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Using O-NET to Identify Personal Interests, Aptitudes, and Abilities

Lesson Plan

Using O-NET to Identify Personal Interests, Aptitudes, and Abilities

Grade Levels

10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, 9th Grade

Course, Subject

Career Awareness & Preparation
  • Big Ideas
    Purpose, topic and audience guide types of writing
    Writing is a means of documenting thinking
    Writing is a recursive process that conveys ideas, thoughts and feelings
    Career choice and preparation are lifelong processes based on many influences and using many strategies.
    Career retention and advancement is dependent upon student’s interpersonal skills, work habits, attitudes and effective time management skills.
    Change impacts career options and choices.
    Comprehensive planning leads to effective career decisions.
    Effective speaking, listening and writing are essential in the career acquisition process.
    Interests, aptitudes, and abilities are unique for each individual and play a key role in career choice.
    There is a definitive relationship between education and career planning and choice.
    Understanding and demonstrating workplace skills and knowledge is paramount in the career acquisition process.
  • Concepts
    Focus, content, organization, style, and conventions work together to impact writing quality
    Informational writing describes, explains and/or summarizes ideas or content in a variety of genre.
    The writing supports a thesis or research question based on research, observation, and/or experience.
    Factors that impact personal career choices.
    Factors that support career selection.
    How personal attitudes and work habits support career retention and advancement.
    Relationship between educational achievement and career success.
    Relationship of changing roles in the workplace to new career opportunities.
    Relationship of personal interests, abilities, and aptitudes to career goals.
    Requirements of developmental planning in a portfolio process including identifying, collecting, maintaining and applying documents and skills .
    Traditional and non-traditional careers.
    Varied sources of career information.
    Written documents that convey the ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences necessary in the job acquisition process.
  • Competencies
    Identify a single thesis, research question or topic. Attribute sources of information when appropriate. Use information in maps, charts, graphs, time lines, tables and diagrams to inform writing.
    Incorporate an expansive and expressive vocabulary that includes terms specific to the topic
    Informational Writing: Develop substantial, relevant and illustrative content that demonstrates a clear understanding of the purpose (content).
    Informational Writing: Employ effective organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a controlling idea (organization).
    Informational Writing: Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style).
    Narrative Writing: Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style).
    Persuasive Writing: Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style).
    Use precise vocabulary when developing writing
    Use socially and academically appropriate language and content
    Use socially and academically appropriate writing conventions in a variety of formal and informal communication.
    Use strong verbs and nouns, concrete details, and sensory language to make meaning clear to the reader
    Write to create an individual writing style, tone and voice through the use of a variety of sentence structures, descriptive word choices, literary devices and precise language. (style)
    Write to create an individual writing style, tone and voice through the use of precise and well integrated language, literary devices and a variety of sentence structures. (style)
    Write to inform by: • presenting information purposefully and succinctly to meet the needs of the intended audience. • applying organizational structures that communicate information and ideas accurately and coherently. • using language that qualifies fact from opinion. • communicating quantitative and qualitative technical information and concepts from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently. • using language that qualifies evidence from inference. • developing informational genres that relate to a variety of purposes and audiences (e.g.: instructions, memos, e-mails, correspondence, project plans, proposals, and resumes).
    Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style).
    Focus, content, organization, style, and conventions work together to impact writing quality
    Complete and assemble final career acquisition documents such as letter of application and resume.
    Identify personal interests, aptitudes and abilities that influence career choice.
    Interview an adult and determine what factors influenced their career choices and how they influenced them.
    Prepare post-secondary applications and draft requests for letters of recommendation.
    Recognize your personal attitudes and work habits that support career retention and advancement such as attendance, punctuality, appearance, communication, initiative, and flexibility and recognize those areas that need to be further developed.
    Select some career options that are based on your personal interests, abilities, aptitudes, achievements and goals.

Rationale

Students will benefit from objective reflection about both the real world requirements that impact career opportunity as well as a deepened appreciation of their unique interests, abilities, and values. Students will have an opportunity to explore career opportunities from a very individualized perspective. This lesson is better served after students have completed inventories which have recommended career pathways.

