Skip to content

Day 3: Work Values and Building Blocks (Core Day B)

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Identify top 2 Work Values; brainstorm and enter at least 3 Building Blocks in the H&L app; explore initial cluster recommendations
TEKS d(1)(A), d(1)(B)
Deliverable Top 2 Work Values + 3 or more Building Blocks recorded in the H&L Climber Profile and the workbook
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 1 (pp. 11, 14-15), Chromebooks, projector, printed Building Blocks brainstorm sheet

Core day. Protect this period.

Today delivers the second and third load-bearing Week 0 outputs (Work Values and Building Blocks). Both feed the Core Day C reflection tomorrow and the 4SW Wk1 Career Plan at mid-year. If today is eaten by a campus event, push the Core Day C reflection to Day 5 flex or the first clean period of 1SW Wk1.

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Would you rather have a job that pays a lot but you work alone all day, or a job that pays less but you work with a fun team? Write one sentence explaining your choice.

Collect 2-3 verbal responses. Bridge to the lesson: "What you just answered is a clue about your Work Values. Today we figure out what really matters to you in a job, not just what type of person you are."

Activity 1: Discovering My Work Values (20 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 1, pp. 14-15, "Discovering My Work Values"

Open the workbook to page 14. Read the introduction together: Work Values are the things that matter most to you in a job. They help you decide what kind of work environment, tasks, and rewards will make you happy and successful.

Walk through the six common work values from the workbook (p. 14):

  • Achievement: You enjoy seeing the results of your hard work. You set goals and reach them.
  • Independence: You like to make decisions and work in your own way.
  • Recognition: You want to be noticed and rewarded for doing a good job.
  • Relationships: You like jobs where you can work closely with others and help people.
  • Support: You want to feel supported by your boss and workplace. You prefer clear rules and guidance.
  • Working Conditions: You care about job security, daily environment, and the type of tasks you do.

Have students complete the Reflection prompts in the workbook (p. 14):

  1. Which work value is most important to you? Why?
  2. Which one matters less to you right now? Why?

Then direct students to the H&L app:

[H&L PLATFORM] The workbook directs students (p. 15): "Open the Hats & Ladders app and go to 'Explore My Work Values.' Find your top work values and write them in the space below." Students take the in-app Work Values activity, record their top 2 results in the workbook on p. 15, and notice if their results matched their reflection answers.

Facilitation Tip

Some students will rank Independence #1 because it sounds cool ("I want to be my own boss"). Push them: "Independence means you handle EVERYTHING (taxes, your own health insurance, no paychecks if you have a bad month). Are you sure?" This builds critical reflection rather than aspirational picking.

Activity 2: My Building Blocks (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 1, pp. 11, "My Building Blocks"

Open the workbook to page 11. Read the introduction together: Building Blocks are experiences, interests, and skills you already have, both in school and outside of school. The workbook lists examples like babysitting a sibling, cooking meals for your family, volunteering, hobbies, school clubs, chores, sports teams, and religious or community groups.

Lead a quick whole-class brainstorm: call out one example, ask students to raise their hand if they do that. Examples:

  • "Who has cooked dinner for your family in the last month?"
  • "Who plays a sport, school or rec?"
  • "Who babysits a younger sibling or cousin?"
  • "Who has a hobby like drawing, gaming, building things, music?"
  • "Who helps with chores at home (dishes, laundry, yard work)?"

Tell students: every single one of those is a Building Block. None of them are "too small." Every one teaches a future-career skill.

Then have students complete the workbook task:

[H&L PLATFORM] The workbook (p. 11) directs students: "Open the Hats & Ladders app and create at least 3 Building Blocks. You will use these Building Blocks throughout this course! You can always add more Building Blocks throughout the year." Students enter at least 3 Building Blocks in the app's Building Blocks feature. Examples: "I babysit my little brother," "I play soccer on Saturdays," "I draw anime characters." The app will use these to refine cluster recommendations.

Walk the room. Check that every student has at least 3 Building Blocks visible on their Climber Profile. Building Blocks are foundational data for the rest of the year.

Checkpoint Guidance

If 1-2 students are still typing, you may move to Activity 3 while they finish. Have them submit Building Blocks by end of class. Do not hold the whole class waiting, but do follow up individually to ensure all students have at least 3 entries before Core Day C (Day 4) runs.

DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about how your RIASEC type, Work Values, AND Building Blocks all connect? Pick ONE Building Block and explain how it connects to a possible career cluster.

Activity 3: Initial Cluster Recommendations (8 min)

After completing all three inputs (RIASEC + Work Values + Building Blocks), the H&L app generates initial cluster recommendations. Direct students to:

  1. Open their Climber Profile.
  2. Find the recommended clusters section.
  3. Note which clusters appear and which surprise them.
  4. Write the top 3 recommended clusters in their workbook (margin or notes section).

[H&L PLATFORM] The H&L app uses RIASEC, Work Values, and Building Blocks to generate cluster recommendations. Students should now see a personalized list. These recommendations will refine over the year as students explore and favorite Hats. Tell students: "These are starting suggestions, not your final answer. Tomorrow on Core Day C, you will use them in the My Career Journey reflection."

Exit Ticket (2 min)

EXIT TICKET: Name your top Work Value and explain in one complete sentence why it matters to you. (d(1)(A))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-print a Building Blocks word bank (sports, music, video games, cooking, babysitting, fixing things, drawing, helping at church, etc.). Students circle 3-5 from the bank rather than generating from scratch.
  • Extension: Students explore one of their recommended clusters in the H&L app and find a Hat (career) that matches both their RIASEC type AND their top Work Value. They write the Hat name in their workbook.
  • ELL: Bilingual word bank for Building Blocks (Cocinar = Cooking, Cuidar hermanos = Babysitting siblings, Deportes = Sports, Dibujar = Drawing). Pair ELL students with bilingual peers to brainstorm aloud.