This course was developed for Juniors and Seniors in high school. It was written for students who perform at the skills level but can be adapted to accommodate students with special education needs and can also work as an introductory course for students in the general education track. The focus of the course is to develop work and work related skills and behaviors as well as to develop an understanding of the world of work and how to discover and match personality, skills, interests, and values to realistic career options. Students will participate in a number of experiential activities and will learn about and practice life skills such as decision making, problem solving, working cooperatively with others, communicating effectively, and managing their income. They will create an individualized portfolio that includes a resume, business letters, references, work samples and other relevant pieces of information. The portfolio will be formatted and instructional information will be provided so that the students can take it with them when they graduate and will only need to update as their skills and experiences increase. The curriculum incorporates a wide variety of teaching strategies and is designed to be flexible so that teachers can target the specific needs of the students in the class. The skills taught and practiced are intended to be life skills which the student can use immediately and for the “long term” in employment and other settings. They are intended to be a baseline to help students build a strong foundation from which they can grow and expand their skill repertoire and to be successful in a number of settings.

Table of Contents:

Semester One

1. Getting to Know You/Getting to Know Career Education
2. Preparing for the World of Work
3. Personality, Skills, Interests, Values
4. Goals and Objectives
5. Education and Training
6. Movie Club "Tuesdays With Morrie"
7. Planning Your Career Search
8. Career Search/Portfolios
9. Movie Club "It's a Wonderful Life"
10. Final - Preparation and Performance

Semester Two

11. Job Application
12. Job Interviews
13. Attitude and Responsibility
14. Decision Making
15. Movie Club "Pay It Forward
16. Communication
17. Getting Along With Others
18. Job Shadowing
19. Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities
20. Managing Your Income
21. Safety
22. Conclusion/Preparation/Final

Course materials cover a full year with daily support for all aspects of instruction. The Teacher’s Edition includes a syllabus; correlation to standards; pacing guide; daily lesson plans; teacher’s workbook; CD with daily class notes in PDF (for use as color overheads) and/or PowerPoints; complete assessments. Classroom sets includes 25 Student Workbooks and Teacher Edition with CD. After purchase of Teacher’s Edition, additional Student Workbooks are available for individual purchase. Click here for details.