Vocabulary

  • Data descriptors - Categories of occupational information as found on O-NET. The data descriptors describe interests or abilities required for specific occupations.
  • Interests - Activities or experiences which are of particular importance to an individual
  • Abilities – Individual strengths
  • Values - Relative worth, strength or importance (ex. money, making the world a better place, animals, health and wellness)
  • Occupation - Means of earning a living, vocation
  • Careers - An occupation or profession, especially one that requires specialized training

Objectives

Objectives

Method of Summative Evaluation

1.  Students will complete a priority list of data descriptors in www.onetonline.org with 80% accuracy as determined by teacher observation.

Completed graphic organizer  – teacher observation

2.  Students will compare and contrast data descriptors in all subsets (abilities, interests, knowledge, skills, work activities, work context, work values) and will compile a list of two-five data descriptors per subset that describe the student providing a rationale for the data descriptors chosen with 90% accuracy as observed by the teacher.

Completed graphic organizer  – teacher observation

3.  Students will develop a resume highlighting the data descriptors which best enhance their interests, abilities, skills, and values with 90% accuracy on the rubric.

Product evaluation - rubric

Lesson Essential Question(s)

What career pathway best fits my unique interests, aptitudes, and abilities?

Duration

Three 45-minute class periods

Materials

Resources

1.   Website - O-NET OnLine

www.onetonline.org

2.   Website - Pennsylvania Statewide Career Coach

www.pacareercoach.pa.gov

3.   Graphic Organizer - Personal Attributes

Using O-NET to Identify Personal Interests, Aptitudes, and Abilities - Resource 3.doc

4.  Graphic Organizer - Data Descriptors

Using O-NET to Identify Personal Interests, Aptitudes, and Abilities - Resource 4.doc

5.  Rubric - Resume Rubric

Using O-NET to Identify Personal Interests, Aptitudes, and Abilities - Resource 5.doc

Equipment/Materials/Software

  1. Computer with internet access
  2. Data projector and screen
  3. Student computers with internet access and writing software

Suggested Instructional Strategies

W

The students will know where they are going because the initial work on

www.onetonline.org and the guided discussion will lay out the course for the

activity, the value and importance of the activity, and the supports available as needed. The directions and guided discussion will continue to keep the students understanding where they are going.

The students’ responses to the questions posed in the bell ringer will help the teacher know where they are coming from.

H

The students will be hooked during the lesson by the personal emphasis of the information being discussed and the autonomy of the career exploration

opportunities available and necessary on www.onetonline.org. By

merging the student contributions with data, the purpose and goal of the

lesson, along with the students’ increased self-awareness, will also emerge

through inquiry based discussion.

E

Students will be engaged through the primary focus on self-assessment and developing a new and more complex way of evaluating strengths, interests, skills, etc. Knowing that they will be able to use this new found information in the pursuit of their career will give them additional incentive.

R

Reflection takes place during the lesson by its focus on reviewing, comparing and contrasting data descriptors, and selecting descriptors that fit the student. Students will not be successful during the activity if they are unwilling to do reflection.

Students will also have an opportunity to revise the resume they developed based off the evaluation feedback.

E

Student understanding is captured through the use of the graphic organizers and the successful completion of the homework assignment. The first graphic organizer assists the student in prioritizing chosen elements of the data descriptors, helping to make the extensive information more manageable for the student. The second graphic organizer helps the student to develop a list of personal attributes they possess, which will be utilized in the creation of a professional resume, the homework assignment, and culminating activity.

T

The personal nature of this activity lends itself to students with various abilities. Opportunities to modify the assignment and provide adaptive assistance are available as needed. This lesson will be delivered in accordance with students’ individual education plans and is able to be adjusted for all student backgrounds and needs.

O

The organization of this lesson is designed to first demonstrate all of the information available via www.onetonline.org of the data descriptors in key work areas. As students explore the extensive information, they are encouraged to hone in on key elements, thus making the information relevant to his/her abilities, interests, and values. The intent of the activity is to ensure that students understand that they bring something to the table, besides a degree, and that there is a connection between their personal attributes and a good career fit.

