Skip to content

Day 5: Xello Work Experiences + Nimitz Plant Science Pathway

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Complete the Xello Work Experiences lesson; research the Nimitz HS Plant Science pathway and Texas Certified Landscape Associate credential; favorite plant science careers in H&L
TEKS d(1)(A), d(1)(C), d(2)(B)
Deliverable Logged Xello Work Experiences entry + Nimitz Plant Science pathway notes + screenshot of H&L Climber Profile
Materials Chromebooks, Xello accounts, H&L accounts, Nimitz Plant Science pathway info sheet, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: This week we explored plants, the environment, and emerging ag tech. What career from this week could you actually see yourself doing? Why?

Take 4-5 student responses. Validate ALL answers, including "none of them." Career exploration is about clarity, not commitment.

Activity 1: Xello Work Experiences Lesson (20 min)

Source: Xello 7th-Grade Lesson, "Work Experiences"

Open Xello on the projector and walk students through finding the Work Experiences lesson:

  1. From the Xello dashboard, click Lessons
  2. Find "Work Experiences" in the 7th-grade lesson list
  3. Click Start or Continue

Students complete the Xello Work Experiences lesson on their own Chromebooks. The lesson typically includes:

  • A definition of "work experience" (paid or unpaid work, including informal jobs)
  • Examples: babysitting, dog walking, helping at a family business, summer jobs, working at a school event
  • Reflection prompts about what each experience teaches and what skills it builds

After completing the lesson, students log at least ONE Work Experience entry in their Xello profile (typically under "About Me" or "My Profile"). Each entry needs:

  • Job title or role
  • Employer / who they worked for
  • Dates / how long
  • 1-2 sentences on what they did and what they learned

If a student has truly never worked in any capacity, they can log a future plan: "Plan to work at the school book fair in October, will gain customer service and cash handling experience."

[VERIFY IN Xello] Confirm with your district that the Work Experiences field is enabled in your school's Xello configuration. If not, students complete the lesson and write entries in their notebook.

Facilitation Tip

Students often feel embarrassed that they don't have "real" jobs. Reframe: at age 12-13, the "real" experiences are babysitting, helping family, lemonade stands, and school activities. These all count. Future-you will be glad past-you wrote them down.

Activity 2: Nimitz Plant Science Pathway Research (15 min)

Source: Irving ISD Pathways reference (PATHWAYS.md): Nimitz HS Plant Science pathway leading to Texas Certified Landscape Associate credential

Project the Nimitz HS Plant Science pathway info on the screen. The pathway leads to the Texas Certified Landscape Associate credential, a state-specific credential that nursery, landscape, and grounds-management employers actively hire.

Walk students through the pathway map:

  • Middle school (now): CCE course, explore Plant Science, complete Hat Research
  • High school at Nimitz: Plant Science pathway → Texas Certified Landscape Associate credential
  • Post-high school options:
    • Direct employment with landscape or nursery company (with credential in hand)
    • Texas A&M Horticulture or Plant Science degree
    • Community college Sustainable Agriculture program
    • USDA federal employment

Also note: Nimitz HS offers the Sustainable Engineering pathway (AutoDesk CAD and Inventor certifications), which connects to the Week 3 sustainable engineering content.

Students take 5 minutes of notes on the pathway map: which post-high school option appeals to them and why?

Activity 3: H&L Favorites + Climber Profile Screenshot (8 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 2, Hat Finder favoriting

[H&L PLATFORM] Direct students to the Hat Finder in the H&L app, filter by Plant Science and Environmental & Natural Resources, and click the heart/favorite icon on 2-3 careers from this week. The favorited Hats appear in their Climber Profile under "Favorites."

Students take a screenshot of their Climber Profile favorites screen and save it to Google Drive. This screenshot tracks their growing career interests across all weeks.

DOK 2: Looking at your Climber Profile favorites from Week 1 (Animal Systems) and Week 2 (Plant Science), what pattern do you see? Are you drawn to indoor/outdoor work? Science/communication work?

Exit Ticket (2 min)

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

A Plant Science or Environmental career I favorited this week: _____

Connect this career to THREE things:

1. A Xello Work Experience I logged today (babysitting, pet sitting, family business help, school event work, etc.)

My experience: _____. In one sentence, what skill from this experience prepares me for the favorited career?

2. The Nimitz HS Plant Science pathway (leads to Texas Certified Landscape Associate credential)

Does the Nimitz pathway lead DIRECTLY to my favorited career, or is it a STEPPING STONE through more school? Circle: DIRECT / STEPPING STONE. One sentence why:

3. My 3SW pattern so far (Wk 1 Animal Systems + Wk 2 Plant Science)

Am I drawn to INDOOR or OUTDOOR work, and why? One sentence using a specific career from either week:

(d(1)(A), d(1)(C), d(2)(B))

Submit your H&L Climber Profile screenshot with this ticket.

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the Nimitz pathway notes sheet with the credential name and one option pre-completed.
  • Extension: Compare the Nimitz Plant Science pathway to the Sustainable Engineering pathway (also at Nimitz). Which credential opens more doors? Use BLS data.
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Pathway = Carrera/Camino, Credential = Credencial, Landscape = Paisajismo. Xello supports Spanish, show students how to switch the interface language if needed.