2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
Career Memory
Lesson Plan Title:
7-8th + Grades Career Development
Author: Marion BlueArm (2-14-2013)
Essential Questions:





What job characteristics match which of the 16 career clusters recognized in South Dakota?
To which of the 16 career clusters do various occupations belong?
What are some pathways associated with specific career clusters?
What classes prepare students for a certain career cluster?
What are the job outlooks and current employment statistics for certain career clusters?
Stage 1—Desired Results
Overview/ Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach students through play the association of certain job characteristics,
pathways, education paths, or employment statistics with one or more of the 16 career clusters
currently recognized in the state of South Dakota.
Stage 2—Learning Plan & Assessment Evidence
Prerequisites:



Students: Students have read the 2012 SDMyLife Magazine and have a basic familiarity with the
16 career clusters.
All Students have their SDMyLife user names and passwords and possess some basic familiarity
with their SDMyLife portfolios and the site in general in case they want to explore career cluster
information in the site.
Teacher: Cut out as many sets of the career cluster cards as you want groups to play the game.
For each set, glue the question cards on one color backing (construction paper) and the answer
cards on another color). Then cut apart all the individual cards within in each set and keep each
set separately (perhaps use different colors for each set, so the cards of one cannot be mixed up
with the cards from another.) Leave out of the game those cards that ask questions that have no
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout
2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
specific reply, such as “Under which cluster is your father’s job”. (There are 12 such cards.)
Group the materials for each game, such as in a Ziploc bag to keep the rule sheet, career cluster
pages and game card sets in one place.
Summative Evidence (Objective): Students will play the Career Cluster Memory Game in groups of three
to five and gain increased knowledge of what job characteristics, pathways, education paths, or
employment statistics are associated with which of the 16 career clusters currently recognized in the
state of South Dakota.
Materials needed:
 South Dakota MyLife Magazine (as a reference),
 Paper and pencil for notes, if needed
 Four pages of career cluster card to be cut apart and sorted ahead of class
 Computers with internet access as a reference tool to look up career clusters.
 Handouts with the information on the 16 career clusters for student reference
printable from the SDMyLife website, which provides more in depth information than
the magazine. To find it, sign in at www.careercruising.com/SDschool/default.aspx as an
administrator, click on Enter Career Cruising Career tab 16 Career Clusters 
access one cluster at a time Printer friendly report  print. This generates 2-4 pages
per cluster.
Time Required for Lesson: One 55 minute class period.
Teacher Resources:
South Dakota 16 Career Cluster Information: These South Dakota Department of Education sites
provide the state core standards; foundation- , pathway- and cluster courses; capstone experiences and
syllabi. Each subcategory is clickable and neatly shows the standards met by each class, lesson, or path.
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Architecture & Construction
Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
Business Management & Administration
Education & Training
Finance
Government & Public Administration
Health Science
Hospitality & Tourism
Human Services
Information Technology
Law, Public Safety & Security
Manufacturing
Marketing
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Transportation,
Distribution & Logistics
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout
2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
Suggested Activities and Procedures:
Instructions:

Introduce the lesson. Tell students they will be playing the Career Memory game that is derived
from the career clusters they learned about in the SDMyLife 2012 Magazine that features all of
the 16 clusters recognzied in South Dakota. The object of the game is to learn more about what
careers belong with what career cluster. Advise students to get in groups of 3-5 students and let
them chose whether they want to sit around desks/ tables or on the floor with their groups.
Allow for some physical space between groups. (5 min.)
 Hand out the game sets to each group of players (Ziploc bags that contain the rules, 1 set of 48
question cards, 1 set of 48 answer cards, and the career cluster information) (5 min).
 Have students look at the rule sheet and read the rules together (5 min.).
 Ask students to arrange their cards on the table and begin. Allow students to play until 5
min before the bell rings (35 min.).
 Collect the game sets and tell the class that at the beginning of next class, you will talk a little
bit about the game and have them think about what they think they learned, what was difficult,
what was the most fun about the game, etc. (5 min.).
Assessment:
There will be no formal evaluation, but the teacher is encouraged walk around the room to observe
student participation and acuity in their ability to match correct responses.
Extension Activities

