Sparking
the Future
GETTING DOWN TO IT! AREAS OF STUDY & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
GRADES: 11-12
LESSON: 5
LEARNING GOALS :
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Students will identify at least one career, one major, and one college to meet their goals.
Students will describe entry requirements and occupational outlook for that career.
ALIGNMENT WITH STANDARDS :
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Essential Academic Learning Requirements Grades 9/10 Grade Level Expectations: This
lesson is aligned with Writing 1.5.1 and Educational Technology 1.3.2 and 1.3.3. Students
will develop materials in an appropriate format for a college search. They will locate,
analyze, and use information from college web sites and a career database.
Common Core State Standards Grades 11-12: This lesson is aligned with English
Language Arts Writing 4, 7, and 8. Students will prepare a short writing exercise and
conduct a focused research project using college web sites and a career database.
American School Counselor Association National Standards: This lesson is aligned with
ASCA Academic A1.2, A2.1, and B1.3. Students will display an interest in learning,
demonstrate task management skills, and apply the skills needed for academic success.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
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Areas of Study & Entry Requirements Handout (included in this lesson plan)
Internet Access (for students to research careers and colleges)
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
Sparking the Future is sponsored by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
with funding provided by College Spark Washington. For more information, please visit
www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness
Page 1
Rev 12/11
1. Discuss students’ career interests. Have students talk in small groups. Ask them to go
around the group and have each student identify one possible career. (Explain to students
that they are not committing to this career – but it should be one they are interested in
researching.) If you wish, go around the room and have each student call out the career
they are interested in researching. Discuss, in small groups or as a whole class, what
students know about the postsecondary educational requirements for the careers they
have identified. Then distribute the Areas of Study & Entry Requirements Handout and
have each student note their possible career in the space at the top of the page. (5-10
minutes)
Sparking the Future is sponsored by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
with funding provided by College Spark Washington. For more information, please visit
www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness
Page 2
Rev 12/11
Sparking the Future | Grades 11-12 | Lesson 5
AREAS OF STUDY & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS, continued
2. Research majors and entry requirements. Have students work at computers and go to
the College Board’s Major and Career Profiles
(www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles). Ask them to use either the
Career Categories or the Major Categories to narrow in on the career they identified
earlier and find at least one possible “major” (or area of study) that would prepare them
for that career. Then ask them to identify at least one postsecondary program that offers
that major. Ask students to note both the major and the name of the postsecondary
program on the handout and then list helpful high school courses for that major and/or
entry requirements for that college. Career & Technical Education (CTE) students might find
it helpful to search by Career Cluster on the OSPI CTE web site:
www.k12.wa.us/careerteched. (15-20 minutes)
3. Research occupational outlook. Next, ask students to go to Career One Stop
(www.careeronestop.org) and search for their selected career. Have them complete the
handout using information about that career. (10-15 minutes)
STUDENT PRODUCTS:
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Areas of Study & Entry Requirements. Each student should complete a handout.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Once students have identified career goals, their next step is determining what they need to do to
achieve those goals. The resources listed below will help students and their families learn more
about career opportunities and research the postsecondary education and training they need to
work in those careers.
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College Board Major and Career Profiles:
www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles
Database that connects careers to college majors and postsecondary programs
Career One Stop: www.careeronestop.org
U.S. Department of Labor resource with searchable database on occupations
OSPI Career & Technical Education: www.k12.wa.us/careerteched/
Information for students undertaking a CTE program of study or interested in a community
or technical college
Workforce Explorer: www.workforceexplorer.com
Washington State Employment Security Department web site on occupations
Sparking the Future is sponsored by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
with funding provided by College Spark Washington. For more information, please visit
www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness
Page 3
Rev 12/11
Areas of Study &
Entry
Requirements
WHAT IS YOUR CAREER GOAL?
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET THERE?
Name _____________________________
LIST A POSSIBLE CAREER:
One career I might be interested in pursuing:
LIST A POSSIBLE MAJOR:
Use the OSPI CTE web site (www.k12.wa.us/careerteched) or College Board’s Major and Career
Profiles (www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles) to find at least one possible
major and one possible college that would prepare you for that career.
One possible college major (area of study):
One possible college (postsecondary program):
LIST ENTRY REQUIREMENTS :
For most majors, the College Board database lists courses that are recommended during high
school. In addition, many colleges list entry requirements (such as number of years of math or
world language). List courses you should take during high school to prepare:
Sparking the Future is sponsored by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
with funding provided by College Spark Washington. For more information, please visit
www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness
Page 4
Rev 12/11
RESEARCH OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK :
Next, go to Career One Stop (www.careeronestop.org) and search for the career you listed.
Occupation description:
Median wage in Washington State:
Number job openings in Washington in 2018:
Percent change:
Is this occupation growing or shrinking?
Sparking the Future is sponsored by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
with funding provided by College Spark Washington. For more information, please visit
www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness
Page 5
Rev 12/11