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My Job or Career Goal and My Strengths
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Activity Description
This activity will show students how to use Freewordcloudgenerator to create a word cloud about their current jobs or their career goals, or words that describe their strengths (also known as soft skills or transferable skills) for their field of employment.
Preparation
- Make sure the Web site is not blocked at your school
- Practice using the site yourself to familiarize yourself with it and to anticipate students’ questions and difficulties.
- Plan a lesson to introduce career goals and to teach personal strength words, especially as they apply to employability.
- Review the handout associate with this lesson and have them ready for the class.
How-To
See the lesson plan.
Teacher Tips
Review the handouts and website before starting the lesson. Internet sites change often.
More Ways
- Students can demonstrate comprehension of new vocabulary in creative ways, by writing original sentences, paragraphs, stories, or poems and illustrating them with this site. For example, students can create a word cloud for an influential historical figure (see a Martin Luther King, Jr. word cloud), word clouds with personal descriptions – physical and/or character, vocabulary word lists, famous quotes or proverbs, word association lists, and much more.
Program Areas
- ABE: Adult Basic Education
- ESL: English as a Second Language
Levels
- Intermediate Low
- Intermediate High
- Advanced
- Beginning High
- All Levels
Lesson Plan
Write "JOBS" or "CAREERS" in the center of the whiteboard.
Ask students to call out different jobs they know. Write them around the central word, creating a mind map.
Point to a few jobs and ask: "What does a [doctor/teacher/engineer] do?" Elicit simple descriptions.
Review any relevant vocabulary from previous lessons related to work or personality. For example: "What words can we use to describe a good teacher?" (e.g., patient, kind, knowledgeable).
Today, we're going to talk about career goals – what jobs you want to do in the future, or what jobs you are doing now. We'll also learn some new words to describe your personal strengths – the good qualities you have that help you succeed in a job."
"We will then create a 'word cloud' about your career goals and strengths. It's a fun way to visualize your ideas!"
Ask students: "What is a 'goal'?" (Elicit ideas: something you want to achieve, a dream for the future).
Explain "career goal": "A career goal is the job or type of work you want to do in the future."
Give an example: "My career goal when I was younger was to be a teacher."
Ask a few students to share a career goal if they feel comfortable.
Introduce "Personal Strengths" (Soft Skills):"To be good at a job, you need skills. Some skills are technical, like knowing how to use a computer. Other skills are about your personality – these are often called 'soft skills' or 'personal strengths'."
"For example, if you work well with other people, you are 'cooperative' or a 'team player'. This is a personal strength."
1. Distribute the handout of 12 Personal strengths
2. Review each strength. Ask students to think of a job where that strength is important
Divide the students into small groups. Distribute the handout SS or TS (soft skill or technical skill). Have the students decide if each skill is a soft skill or a technical skill.
Next have them circle the skills they feel like reflect themselves.
Explain the task: "Now, you will make a list of words that describe you and your career interests. This list will be used to create your word cloud."
Instruct students what to include in their lists (write these on the board):Your First and Last Name (e.g., Maria Rodriguez)
Your Current Job (if employed) (e.g., Cashier, Student) OR a Past Job.
Your Career Goal (e.g., Nurse, Business Owner, Engineer). If retired or not planning to work, they can choose a job of a family member or friend, or a dream job.
5-10 Personal Strengths (from the list discussed, or others they know) that are important for their current job/career goal.
Emphasize choosing words that truly describe them or are relevant to their chosen career.
"Think about which strengths are most important for your goal. You can write a word more than once if you want it to be bigger in your word cloud, but also has ways to emphasize words." (This is an advanced tip, might be optional).
If computers are available, students can type their lists in a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs). This makes it easier to copy and paste later. If not, they can write them neatly on paper.
Circulate and Assist: While students create their lists, walk around the room, help with vocabulary, spelling, and content ideas. Provide feedback. "That's a great strength for a teacher! How do you spell 'patient'?" "What are some good qualities for a [student's career goal]?"
Distribute the step by step handout on how to create a wordcloud on http://freewordgenerator.com. Walk students through the steps by modeling. They can do this on a computer or their phones.
Have students post share their wordclouds by having a gallery walk
You could also have students present their word clouds to the class.
Have students write a short paragraph or make a short video about their soft skills and their technical skills.
Documents
- tagxedo-how-to1_FINAL.pdf -
- SS or TS.docx - Soft Skill or Technical Skill
- Personal Skills.docx -
- How to Use FreeWordCloudGenerator.docx - How to use Free Word Cloud Generator Tutorial
Standards
- Reading Foundational Skills
- RF.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). (Phonological Awareness)
- RF.3 - Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. (Phonics and Word Recognition)
- Writing
- CCR Anchor 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCR Anchor 6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
- Language
- CCR Anchor 6 - Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Tags
Tools
Creative Commons License
