921-Murray,+Eileen

__ CAREER/COMMUNICATION UNIT __


 * Lesson 1: Career Development: Standards:**

NBEA: I (Self-Awareness) A Level 3, I(Personal Strengths & Weaknesses) B Level2, II Level 3 (Career Research) RI GLE’s: W–8–14.2 Analyzing a condition or situation of significance (e.g., reflecting on a personal learning or personal growth), or developing a commonplace, concrete occasion as the basis for the reflection (Local)

NETS: interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

Using tools available on the internet, have students begin assessing themselves and begin to analyze the information as to how it relates to their future educational and career selections that they have in their mind. The goal of this unit is to try and get the students to learn about the assessment tools available to them for the future as well as to start the process of seeing how it all ties together. They can use only the WaytogoRI website or they can do more advanced research by utilizing other assessments and tools on the web. If they find any good ones, they can bookmark these using social bookmarking sites like delicious so that their peers can also use those sites.
 * Introduction:**


 * Goals:**

Students will be able to maneuver around on the Way to Go RI Website; [|www.waytogori.org] (NBEA)

Students will take two self-assessments to begin the process of analyzing self. (NBEA)

Students will use the self-assessment information and apply it to both the educational and career sections on www.waytogori website. (NBEA)
 * Students will post their results under their name on the classroom/private wiki: (NETS)**

Post: self-assessment results

Educational Institutions (2)

Career Choices (3)
 * Students will be able to post a video to Glogster.com at the end of this lesson. (NETS)**
 * Students will set up an RSS feed to make monitoring blog comments easy. (NETS)**


 * Pre-activities:**

There is a big push for students to become familiar with their career options prior to having to make their choices at the high school. They are already familiar with filling out ILP’s (Individual Learning Plans) through during their advisory time and this lesson takes it to the next level.


 * Post-activities:**

Before putting this assignment away, students should ensure that they take the time to watch the multi-media video available to them on each of the career choices selected on the WaytogoRI.com website. They will also be required to find other videos on-line that show this career as well using Youtube.com or Teachertube.com and post these to Glogster.com


 * Writing Assignment:**

This lesson will culminate with a writing assignment **through our classroom blog which is linked through our classroom wiki**. The student will be expected to reflect on the following prompt in the blog. They will also be expected to have feedback given to them from each one of the following sources: a peer, a parent/guardian, and a teacher. This will be in-addition to any feedback that I will provide them back. They will also be expected to respond back to any feedback provided them.


 * Prompt to respond to:**

What surprised you about yourself after receiving the results from the self-assessments taken on the Way To Go RI Website. Also, how do you feel about the quality of schools and careers that came up for you after having taken the self-assessments and having all pieces tied together.


 * Differentiated Instruction:**

Extended: Take three self-assessments (post on wiki) List educational institutions (3) (post on wiki) List career choices (5) (post on wiki) Obtain & respond to 5 different feedback on classroom blog 2 peers, 1 parent/guardian, 2 teachers

Adaptation: Take one self-assessment (post on wiki)

List educational institutional (1) (post on wiki)

List two career choices (post on wiki)

Obtain & respond to 2 feedback on blog: (peers, parent/guardians, teacher); your choice


 * Assessment: General rubric & specific criteria below:**


 * Points Value = 4 Exceeds: All criteria below are met and are correct**


 * Points Value = 3 Proficient: All criteria now there & now correct**


 * Points Value = 2 Progressing Good attempt; corrections needed**


 * Points Value = 1 Not Turned in No valid attempt or not turned in**

Correct # self-assessments taken Correct # educational institutions selected

Correct # career choices noted

Correct # feedback received to student

Student feedback to others has the following elements: Thoughtful and reflective Written well/ good grammar and punctuation Student created a Glogster.com poster with a video on it.

Student created an RSS feed.

NK Middle School District Standards: Career / Technology RI GLE’s: W-8 7.3: Writing with a sense of audience when appropriate (local) RI GLE’s: OC 8 2.5 Using a variety of strategies of address (e.g. eye contact, speaking rate, volume, articulation, inflection, interaction, rhythm, and gesture) to communicate ideas effectively. (local) NETS: communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
 * Lesson 2: Block Letter Writing & Communication with Community:**
 * Standards:**

As part of our district wide standards, middle school students should know how to format a letter in block style business format prior to going to the high school. This set of mini lessons help them to do just that. These lessons also show them another 2.0 web tool technology, Prezi.com, to make what could be a boring topic more interesting for them.
 * Introduction:**


 * Goals:**


 * Students will be able to put together a short Prezi.com (NETS)**

Students will be able to show correct block letter format using the Prez.com tool. (NK)

Students will be able to draft a letter to a college/university in correct block letter format (RI W-8 7.3)


 * Students will be able to email letter as an attachment. (NETS)**


 * Students will post their letters to our classroom, private wiki (NETS)**


 * Pre-activities:**

Students will be introduced to the Prezi.com 2.0 web-tool, by putting together a mini presentation of themselves after having watched the tutorials on the Prezi.com website.

Students will practice typing a block letter format letter.

Students will watch a video on business block letter format.

Students will be required to email all assignments to me and use the attachment feature to do so.


 * Post-activities:**

Students will present their mini Prezi.com presentations about themselves.

Students will post a blog once they receive a response back from their college/university. They will berequired to share what they received and how it made them feel when receiving it.


