Skip to content

Day 2: H&L Setup and Discover My Core (Core Day A)

Lesson Overview
Time 55 minutes
Objectives Frame CCE as the middle-school on-ramp to Irving ISD CTE pathways; set up the H&L Climber Profile; learn the six core personality types (RIASEC); complete the H&L "Discover My Core" assessment; record results in the workbook and Climber Profile
TEKS d(1)(A), d(1)(B)
Deliverable H&L Climber Profile active + RIASEC results entered in workbook (Ch 1, p. 12-13) and visible on Climber Profile
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 1 (pp. 12-13), Chromebooks, projector, Clever/ClassLink credentials, Xello accounts, RIASEC visual reference (Doer / Analyzer / Creator / Helper / Persuader / Organizer)

Core day. Protect this period.

Today delivers the first of three load-bearing Week 0 outputs. The H&L Climber Profile and RIASEC type are consumed directly by 4SW Wk1 Day 1 (mid-year reconciliation warm-up and the RIASEC vs. Favorites worksheet) and by 6SW Wk6 Capstone. If today is eaten by a campus event, reschedule Core Day A to your next clean period before Day 3 runs.

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Look at these six words: Doer, Analyzer, Creator, Helper, Persuader, Organizer. Without looking anything up, write down the ONE you think describes you best.

Collect quick verbal responses. Tell students they will test their prediction in the next 25 minutes. They will see how close their gut instinct matches the formal assessment.

Activity 1: What is CTE? Xello Module (5 min)

Source: Xello 7th-grade district-created module "What is CTE."

Before students log into H&L, frame CCE as the middle-school on-ramp into Irving ISD's CTE pathways that begin in 8th grade and accelerate at Singley, MacArthur, Nimitz, Cardwell, and Irving High. Students log into Xello and launch the district's "What is CTE" module. They work through it at their own pace and return to the group when finished.

[VERIFY IN Xello] Confirm the district-created "What is CTE" module is published in your Xello account at the start of the semester. If it is not yet pushed, substitute a 5-minute teacher-led framing of CTE using the Irving ISD CTE Offerings by Campus page (irvingisd.net).

Common Issue

Xello and H&L use different SSO providers. If a student cannot log into Xello, have them start Activity 2 on H&L instead and return to the Xello module during Day 5 catch-up. Do not let a Xello login block H&L setup.

Activity 2: H&L Account Setup and Climber Profile Orientation (15 min)

Project the H&L login page on the screen. Walk students through SSO login via Clever or ClassLink (whichever your campus uses). Once students are logged in, they should see their Climber dashboard with an empty Climber Profile.

Direct students to:

  1. Locate their Climber Profile in the navigation.
  2. Add their name and grade (these may pre-populate from SSO).
  3. Choose an avatar or upload a photo if your campus allows.
  4. Notice that the profile is mostly empty. Tell students: "Over the next three core days, this profile is going to fill up with information about who you are. By the end of Core Day C, it will be a snapshot of YOU as a future career explorer."

Frame the H&L vocabulary the workbook uses: students are Climbers, careers are Hats, and clusters are groupings of related careers. They will hear these words all year.

[H&L PLATFORM] Confirm campus SSO integration before this lesson. Clever vs. ClassLink vs. direct login at app.hatsandladders.com varies by district. The H&L workbook (Ch 1: My Career Journey) pairs with the app for onboarding. Students return to the Climber Profile every core day to add data.

Common Issue

SSO outages happen in the first week of school. If logins fail, pair students at Chromebooks that did log in and run Discover My Core as a partner activity. Do not let a login issue stop the day. Have your ClassLink or Clever support contact bookmarked and escalate after class.

Activity 3: Introduction to the 6 Core Personality Types and Discover My Core Assessment (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 1, p. 12-13. "Learning My Core Personality Type" and "Learn Your Personality Types."

Project the six personality types from the workbook on the screen. Walk through each with ONE example career (5 min, compressed from the original 10-minute walkthrough so the assessment has enough runway):

  • Doer. Works with tools, machines, or animals. Hands-on problem-solving. Example: Auto Mechanic.
  • Analyzer. Thinks, researches, solves puzzles. Example: Software Developer.
  • Creator. Drawing, painting, acting. Unstructured environments. Example: Graphic Designer.
  • Helper. Teaches, supports, helps people. Example: Teacher.
  • Persuader. Leads, persuades, organizes people. Example: Salesperson.
  • Organizer. Works with data, numbers, details. Example: Accountant.

Students log into H&L and navigate to Discover My Core. They take the assessment (approximately 20 minutes of runway).

[H&L PLATFORM] The H&L app's "Discover My Core" assessment presents illustrated, age-appropriate survey questions. Students answer honestly and the platform calculates their top personality types. Students record their results on workbook page 13 in the space provided. These results feed directly into the cluster recommendations the app generates on Core Day B, so honest answers matter.

Student task:

  1. Open the assessment in the H&L app.
  2. Read each question. Answer honestly. Do not rush.
  3. After completing the assessment, write your top 1-2 personality types in your workbook (p. 13).
  4. Read the description of your top type carefully. Note one thing that surprised you or felt accurate.

Walk the room while students take the assessment. Watch for students clicking through without reading. Stop them and reset.

Facilitation Tip

Tell students up front: "There are no wrong answers and no 'better' types. The most successful adults usually have careers that match who they ARE, not who they think they should be. Be honest." Repeat this multiple times. If a student rushes, sit next to them and read questions aloud. Peer support: if multiple students need read-aloud help, pair them with fluent-reading peers first. That frees you to monitor the whole room.

DOK 2: How would you describe the difference between your top RIASEC personality type and the type you predicted in the warm-up? What might explain the difference, or the match?

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET: Write down your top personality type from the H&L assessment AND name one career from your top type's example list. (d(1)(A))

Differentiation

  • Support: For students who struggle with assessment language, sit with them and read each question aloud. Do not let them skip ahead.
  • Extension: Students who finish early explore 2 to 3 Hats in the H&L app that match their top personality type. They write down one Hat that interested them and why.
  • ELL: Show ELL students how to use Google Translate page translation (right-click, then Translate to Spanish). Pre-teach: Personalidad = Personality, Hacedor = Doer, Analizador = Analyzer, Creador = Creator, Ayudante = Helper, Persuasor = Persuader, Organizador = Organizer.