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Day 5: Mini-Presentations + Xello Skills + Wk3 Wrap-Up

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Deliver a 2-minute mini-presentation on a researched emerging IT career; complete the Xello Add Skills activity; reflect on Networking and Web Development pathways
TEKS d(1)(C), d(1)(D), d(4)(B)
Deliverable 2-minute mini-presentation + Xello Skills updated
Materials Chromebooks, Xello accounts, completed Emerging Tech Research Templates from Day 4, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: You have now spent 2 weeks in IT. Has your interest in IT gone up, down, or stayed the same since last Wednesday? Write one sentence explaining why.

Quick share. Listen for students whose interest has changed; both directions are valuable. Bridge: "Today you also hear from your classmates about emerging IT careers you may not have researched yourself."

Activity 1: Emerging Tech Mini-Presentations (25 min)

Students share their Day 4 research in small groups of 4-5 (NOT as a whole class, too many presentations). Each student gets 2 minutes to pitch their emerging career to the group.

Pitch structure (project on screen):

  1. Career name: What is it called?
  2. What they do: 1-2 sentences in your own words
  3. Education needed: Degree, cert, or both?
  4. Salary: Median pay
  5. Why it's emerging: What new technology made this job exist?
  6. One DFW company that hires for this role

After each presentation, the group gives ONE star (something good) and ONE wish (something they wish they had heard more about). After all presentations in a group, the group VOTES on which emerging career they think will be most in-demand in 10 years.

Walk between groups and listen for students using transferable skills vocabulary (problem-solving, communication, attention to detail) when they describe their careers.

Facilitation Tip

Tell students BEFORE presentations: "You are not graded on perfection. You are graded on whether you can explain your career to someone who has never heard of it. If your group can summarize what your career is after your pitch, you succeeded."

DOK 4: If you were advising a current 8th grader on which IT pathway to choose for high school, what evidence from this week (Networking, Web Development, OR an emerging career) would you use to support your recommendation?

Activity 2: Xello Add Skills Activity (12 min)

Source: Scope and sequence. Xello 7th-grade activity: Add Skills

Direct students to Xello and have them complete the Add Skills activity. Xello asks students to identify skills they have, skills they want to develop, and skills they think are important for future careers. This is the Xello equivalent of the H&L Building Blocks activity from Wk0.

For each skill they add, students should write a short sentence explaining where they use that skill (school, sports, hobbies, family). Examples:

  • Communication: "I use this when I help my younger sister with her homework."
  • Problem-solving: "I use this when I figure out how to beat hard levels in video games."
  • Time Management: "I use this when I juggle school, soccer practice, and chores."

Tell students: "These skills are the FOUNDATION for the careers you've been researching. Both H&L and Xello are tracking what you have to offer."

Activity 3: Wk3 Reflection (5 min)

Students write a quick 3-sentence reflection in their workbook margin:

  1. The IT pathway I am most interested in after this week is _____.
  2. The transferable skill I am strongest in is _____.
  3. The emerging IT career I want to remember is _____.

This is data for the Wk0 → 6SW Final Career Plan growth check.

Exit Ticket (3 min)

EXIT TICKET (Concept Map / Connection Diagram) · Printable PDF:

The IT career I am most interested in after this week: _____

Connect this career to THREE things:

1. An Irving ISD pathway (Computer Science at Irving High / MacArthur / Nimitz, Programming & Digital Tech at Singley, or Cybersecurity at Singley)

My pathway: ___ at ___ High School. Why does this pathway connect to my career choice? One sentence:

2. One transferable skill from my Xello Add Skills today

My transferable skill: _____. Where do I already USE this skill in my life (school, sports, hobbies, family)? One sentence:

3. An emerging IT career from a CLASSMATE's Day 5 pitch (not your own)

Classmate's emerging career: _____. Does my chosen career OR the classmate's emerging career have a faster path in Irving ISD? Circle: MINE / CLASSMATE'S. One sentence why: _____________

(d(1)(C), d(1)(D), d(4)(B))

Differentiation

  • Support: Allow students who are uncomfortable presenting to record a 2-minute video of their pitch on the Chromebook instead of presenting live.
  • Extension: Students who finish early help a classmate refine their pitch by giving extra feedback. They can also watch one of the H&L "From the Field" interview videos and connect what the professional says to their researched career.
  • ELL: Provide bilingual presentation sentence stems: "The career I researched is _ (La carrera que investigué es ). It is emerging because __ (Es emergente porque _____)."