Career I-Search: Laying the Groundwork ~ Part 1 of 3

What better way to get kids to research than to have them research a topic that interests them?

Let's first consider the fact that it is the job of the teacher to make sure our students are prepared to leave our classrooms ready to go out into the world as contributing citizens.  Agreed?  Yes -- we also have to prepare them for standardized tests and to prepare them to succeed at the next level of school, but ultimately, they must be college and career-ready!  This is where I can promote the greatest selling point of this project:  What will I be when I grow up?  This is where I "trick" the kids into actually WANTING to research.

LAY THE GROUNDWORK:  First, I share Confuscius' quote:  "Choose a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Through discussion, we discover the meaning of this quote; I'm sure you have already found a job you love or you wouldn't be reading this blog with the precious spare time you have right now!  Am I right? I pass out the Confuscius Worksheet for students to use as their note-making tool, and we then discuss  if they agree with the quote.  Believe me -- kids have opinions about EVERYTHING!  Go ahead -- play devil's advocate.  If they automatically agree, then question them:  "Does EVERYONE enjoy their jobs?  Why not?"  If they agree, then do the opposite.  Get them to think!   

Students then complete the section on the worksheet where it asks them to consider a career that they'd enjoy.  For some, this can be tricky; heck -- if you ask some adults, they STILL don't know what they want to be when they grow up.  In the end, I simply tell the kids to think about someone who loves their job and write about that career for now.  Don't worry -- these are the kids who will change their minds a million times; encourage them to select one topic to start with, just for the sake of completing the assignment today.  If they switch topics, at least they'll know how to complete this first leg of the project.

Once he gets to his fifth line, I will reward him with a stamp

• My kiddos have already considered this step (I teach English in a comprehensive career and technical center), but before they came to the school, they took a survey like this to help them with the decision-making process.  If your students need to take a career interest survey, then consider using this resource from the US Department of Labor:  "Career Wonders".  

THINK ON PAPER:  For the next step, have the students write a 5-Line.  This writing technique is a "safe" activity that simply requires that the student answer a basic question without the stress of a right or wrong grade; they get credit for thinking about the topic in writing.  When the student reaches the fifth line, they earn a stamp, and strangely enough, they'll just about do anything for a stamp!  For this 5-line, my students answer the questions:  "What job would you select so that you would "never work a day in YOUR life?  Why would you choose this job?"

Have the kiddos "turn and talk" as they exchange turns reading their response to their partner or small group (I suggest groups of no more than 2-3).  Encourage students to read what they write instead of talking; it makes them realize that they need to write with complete ideas.  This is a learned activity, so be patient if the kids are trying this for the first time; it's worth it to have students learn to complete this activity.

• Check out the video to see how you might adapt it for use it in your classroom:  Think Pair Share  Don't let the age of the students in the video disuade you from trying this in your classroom; I have successfully used this strategy with students from elementary school to the college level.
• This activity appeals to students who are reluctant to share with the large group; it gives each person a voice.  

Once students have finished their discussion, have them write down as many details as they can about what they already know about this career.  Encourage them to use the back of the worksheet if they need extra space.

I'm now ready to work my magic:  I am blessed to work in a school where I have daily classroom access to interactive board software, so I project the website from the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Thankfully, the government had enough insight to keep their web address short and somewhat memorable:  www.bls.gov 

ENGAGE:  I ask one of my kids to call out a job they'd like to have one day, I type it into the search bar in the upper right corner ("Search BLS.gov"), and then I click "enter".  From there, I select the web link that includes "Occupational Outlook Handbook" (OOH) in the title, and for the next several minutes, I engage the future carpenters, doctors, chefs, and hairdressers in the captive audience with information the may never have ever fully considered.  

The Occupational Outlook Handbook from BLS.gov
Project this on the board and show your students how to
navigate through the tabs!  Watch -- you'll catch yourself
being interested, too!

What pops up is a first page summary;  I don't hover at this page much because the tabs in the OOH are where the "juicy stuff" is located.  I read over the tabs and ask them what they want to know about:  "What they do", the "Work Environment", "How to Become One."  I might ask a question like, "Who wants to know how much an graphic designer makes?  If that's your question, then circle the word PAY at the bottom of your worksheet."  I do this for a few more topics, scanning and describing the information within that tab; each time, if they found that they had a question about a particular tab, they should circle the main idea word at the bottom of the worksheet.  I make sure I show them the "similar occupations" tab and click on one that might interest them; there, we find a similar looking page with information for that specific career.  I ask for one or two more different type of careers -- I don't want to show them every site because I want them to WANT to look it all up for themselves.  With this large group preview of the BLS.gov site, we have now established a purpose for research:  to answer their questions.

WRAP UP:  As a ticket out the door, I pass out the packet, Body 1-3. Students take three of their circled questions and write them out in complete sentence questions at the top of each page of this Body 1-3 packet.  Tomorrow, we'll utilize this packet, so make sure the kids either keep their packets or turn them in; I suggest you collect the Confucius worksheet so you can make sure the kiddos are progressing in a research-worthy direction with their topic.

TA DAAAAA!  Here's the magic of the assignment:  The students have just completed writing a rough draft of the first paragraph of their research paper!  Can you believe it??  It was painless, and actually, it was quite enjoyable!  Think about it:  When is the last time you got them -- ALL of them -- to begin a multiple paragraph paper, and when was the last time you got them -- ALL of them -- to WANT to research information that will form the body of a paper?