Day 2: Machine Breakdown Mystery + Career Research

Daily Learning Contract

• Topic: Career Opportunities
• Objective: Students will complete the "Machine Breakdown Mystery" troubleshooting activity using the five-stage Technician Checklist; complete a career research worksheet for one Manufacturing career.
• TEKS: d(1)(C), d(2)(A)
• Demonstration of Learning: Completed Machine Breakdown Mystery checklist (FYF p. 208) + career research worksheet.

Teacher presentation: PowerPoint file (IISD sign-in) · Make a Google Slides copy (IISD sign-in)

Lesson Overview

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Think about the last time something you owned broke (a phone, a bike, a video game controller). What was the FIRST thing you did to figure out what was wrong?

Listen for "I tried turning it off and on" or "I looked for damage." Bridge: "That is troubleshooting. Today you become the technician at a fruit factory who has to use the EXACT same skill, but in a high-stakes situation where production is stopped."

Activity 1: "Machine Breakdown Mystery" Activity (25 min)

Source: (FYF pp. 207-208: "Machine Breakdown Mystery"), a Career Climb activity

Open the workbook to page 207. Read the scenario together: students are technicians at a pre-packaged fruit factory. The machine that puts label stickers on the prepackaged fruits and vegetables has suddenly stopped working. Without it, the production line is at a standstill. It is their job to figure out why and fix it.

Step 1: Look at a Technician Checklist (p. 207). Walk through the five stages of the checklist, the same sequence real technicians use:

1. Identify the Problem: Find out as much information as possible. Which part isn't working? What was the machine doing right before it stopped?
2. Analyze Possible Causes: Mechanical failure (worn-out blade, jammed gears)? Electrical issue (faulty wiring, sensor malfunction)? Operator error (incorrect settings)? Something else?
3. Implement a Solution: Decide the best repair based on your analysis.
4. Test and Observe: Run the machine and confirm it works. If not, restart the checklist.
5. Prevent Future Breakdowns: What can be done to keep this from happening again? Operator training? More frequent maintenance?

Step 2: Understand the Problem (p. 208). Read the five clues together:

• The machine made a clicking noise before it stopped working.
• There is no visible smoke, sparks, or leaks.
• Other machines on the production line are still running fine.
• The sticker roll seems to be in place, but the labels aren't coming out.
• The operator mentioned the machine was running smoothly until a new roll of labels was installed.

Step 3: Solve the Problem (p. 208). Students work in pairs or small groups and fill in the checklist table in their workbook. For each of the five stages, they write notes in the Notes column about what they would do as the technician.

After 12-15 minutes, lead a class discussion using the workbook prompts (FYF p. 208):

• What clue helped you the most in figuring out the problem?
• Was this problem more likely a machine issue or a human mistake?
• Which of your Building Blocks would help you succeed in this role?

DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about why the order of the Technician Checklist matters? Why is "Identify the Problem" the first step instead of "Implement a Solution"?

Activity 2: Career Research — One Manufacturing Career (15 min)

Source: CCE career research worksheet; app steps follow (FYF p. 212: "App Exploration")

Pass out the printed career research worksheet. This is the same six-field format students learned in Wk0, so name the connection rather than reteaching it. Students choose ONE Hat from the Manufacturing cluster and complete the worksheet using the H&L app:

• Name of Career
• What Interests You?
• Brief Job Description
• Education / Training Needed
• Average Salary
• What Tools, Equipment, or Skills are Needed for This Career?

[H&L PLATFORM] Students open the Hats & Ladders app, go to Clusters, click the Manufacturing Cluster, and use the Hat Finder to return to a Hat that caught their attention on Day 1. They pull each worksheet field directly from that Hat's profile. If they compare it with BLS or CareerOneStop, they keep the sources separate: record the H&L career, geography, salary measure, and date viewed, then label the external figure with its own geography, measure, and date. A different national figure does not replace the district HQIM figure.

Walk the room. Confirm every student has a chosen Hat before they start writing. Stop students who pick the same Hat as their neighbor and challenge them to pick something different to broaden the class's exposure.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: Jamie is in 10th grade in Irving ISD. Jamie wants a Manufacturing job right after graduation (not a 4-year college). Jamie just read your career research worksheet.

1. Which Manufacturing career from your worksheet would you recommend to Jamie? _____

2. What are TWO specific training or certification steps Jamie must complete to reach that career? Use your worksheet.

• Step 1: _______

• Step 2: _______

3. About how long will BOTH steps take together (weeks, months, or years)? __________

(d(1)(C), d(2)(A))

Differentiation

• Support: Pre-print the five Technician Checklist stages with the first one ("Identify the Problem") filled in as an example (Printable PDF). Students complete the remaining four. For career research, pre-print the field labels in Spanish and English and provide a Welder example as a model.
• Extension: Students design their own Machine Breakdown Mystery for a different machine (a 3D printer, a school cafeteria conveyor belt, a gas pump) using the same 5-step checklist format.
• ELL: Bilingual technician vocabulary card: Mechanical = Mecánico, Electrical = Eléctrico, Sensor = Sensor, Maintenance = Mantenimiento, Operator = Operador. Allow students to write checklist notes in Spanish if that lowers the cognitive load.