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Day 1: IT Cluster Tour — The 5 Pathways

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Read H&L Ch 12 introduction; complete the Making Connections pair brainstorm; explore the IT cluster in the H&L app and identify the 5 pathways
TEKS d(1)(B), d(1)(C)
Deliverable Stop and Jot notes (2 careers + 2 questions) and 1 IT pathway identified for further exploration
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 12 (pp. 191-192), Chromebooks, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Every app on your phone was built by someone. Pick ONE app you use every day and guess: How many people do you think it took to build it from scratch?

Quick share. Most students will guess "5 to 20." The actual number for a major app is hundreds: designers, developers, testers, security engineers, project managers. Bridge: "Today we meet the entire IT cluster. Every one of those roles is here."

Activity 1: Read H&L Ch 12 — Exploring the World of Information Technology (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 12, p. 192, "Exploring the World of Information Technology"

Open the workbook to page 192. Read the chapter opener together: IT creates and powers the digital world. People in IT design websites, develop apps, protect data from cyber threats, and keep businesses running with reliable technology. The workbook lists examples: software developers, cybersecurity analysts, network engineers, data scientists, IT support specialists.

Walk through the five confirmed IT pathways from the workbook (Ch 12, p. 192):

  1. Information Technology Support and Services: Help people and businesses troubleshoot computer, software, and network issues.
  2. Web Development: Create and maintain websites, ensuring they look good, function well, and are easy to use.
  3. Networking Systems: Design, set up, and maintain the systems that connect computers and devices.
  4. Cybersecurity: Protect computers, networks, and data from hackers, viruses, and cyber threats.
  5. Programming and Software Development: Write code to create apps, games, and computer programs.

Tell students: "Over the next 4 weeks, we are going to touch every one of these pathways. This week we focus on Programming. Wk3 = Networking. Wk4 = IT Support. Wk5 = Cybersecurity."

Making Connections (workbook activity, p. 192): Pair students up. Spend 5 minutes brainstorming: how is your daily life impacted by computers and technology? What would happen if you woke up tomorrow and the internet was gone? How would your life change?

After 5 minutes, call on 3-4 pairs. Listen for: school assignments, communication, navigation, entertainment, banking, food delivery. The point is to make IT feel concrete and personal.

Facilitation Tip

Some students will say "the internet going away wouldn't matter to me." Push back gently: "How would you find out about a school closing? How would your parents get directions to a doctor's appointment? How would you watch your favorite show?" Make IT feel essential, not optional.

Activity 2: H&L IT Cluster App Exploration with Stop and Jot (20 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 12, p. 192, "Research and Explore" (directs students to the H&L app)

[H&L PLATFORM] The workbook (Ch 12, p. 192) directs students: "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and click on the 'Information Technology Cluster.' Spend some time exploring the cluster and pathways." Students navigate to the IT cluster, watch the cluster tour video, and use the Hat Finder to browse 2-3 Hats per pathway. They check education requirements, DFW salary, and demand level for each Hat.

Stop and Jot procedure: While watching the IT cluster tour video, students pause TWICE in their workbook margin to write:

  • Stop 1: One IT career you learned about that you had never heard of before
  • Stop 2: One question you have about IT careers

After the video, students explore the 5 pathways using the Hat Finder. For each pathway they visit, they write down ONE Hat name and the education required.

Walk the room and stop students who are scrolling without reading. Ask them to read one Hat profile aloud to you.

DOK 2: How would you compare the education requirements for a Software Developer (4-year degree typical) versus a Web Developer (sometimes degree, sometimes certification, sometimes self-taught)?

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Venn Diagram Comparison) · Printable PDF:

The two IT pathways from today I want to compare: (1) Programming & Software Development and (2) Web Development.

Fill in the Venn Diagram using what you read in H&L today.

  • Unique to Programming & Software Development (2 things only this pathway does):

  • Unique to Web Development (2 things only this pathway does):

  • Shared by BOTH pathways (2 things they both do):

Bottom line: A student who wants to build ONLY websites (no apps, no games) should pick which pathway, and why? (d(1)(B), d(1)(C))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-print the 5 IT pathways with one example Hat per pathway so students can match instead of generate. Provide a Stop and Jot template with sentence stems.
  • Extension: Students who finish early dig into the H&L app's "From the Field" interview videos for IT and watch one. They write the name of the professional and one piece of advice they gave.
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Information Technology = Tecnología de la Información, Software = Software, Network = Red, Programming = Programación, Cybersecurity = Ciberseguridad. Use H&L browser translation.