How Sharp Are Your Soft Skills?
How Sharp Are Your Soft Skills?
Grade Levels
Course, Subject
Rationale
Vocabulary
Career retention and advancement: Career retention is the process of keeping a job. Career advancement is the process of performing the necessary requirments to progress in a career.
Work Habits: Acquired behaviors that individuals regularly perform in completing tasks related to chores, school or job.
Soft Skills: are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects.
Hard Skills: are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity.
Objectives
Students will be able to distinguish between "soft" and "hard" skills with 90% accuracy.
Students will be able to identify soft skills necessary for success in the workplace with 100% accuracy.
Lesson Essential Question(s)
SAS EQ: What are some of the characteristics of people who are on successful teams in and out of school?
LEQ: What is the difference between hard and soft skils and what soft skills are necessary in the workplace?
Duration
This lesson can be completed in a typical 45 minute class period.
Materials
Suggested Instructional Strategies
W: | Students will review EQ's and activity expectations prior to the activity. |
H: | Simulation activitely engages students in this activity from beginning to end. |
E: | Students will receive feedback throughout the activity. |
R: | Students will think/share pair and as a result will have the opportunity to draw on others thoughts/experiences. |
E: | Students will have the opportunity to role play. |
T: | Procedures are reviewed and adjusted as necessary for students with special needs. In addition, one-on-one support is provided on an as-needed basis in order to insure success. |
O: | This activity provides direct instruction in the preparation phase but moves quickly to student-directed learning. |
Instructional Procedures
“Soft Skills” Unit Outline
1. Bell Ringer: Soft Skills Scenarios. Have students turn to their shoulder partner and respond to the bell ringer questions. Ask volunteer partnerships to share their responses to the full group.(5 min.) (Think/Pair/Share)
2. Introduce “Soft Skills” concept and also include a comparison to “Hard Skills”. Distribute self assess and review the “Job Skills Survey.” Students will assess their current abilities and need for improvement in the 21 skills outlined. (10 min.)
3. Review the “How Sharp Are Your Soft Skills?”
(Herman ’11) PowerPoint presentation via the
overhead projection unit. (15 min.)
4. Summarize Strategy - Distribute the “Demonstrating Soft Skills” 4-question worksheet. Read each question aloud then having students respond in complete sentences. Students will share responses to the full group. (10 min.)
Formative Assessment
Teacher will utilize think/pair/share throughout activity and check for understanding at each table as the lesson progresses.