LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

That was then, this is now

Students will explore various career topics and study technological changes over last 30 years.

A lesson plan for grade 9 Guidance

By Cary Lane Cockrell

Provided by Teachers Connect

Learn more

  • College Foundation of North Carolina Career Center CFNC.org is a service of the State of North Carolina helping students successfully prepare for careers and college. At the CFNC Career Center, students can find information on a variety of careers and the educational paths needed to pursue them, as well as tools to help students plan for success.

Related pages

  • When will I ever use this in real life?: In this lesson for grade seven, students research careers and determine how people with these occupations use English, math, and science skills.
  • Career research and acrostic poetry: In this lesson for grade 6, each student will research a chosen career and will use the information to create an acrostic poem.
  • Problem-solving careers: In this lesson for grade seven, students analyze information about various careers to determine how people in those occupations use problem-solving skills.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • research career topics
  • study technological changes over last 30 years.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

8 hours

Materials/resources

Paper, pencil, research station (media center)

Technology resources

word processor

Pre-activities

Students should be familiar with careers of their interests. If not, have the local career development counselor speak to your class about available opportunities for research such as interest inventories, career computer software, or career reference books at the school.

Discuss uses of technology in the real world. What does technology consist of? Give examples of 30 years ago as opposed to today’s technology.

Activities

  1. Have students choose a career area of interest to them. Examples might be: Automotive Sales, Voting and Politics, Banking, Farming, Education, etc. Students should then research the career using available resources at your school.
  2. Take students on a field trip to a technology department at an area university to talk with students and professors about current technology, careers, college majors, and degrees offered. An excellent opportunity for this interaction is held each semester at North Carolina State University’s Senior ECE Design Day. Contact NCSU’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department for times and dates. This opportunity allows high school students to interview senior engineering students to discuss senior projects and technological applications.
  3. Students should research their career topic by visiting businesses in the career area. Students must interview two people from the chosen field, one of which is currently employed in the area. Sample interview questions are: How was the job done years ago? How is the job done today? What has technology done to help make the job easier or better? What does the future hold for this career based on the growth of technological applications?

Assessment

  • Evaluation #1: Students should write a research paper based on research in the chosen career area. This paper should include information about technology used today and thirty years ago. The paper must be typed and include a title page and bibliography.
  • Evaluation #2: Each student is to prepare a short presentation for the class. This presentation should include student produced visual aides and be limited to five minutes.

Supplemental information

Comments

The time required for this lesson plan is 2 weeks.

Other Information:

  • National Career Development Guidelines:
    Competency Goal VII: Skills to prepare to seek, obtain, maintain, and change jobs.
  • “Skills and Knowledge Graduates Should Possess” list identified by Johnston County Educators and Community Citizens. #37 Encourage investigation of post-secondary academic, career, and military operations. #55 Understand and demonstrate oral communications skills necessary to obtain and to continue employment including oral presentations and job interviews.

This lesson plan is from the collection of the Tried *n* True lesson plans from the Department of Public Instruction.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Guidance (2001)

Grade 9–12

  • Goal 4: Acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
    • Objective 4.01: Develop skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career information.
    • Objective 4.02: Evaluate traditional and non-traditional occupations.
    • Objective 4.03: Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests, and motivations.
    • Objective 4.13: Demonstrate knowledge about the changing workplace.