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Day 5: Emerging Career Research + 2SW Wrap-Up

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Research one emerging biomedical occupation; finalize Health Science cluster favorites in H&L; complete the Xello Save Careers activity; update the My Career Journey reflection for the 2nd Six Weeks
TEKS d(1)(D), d(2)(A), d(5)(A)
Deliverable Emerging Biomedical Career Research template (1 emerging career, all fields) + updated H&L Climber Profile (5+ Health Science favorites) + Xello Save Careers completion + 2SW reflection
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts, Xello accounts, BLS Career Outlook page, NIH STEM site, printed Emerging Career Research template, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time. What types of scientists made that possible? Name as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Take responses. Students should name: virologists, immunologists, biomedical engineers, lab technicians, clinical trial coordinators, manufacturing scientists. Bridge: biomedical science is one of the FASTEST-evolving fields. Careers that exist today did not exist 10 years ago.

Activity 1: Emerging Biomedical Career Research (20 min)

Project a list of emerging biomedical careers on the board for students to choose from:

  • Genomic Counselor: helps families understand genetic test results
  • Bioinformatics Specialist: analyzes biological data with software
  • 3D Bioprinting Engineer: designs printable tissues and organs
  • mRNA Vaccine Specialist: develops messenger-RNA-based vaccines
  • AI Drug Discovery Specialist: uses machine learning to find new drugs
  • Telehealth Coordinator: manages remote patient care systems
  • Wearable Health Tech Designer: designs Fitbit/Apple Watch-style health devices
  • CRISPR Gene Editing Technician: works on gene therapy procedures
  • Robotic Surgery Technician: assists surgeons using robotic equipment

Each student picks ONE emerging career. They use BLS Career Outlook, H&L Hat Finder (if the career is listed), NIH STEM resources, and Google to complete the Emerging Career Research template:

Field Content
Career name
What it involves (2 sentences)
Education needed
Salary range
Why it is "emerging" (what trend created this career?)
One DFW employer that hires for this role
Labor market trend (growing fast? slow? stable?)

[H&L PLATFORM] In the H&L app, search the Hat Finder for the chosen emerging career. Some emerging careers (like Bioinformatics Specialist) are listed; others students must research outside the app. The H&L app shows DFW-localized salary and demand data when available.

DOK 4: Based on your research, what argument would you make to convince a school district that biomedical science should be a required course for all high school students? Use labor market data and emerging career trends to support your argument.

Facilitation Tip

Watch for students who pick a career and write generic information ("It's important. People need it."). Push for SPECIFICS: "What problem does this career solve? Why didn't it exist 10 years ago?" The specificity is what makes the research valuable.

Activity 2: Xello Save Careers (8 min)

Open Xello and direct students to the Save Careers activity in the 7th-grade lessons. This activity asks students to formally save the careers they are most interested in to their Xello profile.

Students:

  1. Open their Xello profile
  2. Search for at least 3 careers they explored in 2SW (legal, nursing, dental, biomedical)
  3. Click "Save" on each career
  4. Add a brief note about why they saved each one

This creates a Xello-side record of the student's evolving career interests, complementing the H&L Climber Profile.

Activity 3: H&L Health Science Cluster Wrap-Up (10 min)

Students return to the H&L app and finalize ALL their Health Science favorites. They should now have 5 or more Health Science favorites spanning nursing, dental, medical billing, and biomedical.

[H&L PLATFORM] In the H&L app, navigate to "Hat Finder," filter by "Health Science" cluster. Verify that 5+ careers are favorited (heart icon). Then click "Climber Profile." Students should now see favorites from FOUR clusters: Manufacturing (1SW), IT (1SW), Law (2SW Wk 1-2), and Health Science (2SW Wk 3-6).

The teacher circulates and asks: "Which Health Science career is your TOP favorite, and why?" This is a quick formative check for the entire 4-week Health Science exploration.

Activity 4: 2nd Six Weeks Reflection (5 min)

Students update their My Career Journey reflection document (originally created in Week 0 of 1SW). They add:

  • Clusters explored this six weeks: Law (Wks 1-2), Health Science (Wks 3-6)
  • New favorites added to the Climber Profile
  • SMART goal progress update (from Wk 5)
  • One Powerskill they improved this six weeks

This living document will be reviewed again at mid-year (4SW Wk 1: Career Planning Mid-Year Review).

DOK 4: Based on everything you have explored so far. Manufacturing, IT, Law, and Health Science, what pattern do you notice about the types of careers that attract you? What does that pattern tell you about what to explore next?

Exit Ticket (2 min)

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

My emerging biomedical career (from Day 5 research): _____

Connect this career to THREE things:

1. The BLS labor market trend I found today (growing fast, stable, or slow)

My trend: _____. In one sentence, what NEW technology or need created this emerging career in the last 10 years?

2. The Irving High Biomedical Science pathway (leads to BACE certification)

Does the Irving High pathway lead DIRECTLY to my emerging career, or is it a STEPPING STONE through further school? Circle: DIRECT / STEPPING STONE. One sentence why:

3. What I learned about MYSELF across 2SW (Law + Health Science clusters)

One sentence, what pattern do I notice about the careers that attract me after 6 weeks of Health Science + Law exploration?

(d(1)(D), d(2)(A), d(5)(A))

Submit the Emerging Career Research template + the updated 2SW reflection as the Week 6 + 2SW summative deliverable.

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a list of 6 pre-approved emerging biomedical careers with starter research links. Provide a fill-in-the-blank reflection template.
  • Extension: Research a specific DFW biotech employer (UT Southwestern, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark Health) and identify what careers they hire for. Add that employer to the research template.
  • ELL: Bilingual research template. Pre-teach: Emerging = Emergente, Trend = Tendencia, Employer = Empleador, Investigation = Investigación. Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for the Xello Save Careers step.