Additional exploration of the career clusters in the SDMyLife portfolios
STANDARDS:
Revised Bloom’s Level:
Academic Development
ASCA Student Standards for academic development guide school counseling programs to implement
strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn.
Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective
learning in school and across the lifespan.
A:A1 Improve Academic Self-concept
A:A1.2 Display a positive interest in learning
A:A1.4 Accept mistakes as essential to the learning process
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout
2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
A:A3 Achieve School Success
A:A3.2 Demonstrate the ability to work independently, as well as the ability to work cooperatively with
other students
A:A3.5 Share knowledge
Standard B: Students will complete school with the academic preparation essential to choose from a
wide range of substantial postsecondary options, including college.
A:B2 Plan to Achieve Goals
A:B2.7 Identify post-secondary options consistent with interests, achievement, aptitude and abilities
STANDARD C: Students will understand the relationship of academics to the world of work and to life
at home and in the community.
A:C1 Relate School to Life Experiences
A:C1.3 Understand the relationship between learning and work
A:C1.6 Understand how school success and academic achievement enhance future career and
vocational opportunities
Career Development
ASCA Student Standards for career development guide school counseling programs to provide the
foundation for the acquisition of skills, attitudes and knowledge that enable students to make a
successful transition from school to the world of work, and from job to job across the life span.
Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge
of self and to make informed career decisions.
C:A1 Develop Career Awareness
C:A1.4 Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams
C:A1.7 Understand the importance of planning
C:A2
C:A2.1
C:A2.7
C:A2.9
Develop Employment Readiness
Acquire employability skills such as working on a team, problem- solving and organizational skills
Develop a positive attitude toward work and learning
Utilize time- and task-management skills
Standard B: Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and
satisfaction.
C:B1
C:B1.3
C:B1.4
C:B1.5
C:B1.6
Acquire Career Information
Demonstrate knowledge of the career-planning process
Know the various ways in which occupations can be classified
Use research and information resources to obtain career information
Learn to use the Internet to access career-planning information
C:B2 Identify Career Goals
C:B2.1 Demonstrate awareness of the education and training needed to achieve career goals
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout
2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
Standard C: Students will understand the relationship between personal
qualities, education, training and the world of work.
C:C1 Acquire Knowledge to Achieve Career Goals
C:C1.1 Understand the relationship between educational achievement and career success
C:C1.4 Understand that the changing workplace requires lifelong learning and acquiring new skills.
C:C2 Apply Skills to Achieve Career Goals
C:C2.3 Learn to work cooperatively with others as a team member
Personal/Social Development
ASCA Student Standards for personal/social development guide school counseling programs to
provide the foundation for personal and social growth as students progress through school and into
adulthood.
Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them
understand and respect self and others.
PS:A1 Acquire Self-knowledge
PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups
PS:A2 Acquire Interpersonal Skills
PS:A2.6 Use effective communications skills
(Standards available at http://www.ascanationalmodel.org/files/StudentStandards.pdf )
Attachments (Lesson Materials)
1. Student Handout: Rules for Career Memory
2. Career Cluster cards (attachment pending)
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout
2012 South Dakota MyLife Magazine
Rules for Career Memory
1. 3-5 players.
2. Materials: 48 pairs of cards, 96 cards total, pages with information on the 16 career clusters
recognized by South Dakota
3. The game includes two sets of 48 cards (distinguishable by their different colored backs). Shuffle
each stack and place the cards upside down on the table, question cards evenly arranged on the
left and answer cards on the right as such:
4. Begin the game. Take turns turning over one card from the left stack and one from the right.
Read aloud to the other players what each card says. If you happen upon a match, you get to
keep that set of cards. The game ends when no more cards are left on the table. The winner is
whoever has the most sets of cards (the highest stack).
5. Challenge 1: Memorize the cards that are turned over by you and other players to be able to
pick up matches when it is your turn.
6. Challenge 2: to match each question card with the matching correct career cluster answer card.
(example: match question card “Professionals in this career cluster focus on money and credit”
with the correct career cluster card: “Finance”). Some are very tough to figure out. As an
optional rule, players could be allowed up to 3 minutes time to find the correct answer in
SDMyLife or the career cluster printouts.
Making the Connection
Checking Understanding
Higher Order Thinking
Handout