 * Writing Assignment:**

As part of this lesson, students are required to draft a letter to a college/university of their choice and request a brochure or catalog to learn more about this institution.


 * Prompt to respond to:**

After reviewing the information received, what types of information did you learn about the educational institution that you did not know previously.

If you did not receive anything back yet, what types of things are you hoping to learn about your educational institution?


 * Differentiated Instruction:**


 * Extension:**

Students will be required to go on-line and Google block letters and find the parts of block letters on their own. Students will be required to use some more of the advanced features on Prezi.com like “framing” to enhance their post-activity presentations. Students will be given the parts of the block letter to use in the Prezi.com
 * Adaptation:**

Students will shorten their “All About Me” Prezi.com


 * Assessment:**

Block Letter Prezi.com Assessment:


 * Assessment: General rubric & specific criteria below:**

Points Value = 4 Exceeds: All criteria below are met and are correct

Points Value = 3 Proficient: All criteria now there & now correct

Points Value = 2 Progressing Good attempt; corrections needed

Points Value = 1 Not Turned in No valid attempt or not turned in


 * Block Letter to College: Criteria for grading**

Block letter is in correct format

Grammar and punctuation in letter are all accurate Letter is thoughtful and organized well.


 * All About Me Prezi: Criteria for grading**

Prezi includes 10 adjectives about self

Prezi includes hobbies and or sports

Prezi includes information about family life

Prezi includes some music that you are interested in

Prezi includes a video showing something that you are interested in

Prezi is pathed and framed so it doesn’t make audience dizzy when viewing

Prezi is color coordinated and has a general pleasing appearance

Lesson 3: Career Development:


 * Formatting MLA Research Report**


 * Standards:**

RI GLE’s Habit of Writing: W-8 11.2 Sharing thoughts observations or impressions.

NK Middle School District Standards: Career / Technology NETS: communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Following the NK District Standards for Middle School Students under technology, students are required to know how to format a report in MLA format before going into the district high-school. This is a perfect venue to teach the formatting without having to focus on the research end of things since I only see these students every other day for one-trimester. In Lesson 1, in this same unit, they were required to take self-assessments and do some research on both higher educational institutions as well as careers that suited them as well as their personalities, along with their strengths and weaknesses. All of this work lends itself well to pulling it all together into a MLA report.
 * Introduction:**

Students will create an appropriate MLA style report using all of the information about self that they researched using various websites on the web. (RI GLE W 8-11.2)
 * Goals:**
 * Students will post their MLA report to classroom/private wiki once completed for all members to see (NETS)**


 * Students will post to classroom blog indicating what types of learning experience they came away with after finishing this entire unit. (NETS)**
 * Students will also post onto the classroom blog or wiki what they liked or disliked about their peer’s report without referencing any names, but by being specific about the information. They have the opportunity here to use podcasting if they would like to record their remarks instead of writing them. (NETS)**


 * Pre-activities:**

Students will participate in practice MLA mini reports that will be put out on our classroom wiki to work from. These will allow practice of various sections of the report without having to do the entire report at one time.

Students will also be given the opportunity to create mini podcasts on their own and to practice posting them to a page on the classroom wiki.


 * Post-activities:**

Students will be required to go out to classroom wiki and choose three other MLA reports to critique. They will be required to view their peer’s reports and critique them using a predefined rubric. This will give them some time to reflect on other’s reports and think about whether or not that person put their information into the correct format. It will also allow them to read other’s work and see and hear different writing styles that may or may not be better than their own. These rubrics will be an assignment grade when completed by the student. They can use any medium preferred to critique; blog, podcast, voki.


 * Writing Assignment:**

The culminating writing assignment is the MLA report that pulls the entire unit together.


 * Prompt to respond to:**

On classroom blog, students will respond to two different prompts:

1. What did they learn about themselves by the end of the unit work?

2. What did they like or dislike specifically about the three peer’s MLA reports that they were responsible to grade using the rubric.


 * Differentiated Instruction:**

Extended: The advanced student had the ability to use the entire internet to find more in-depth analytical tools and websites telling about the various careers chosen as well as more specific information about the educational institutions selected. These students could also import videos, podcasts, use social bookmarking websites, and request peer and parent review of their work before handing in for a grade.

Adaptation:

Students are only required to use the WaytogoRI website. Students can reduce the amount of educational institutions and careers found by one Students are responsible for only one peer review instead of three.


 * Assessment: General rubric & specific criteria below:**


 * Points Value = 4 Exceeds: All criteria below are met and are correct**


 * Points Value = 3 Proficient: All criteria now there & now correct**


 * Points Value = 2 Progressing Good attempt; corrections needed**


 * Points Value = 1 Not Turned in No valid attempt or not turned in**


 * MLA Report: Criteria for Grading:**

Introduction section is there and introduces you to me in a well written paragraph or two.

Minimum of 2 self-assessments are written up and explained in separate paragraphs.

Minimum of 2 schools were selected and compared to each other and to self-assessments in paragraph form. A MS Word table is used to compare the schools to each other within the paper.

Minimum of 3 career choices were made and analyzed and specific criteria written up for each in paragraph form.

A Next steps section is written with specific criteria explaining what you will do in near future to head toward these goals. Grammar and punctuation are accurate

Writing is thoughtful