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Week 5: Power Up — Communication Skills for Any Career

2nd Six Weeks | Health Science Cluster (Skills Focus) | 5 class periods (50 min each)

Lesson Objective

Students engage with four H&L Powerskills modules (Conflict Resolution, Giving and Receiving Feedback, Written Communication, Advocacy), practice each through teacher-led healthcare workplace role-plays, set a SMART goal for career exploration, and complete the Xello Time Management Lesson.

Demonstration of Learning

"I can resolve a workplace conflict using the steps from the H&L Powerskills workbook, give and receive constructive feedback using the feedback sandwich technique, write a clear professional message, advocate for a cause I believe in, and set a SMART goal for my career exploration."

TEKS Alignment

  • d(1)(A): Analyze and discuss assessment results (Day 5 CareerOneStop Skills Matcher).
  • d(4)(A): Demonstrate effective time-management and goal-setting strategies (Day 3 SMART Goal, Day 5 Xello Time Management).
  • d(4)(B): Identify skills that can be transferable among a variety of careers (Days 1-5).

Materials Needed

  • Chromebooks with internet access (1 per student)
  • Hats & Ladders Powerskills Workbook, 4 modules: Conflict Resolution (pp. 19-21), Giving and Receiving Feedback (pp. 22-24), Written Communication (pp. 25-26), Advocacy (pp. 30-32)
  • Xello accounts (Time Management Lesson)
  • CareerOneStop Skills Matcher: careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx
  • Printed SMART Goal worksheet
  • Healthcare role-play cards (teacher-prepared; 6 cards for Day 2 + Day 4)
  • Timer for activities
  • Projector for demonstrations

Career Connection

Communication is consistently ranked the #1 skill employers want across ALL industries. In healthcare, poor communication can be life-threatening, a nurse who does not listen carefully to a patient's symptoms could miss a critical diagnosis. A medical biller who does not write clearly could cost a hospital thousands of dollars. After two content-intense weeks (Law cluster + Health Science cluster), Week 5 shifts gears from career exploration to the powerskills that transfer across every career. The mode changes, less reading and discussion of clusters, more hands-on practice of skills, and the H&L Powerskills workbook activities are paired with teacher-led healthcare role-plays so students see soft skills applied in context.

What is Happening at Irving ISD? All Irving ISD Health Science pathways. Communication and goal-setting are transferable skills that apply to every career cluster, every Singley Academy program, and every job a student will ever have.

Vocabulary

  • Conflict Resolution: Working through disagreements in a way that helps everyone feel heard and keeps the project moving forward.
  • Feedback Sandwich: A technique for giving feedback, start with a positive comment, share an area for improvement with specific language, end with another positive remark.
  • Advocacy: The act of supporting or standing up for someone or something, a person, a cause, or an idea.
  • SMART Goal: A goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
  • Transferable Skill: An ability that is valuable across many different careers and industries. Communication, problem-solving, and teamwork are common examples.
  • Time Management: The ability to plan and control how you spend your time to effectively accomplish your goals.

Bridge to Theory (Hats & Ladders)

The H&L Powerskills workbook is a research-backed, scenario-based curriculum supplement. This week pulls four specific modules:

  • Conflict Resolution (pp. 19-21): Smoothie company team disagreement (name, launch date, marketing). Students work through three conflicts using listen / find common ground / use calm clear words.
  • Giving and Receiving Feedback (pp. 22-24): Three-step paired activity: Share It (verbal), Write It (written), Draw It (combined). Uses the feedback sandwich technique.
  • Written Communication (pp. 25-26): Little Library social media post. Students write a clear, action-oriented post with hashtags.
  • Advocacy (pp. 30-32): Mobile farmers' market for a food desert. Students design a flyer and mission statement to advocate for healthy food access.

Each H&L module is paired with a teacher-led healthcare workplace role-play that puts the same skill in a Health Science context.

IISD Instructional Strategies

  • Think-Pair-Share: After each Powerskills module, students think about how the skill connects to their RIASEC type and a career they have explored, pair to discuss, and share.
  • Active Monitoring: During role-play activities, teacher circulates with a rubric tracking eye contact, paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions, respectful tone, and body language.
  • Modeling: Teacher demonstrates the feedback sandwich and conflict resolution steps live before students attempt them.

Week at a Glance

Day Focus Key Activities Deliverable
1 Powerskills Intro + Conflict Resolution H&L Powerskills intro (p. 1-2), Conflict Resolution module (pp. 19-21): Smoothie launch scenario Completed conflict chart + smoothie ad sketch
2 Giving and Receiving Feedback H&L Feedback module (pp. 22-24): Share It, Write It, Draw It with partner Completed feedback steps + healthcare role-play
3 Assertive Communication + SMART Goals H&L Advocacy module (pp. 30-32) intro, SMART Goal worksheet Personal SMART goal for career exploration
4 Written Communication H&L Written Communication module (pp. 25-26): Little Library social media post + healthcare role-play Social media post (clear status, call to action, 2 hashtags) + role-play
5 Xello Time Management + Reflection Xello Time Management Lesson, CareerOneStop Skills Matcher, SMART goal review Xello completion + Skills Matcher results + SMART goal check-in

Formative Assessment

  • Conflict chart + smoothie ad + Decision Tree exit ticket (new CNA + shift-partner conflict scenario, branch on response). Day 1, d(4)(B)
  • Feedback worksheet + role-play + Mini-Case exit ticket (new medical biller with wrong ICD-10 codes; write feedback sandwich). Day 2, d(4)(B)
  • SMART Goal worksheet + SCR exit ticket (goal + hardest component + this-week action). Day 3, d(4)(A), d(4)(B)
  • Little Library post + healthcare role-play + Trade-off Dilemma exit ticket (note-only vs. verbal+note handoff of refused medication). Day 4, d(4)(B)
  • Xello Time Management + CareerOneStop Skills Matcher + Concept Map exit ticket (skill + Matcher career + SMART goal fit + classmate skill compare). Day 5, d(1)(A), d(4)(A), d(4)(B)

Summative Assessment

SMART Goal + Communication Reflection (Day 5): Students submit (1) the polished SMART goal worksheet from Day 3 and (2) a 4-sentence reflection paragraph: "The transferable skill I improved most this week is _. It connects to the career of because __. I will practice this skill in [Wk 6 / outside class] by _____." Scored on: SMART goal quality (d(4)(A)), transferable skill identification (d(4)(B)), career connection (d(4)(F)).

Differentiation

Scaffolded Learning

  • SMART goal examples and non-examples to clarify each component
  • Pre-built role-play scripts with dialogue suggestions
  • Sentence stems for the reflection paragraph
  • Pair work for all role-plays (no solo performance required)

Extensions

  • Create a Communication Skills Guide for one chosen career pathway listing the top 5 communication skills needed
  • Research emotional intelligence and connect it to the Powerskills modules
  • Compare CareerOneStop Skills Matcher results to the H&L Climber Profile RIASEC results, what's the overlap?
  • Lead a small-group review of one Powerskills module for peers who missed a day

ELL Language Support

  • Pre-teach: Conflict = Conflicto, Feedback = Retroalimentación, Advocacy = Defensa, Goal = Meta, Skill = Habilidad, Transferable = Transferible
  • Bilingual role-play cards with key phrases in both languages
  • Bilingual SMART goal worksheet
  • Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for role-plays