Instructional Procedures

Strategy

Outline

Resources/Materials

Related Skills

Objective 1 - Students will complete a priority list of data descriptors in www.onetonline.org with 80% accuracy as determined by teacher observation.

Bell ringer

 

First, share the essential question with the students: What career pathway best fits my unique interests, aptitudes and abilities?

Ask the students about their unique interests, aptitudes and abilities. Query them as to how much thought they have spent considering what they will be offering in a field of interest. How do they know that their career area of interest is a good fit? Discuss the concept that knowing what a career needs or prefers in workers, as well as having a good understanding of personal strengths, skills and values, will assist them in making a good career choice.

 

 

 

 

Activity

 

Introduce the students to http://onetonline.org. Explain that the website is provided by the United States Department of Labor. Demonstrate O-NET’s features, including job search, skills search, resume building, and more. Allow the students a few minutes to become acquainted with the website. Explain that the focus will be on skills as demonstrated by the data descriptors: Abilities, Interests, Knowledge, Skills, Work Activities, Work Context, and Work Values. Query the students on why these data descriptors could be helpful in ruling in—or ruling out—careers. Demonstrate how to access information and keywords by data descriptor, and demonstrate the subsets found in each data descriptor.

Resource 1

Equipment 1

13.1.11.A

Activity

Distribute the graphic organizer Data Descriptors Graphic Organizer. Using the organizer, ask the students to review each data descriptor and its corresponding subset(s) and write a preferential list of data descriptors. Engage the class in a discussion about which data descriptors merited more or less preference and why.

Resource 1

Resource 2

Equipment 3

13.1.11.A

 

Objective 2 -Students will compare and contrast data descriptors in all subsets (abilities, interests, knowledge, skills, work activities, work context, work values) and will compile a list of two-five data descriptors per subset that describe the student providing a rationale for the data descriptors chosen with 90% accuracy as observed by the teacher.

Anticipatory Set

 

First, explain to the students the current state of the jobs market. Indicate that in order to be hired in most fields, in addition to the proper educational background; employers are seeking candidates with the right characteristics. These characteristics can be found within the data descriptors found on “O-NET.” Ask the students to consider what personal attributes they would be offering to a prospective employer.

 

 

 

 

Activity

 

Indicate to the students that they will now be utilizing the information found in the data descriptors and their subsets to develop a list of work and ability attributes. Students will glean two-five attributes from each data descriptor category that they believe describe them. The information will be captured on the Personal Attributes Graphic Organizer. The teacher will review students’ efforts for understanding.

Resource 1

Resource 3

Equipment 3

13.1.11.A

13.1.11.B

13.3.11.A

Objective 3 – Students will develop a resume highlighting the data descriptors which best enhance their interests, abilities, skills and values with 90% accuracy on the rubric.

Activity

Students will review the data that has been gathered, including data descriptors/preferences, and the personal attributes. Students will then develop a professional resume using the personal attributes they have selected. Direct the students to www.pacareercoach.pa.gov to utilize the resume starter. Before they begin writing, distribute a copy of the rubric to each student and review the descriptors for each criteria and answer any questions about it.

Have students turn in their resumes and grade them using the rubric. Return them and give them an opportunity to rewrite it based on their evaluation.

Resource 3

Resource 4

Resource 5

Equipment 3

13.2.11.C

CC.1.4.11.A

CC.1.4.11.F

Summary Activity

Guide the students in a discussion about what has been learned during this lesson. Discuss personal characteristics and how some are innate and personality based, while others are based on experience, education, and other attributes which could be developed. Discuss the essential question, “What career pathway best fits my unique interests, aptitudes and abilities?” and ask the students to share how they feel about their selected career pathway based on this lesson.

 

 

 

 

Formative Assessment

In the bell ringer the teacher leads a class discussion to access students’ current knowledge of personal interests and how they are related to careers. Since most of the information students will be finding and creating will be using online sources, the teacher will review individuals work and provide feedback as they roam about the room while students are working.

Related Materials & Resources

Author

This planning guide was written by Karen Rubican, School Counselor, Canon-McMillan High School, Canonsburg, PA.

Date Published

September 21, 2014
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