career areas and different levels of training. For example, these different areas could correspond to three of the six career clusters identified in the MN Careers 2002 book. One speaker could be a nurse with a 2- or 4-year college degree who works in the health services field. Another could be a carpenter who was trained via an apprenticeship. The third speaker could be someone with a professional or advanced degree such as a lawyer, judge, or administrator. The speakers would be asked to briefly describe what they do at their jobs. The would tell the students what makes them good at their jobs and what they like and dislike about their jobs. Training will be described as well as the impact of the job on other life roles.
After the speakers have left students will be asked to make a poster of the career that most interested them. On the poster they will draw a picture of what they think someone in that career looks like while doing their job. At the top will be the title of the job. On the bottom will be the training required to do that job. On the left and right sides of the poster students will list personality traits/skills that would be helpful to someone working in that career.
The Career Day speakers and activity are reflective of the Career developmental domain of the Minnesota School CounselorsŐ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling. The lessons help equip students with information about life roles and career choices.
Additionally, these lessons correspond to the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee Standards for elementary students. In the area of educational and occupational exploration students will become more aware of the relationship between work and learning. They will become aware of how work relates to the needs and functions of society. In the career planning area they will become aware of the inter-relationship between life roles. Students will gain awareness of different occupations and changing gender roles. Finally, they will learn about the career planning process.
Dahlman, T. (Ed.). (2002). MN careers: Your ultimate guide for career & educational exploration. Minnesota Department of Economic Security.