Introduction

Finding a job is no easy task!! However, learning the skills now as a seventh grader will allow you greater opportunities to access the career of your dreams. It is time to begin dreaming, evaluating, and considering possible adult career choices which takes careful consideration. Don't despair! While career options are limitless, this webquest will give you an opportunity to sample several careers.

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The Task

Working in teams, you are going to identify your personal career interests, research a career from the provided list, interview professionals, and examine websites pertaining to your chosen career. With this information you will:

• Identify career interest via on-line surveys
• Research one of the careers (use worksheet)
• Create a job description
• Create your own help wanted ad
• Interview someone engaged in your career interest area
• Draw and scan pictures or take digital pictures of appropriately dressed students in several different job settings
• Design a PowerPoint presentation on your chosen career
• Present information to the entire class

Who is going to do what? Now that you have an idea of what this project will entail; who is going to do what? Each group member needs to take on a role. Discuss these roles with your group members and then make some informed choices. Record roles in your team's folder.

Human Resources Manager (HRM): This person's job is to continuously motivate the group to continue the project. Also, the HRM is to make sure that all research is complete and organized in the team's folder.

Recruiting Consultant (RC): This person's job is to go to the previously selected websites and share information with the group.

Interview Services Consultant (ISC): This person's job is to take the information gathered by the RC, paraphrase the information into notes, and suggest which information to use in the project.

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The Process and Resources

Step 1: Identify your career interests

• Complete an interest survey
  • The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II
  • The Career Key
• Browse through career books from the Media Center

Step 2: Select a career

Select a career from the following list and then using the websites located under each career to locate information based on your outline.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (use this site for any job on our list)

Ask Jeeves for Kids (use this site for any job on our list)
Ask the question: "Where can I find information on ______ career?"

Encyclopedia.com

1. Television or Newspaper Reporter
   1. TV Jobs

      Channel 12 News

      Reporters

      Channel 15 News

2. Member of the Armed Services
3. Nursing
   1. Nursing

      Nursing

      Arizona State University: Nursing Department

4. Teacher
5. Lawyer
   1. Lawyer

      Arizona State University: College of Law

6. Computer Technician/Webmaster
7. Law Enforcement
   1. Law Enforcement

      Los Angeles Police Department

8. Travel Agent
   1. Travel Agent

      Travel Agent

9. Chef
   1. Chef

      Scottsdale Culinary Institute

      Culinary Arts High School

      California Culinary Arts School

Off-Line Resources

Military Careers is a career information resource book produced by the U.S. Department of Defense. It describes approximately 200 officer and enlisted occupations in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

Career Books Collection located in the media center has over 30 different books.

Step 3: Create a job description and help wanted ad

• Use the Occupational Outlook Handbook (use this site for any job on our list) to guide you in writing your job description as a group.
• Use The Arizona Republic to guide you in writing a help wanted ad.

Step 4: Interview someone engaged your chosen career

• As a group, brainstorm 15 questions that you will use in an interview.
• Use the phone book, parents, neighbors, and friends to locate an individual willing to be interviewed about their job.
• E-mail professionals: See Mrs. Johnson for handout of addresses. These e-mail addresses will not be posted on the net due to privacy issues.

Step 5: Draw and scan pictures or take digital pictures

• Draw pictures of appropriately dressed students in several different job settings
• Scan of appropriately dressed students in several different job settings
• Take digital pictures of appropriately dressed students in several different job settings (ask for permission before taking the picture)

Step 6: Design a PowerPoint presentation on your chosen career

This is when your group is going to be able to put all of the pieces together. Be very creative! Show what you know!

Step 7: Present information to the entire class

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Evaluation

Process Rubric

Product Rubric

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Conclusion

Wow! Congratulations on finishing your career webquest. With the information gathered and presented you should have a better understanding of several careers and how to apply for jobs. As a class, we will be posting your PowerPoint presentations onto our school web page. Give yourself a pat on the back!

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Reflection

Answer as many the following questions as you are able. Write your answers using complete sentences.

1. What was the purpose of this project?
2. How have your career interests changed after seeing the PowerPoint presentations?
3. List all of the resources that were most helpful. In what way were these resources helpful?
4. What resources did you find outside of class that were helpful? (Include URLs)
5. List all of the resources that were not useful.
6. Did you have enough time to complete the project?
7. What other suggestions do you have for the project?

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Extension

• Write a letter of application stating your interest in a job and why you are the best candidate.
• Fill out a job application
• Write your personal résumé
• Use Job Choices Online to guide you in writing your résumé
• Share multimedia presentations with your parents/guardians after posting to the Internet

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Connections to the Standards

National Education Technology Standards

3.Technology productivity tools

• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
• Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4.Technology communications tools

• Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5.Technology research tools

• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
• Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

6.Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
• Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

State of Arizona Standards

Language Arts Standards

Standard 1: Reading

• R-E2.Use reading strategies such as making inferences and predictions, summarizing,paraphrasing, differentiating fact from opinion, drawing conclusions, and determining the author's purpose and perspective to comprehend written selections
• PO 2. Distinguish fact from opinion
• PO 3. Summarize the text in own words (assessed at district level only)
• PO 5. Determine cause-and-effect relationships
• PO 6. Summarize the text in chronological, sequential or logical order

Standard 2: Writing

W-E1.Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and usage, along with varied sentence structure and paragraph organization, to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks

• PO 1. Spell correctly
• PO 2. Punctuate correctly (e.g., sentence endings, commas in a series, commas in compound sentences, abbreviations, quotation marks, colon in a business letter greeting, apostrophes)
• PO 3. Apply rules of capitalization (e.g., sentence beginnings, titles, abbreviations, proper nouns, direct quotations)
• PO 4. Apply standard grammar and usage (e.g., subject-verb agreement; simple, compound and complex sentences; appropriate verb tense; plurals; prepositions)
• PO 5. Organize paragraphs with a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound, complex)

W-E6.Write formal communications, such as personal or business letters, messages, directions and applications, in an appropriate format and for a specific audience and purpose

• PO 1. Write a formal communication in an appropriate format for a specific audience and purpose
• PO 2. Organize ideas in a meaningful sequence using smooth transitions
• PO 3. Express ideas that are clear and directly related to the topic

W-E8.Demonstrate research skills using reference materials such as a dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks

PO 1. Implement a research strategy that includes selecting best source for specific research purpose taking notes that summarize and paraphrase information relevant to the topic incorporating notes into a finished product

Standard 3: Listening And Speaking

• Prepare and deliver an oral report in a content area and effectively convey the information through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience

Standard 4: Viewing And Presenting

• Analyze visual media for language, subject matter and visual techniques used to influence opinions, decision making and cultural perceptions
• Plan, develop and produce a visual presentation, using a variety of media such as videos, films, newspapers, magazines and computer images