This Planning Guide for Pathful provides a sample sequence of career
exploration learning activities across grades 6-8.
WBL Middle School
Planning Guide
Overview
This Planning Guide offers just one way
that you can use Pathful for career
exploration. We know that district and
state requirements may vary, so feel free
to make changes to meet your needs by
using additional lesson content,
customizing lessons, or changing the
grade levels in which activities are
completed. Pathful offers hundreds of
Career Profile and Employability skills
videos across 17 different Career Clusters
and a Lesson design tool with a wide
selection of Activities to choose from.
If your district already has content in
another format that is used for career
exploration, consider converting that
content into a Lesson and delivering
through Pathful for a powerful,
differentiated learning experience for
each student.
Simultaneously Refine and Expand
Learning: Students simultaneously
identify personal career interests, goals
and career focus while broadening their
knowledge of all possible careers
through teacher and self-directed
exploration in the “Career” section of the
platform.
Strategic Assessment: A career interest
assessment in each grade level helps
focus student attention on different
aspects of career readiness without
overwhelming students.
Differentiation: Lessons and intentional
use of available tools and resources
ensures you can differentiate to meet
the needs of students in your context
and at their pace.Userway integration
and intentional accessibility features
built throughout the platform allow our
content to be accessible to all students.
How to Use the Planning Guide:
Planning Guide Design Principles:
A list of focus questions along with a representative example of career
exploration activities is offered for each grade. It begins with identifying student
career interests to drive deeper learning fueled by both teacher-driven and
student-driven exploration within the “Career” section of the platform. You have
all the necessary tools and resources in Pathful to meet the career readiness
needs of your learners.
Understanding Myself
and Career Interests
Understanding Myself and
Building Soft Skills
Connecting My Initiative
to Career Choices
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
What are my
career interests?
What is a “Career Cluster”
and which careers are in
each Career Cluster?
What is a S.M.A.R.T goal
and is it important to have
both “Short-Term and
“Long-Term” goals?
What are “Grit” and
“Growth Mindset” and
how do they contribute
to my future career?
Am I developing my social-
emotional competencies to
thrive in the world of work?
Lessons:
Careers and YOUR Interests
1.
Choosing a Career Pathway
2.
Individual Lesson over each of the 17
Career Clusters
3.
Individual Lesson over each of the 8
nationally recognized CTSO (Career
Technical Student Organization)
4.
Job Exploration and Career Awareness
5.
Nontraditional Careers
6.
Understanding Grit
7.
Understanding Growth Mindset
8.
Employability Skills Videos:
Careers and YOUR Interests
Academics/Major Employability Videos,
including: How to Choose an Area of
Study and Look at What’s in Your Heart
When Trying to Choose a Major
1.
36 Career Cluster Employability Videos,
including: STEAM and The Joys of
Education and Training
2.
28 Social-Emotional Employability
Videos, including: Emotional Intelligence
and How to Build Self Confidence
3.
14 Extracurricular Employability Videos,
including: Career and Technical Student
Organizations and Extracurriculars Expand
Your Horizons
4.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Understanding Myself & Career Interests
Focus Questions:
Students gain insights into their career interests by completing Lesson “Careers and
YOUR Interests” which includes the Career Interests Assessment. Students research
their highest rated careers in the “Career” section of the platform featuring job
shadowing videos from a “day in the life of” perspective. Additional Lessons build a
foundation for self-discovery and meaningful career exploration.
Suggested Grade: 6th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Interests Assessment
Teacher View
After students complete the Lesson “Careers and YOUR Interests”, direct
students to access the “Career” section of the platform and explore Career
Profiles by watching job shadowing and Q&A videos within their top 3 Career
Clusters. Ask students to favorite their top 3 Career Profiles for a total of 9. Then,
have students complete all Career Journal sections (career description,
required education, earnings, future outlook, related careers, additional links,
and colleges for each profile) and rate their interest.
Assign the Lesson “Careers and YOUR Interests” where
students complete the Career Interests Assessment and
reflect on their top three Career Clusters using the Written
Response feature.
Directions:
Assign Lessons for alternative career paths including:
“Job Exploration and Career Awareness”
“Nontraditional Careers”
Assign Lessons you feel are vital to address
social-emotional competencies and soft skill
development at this grade level:
“Understanding Grit”
“Understanding Growth Mindset”
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to further address specific areas of
career readiness or to give students more experience with specific careers.
*Requires WBL Module
4.
5.
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
3.
2.
1.
Understanding Myself & Building Soft Skills
How can collaboration
improve the quality of
work and help you
develop new ideas?
Teacher View
Lessons:
My Plan Outline
1.
Communication
2.
Collaboration
3.
Soft and Hard Skills
4.
Leadership
5.
Handling Constructive Criticism
6.
Understanding Patience
7.
Understanding Failure
8.
Understanding Flexibility
9.
Time Management
10.
Understanding Problem Solving
11.
Workplace Readiness Skills
12.
Personal Presentation is the Key to
Making a Good First Impression
13.
Employability Skills Videos:
30 Overcoming Obstacles Employability
skills Videos, including: Learn to Resolve
Conflicts When Working In a Team and You
Can take Steps to Resolve Conflict At Work.
1.
53 Workplace Intelligence Employability
Videos, including: Communication
Etiquette in the Workplace, Fashion is a
Form of Communication, How to
Communicate with Your Boss.
2.
45 Soft Skills Employability Videos,
including: Communicating in the
Workplace, Communication is Imperative,
Nonverbal Communication Can Leave a Big
Impression.
3.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Focus Questions:
Students complete the Career Personality Assessment to gain valuable insights into
their own preferences. Students begin developing soft skills that are essential
regardless of their career path.
Suggested Grade: 7th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Career Personality Assessment
How can teamwork help
with achieving goals?
What are some effective
strategies for conflict
resolution?
Why is communication
important to healthy
relationships and
personal wellbeing?
Have students fill out at least two short term and two long term goals in the Goal
Setting tool on their dashboard.
Have students take the Career Personality Assessment located within My Tracker.
With their results, have them research two careers that are a match based on their
results and fill out the respective career journals for those careers.
Directions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assign Lessons you feel are vital at this grade level to emphasize social
emotional and soft skills development, such as:
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to further address specific areas of
career readiness or to give students more experience with specific careers.
*Requires WBL Module
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
Communication
Collaboration
Soft and Hard Skills
Leadership
Handling Constructive Criticism
Understanding Patience
Understanding Failure
Understanding Flexibility
Time Management
Understanding Problem Solving
Workplace Readiness Skills
Personal Presentation is the Key to
Making a Good First Impression
Lessons:
Taking Initiative
1.
Creative Thinking
2.
Critical Thinking
3.
Citizenship
4.
The Power of Self-Determination
5.
Work-Based Learning
6.
Qualities Employers are Seeking
7.
Employability Skills Videos:
20 First Jobs Employability Skills
Videos, including: Entry-Level Jobs Give
You Valuable Experience and Learn
Lifelong Skills in Your First Job
1.
19 Networking Employability Skills
Videos, including: Asking for Help
Shows Courage, Not Weakness and
How to Find a Mentor and Be a Good
Mentee
2.
36 Job Preparation Employability
Skills Videos, including: A Job
Application is Not the Same as a
Resume, and Become a Self-Advocate
3.
Est. Time to Complete: 8 hrs
Connecting My Initiative to Career Choices
By completing the Work Values Assessment students are introduced to values they
hold that will shape their ongoing thought process about what careers and
postsecondary education options best match who they are and want to become.
Suggested Grade: 8th
Summary
Resources used:
Assessments:
Work Values Assessment
Teacher View
Focus Questions:
What are my work
preferences and how does
what I value matter in
selecting a career?
What role does initiative
play in succeeding in
postsecondary settings?
What is the difference
between “creative
thinking” and “critical
thinking”?
Do I know how to
communicate my
interests, desires, and
needs with others?
What does
“citizenship” mean in
a career context?
Have students take the Work Values Assessment located within My Tracker. With
their results, have them research two careers that are a match based on their
results and fill out the respective career journals for those careers.
Assign Lesson “Taking Initiative” where students learn about the importance of
taking action.
Directions:
1.
2.
3. Assign any Lessons you feel are vital at this grade level such as:
Request Work-Based Learning sessions to to further address specific areas
of career readiness or to give students more experience with specific
careers *Requires WBL Module
4.
To customize any Lesson,
simply clone it and make any
necessary modifications to the
activities such as changing the
Assessment, adding a Playlist
of Employability videos, adding
a Written Response, or adding
external links.
Tip
“Creative Thinking”
“Critical Thinking”
“Citizenship”
“The Power of Self-Determination”
“Work-Based Learning”
“Qualities Employers are Seeking”