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Week 5: Style and Service — Cosmetology Careers

3rd Six Weeks | Human Services Cluster | 5 class periods (50 min each)

Lesson Objective

Students explore the Human Services cluster through Hats & Ladders with a focus on cosmetology and personal care careers, complete the H&L "Stress Toolkit" social media activity (Ch 11, pp. 177-178), practice for a job interview using the H&L "Job Interviews" + "Practicing for a Job Interview" lessons (Ch 11, pp. 179-181), plan a community wellness event with the "Get Out and Move!" Career Lab (Ch 11, pp. 184-189), research Texas TDLR cosmetology licensing, and identify entrepreneurial opportunities in the beauty industry.

Demonstration of Learning

"I can describe at least three cosmetology and personal care careers, design 3 social media posts that teach stress management techniques, conduct a mock job interview using professional answers and dress, identify the steps to become a licensed cosmetologist in Texas through TDLR, and explain one entrepreneurial opportunity in the beauty industry."

TEKS Alignment

  • d(1)(A): Analyze and discuss assessment results (Day 5 Xello Career Factors).
  • d(1)(B): Explore and describe the CTE career clusters (Day 1 Human Services cluster tour).
  • d(1)(C): Identify career opportunities within one or more career clusters (Days 1, 5).
  • d(2)(A): Research and describe applicable academic, technical, certification, and training requirements (Day 3 TDLR).
  • d(3)(G): Investigate and report on steps required to participate or enroll in career opportunities including apprenticeships (Day 3 TDLR 3-route comparison).
  • d(3)(I): Define entrepreneurship and identify entrepreneurial opportunities (Day 4 Salon Concept).
  • d(6)(C): Participate in a mock interview (Day 2 Cosmetology mock interview).
  • d(7)(B): Write business correspondence including a thank-you follow-up (Day 2 thank-you email draft).

Materials Needed

  • Chromebooks with internet access (1 per student)
  • Hats & Ladders student accounts + H&L Workbook (Ch 11: Human Services, pp. 175-191)
  • TDLR Texas Licensing: tdlr.texas.gov
  • BLS, Barbers, Hairdressers, and Cosmetologists: bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/barbers-hairdressers-and-cosmetologists.htm
  • Xello student accounts (Exploring Career Factors lesson)
  • eDynamic Learning Unit 4.2 Part 1: Experimenting with Careers
  • Canva for Education (for Stress Toolkit social media post design)
  • Printed mock interview question cards
  • Printed TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet

Career Connection

The beauty industry is a $500+ billion global market that offers diverse career paths from hairstylists to estheticians to nail technicians to barbers to massage therapists. In Texas, cosmetologists are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and must complete 1,000 hours of training, pass an exam, and renew the license periodically. This is a strong entrepreneurship cluster, many cosmetologists start as employees and eventually open their own salons or work as independent contractors.

What is Happening at Irving ISD? Cosmetology is offered at Ratteree Career Development Center as a travel-to career-center pathway. Students from any home high school can attend Ratteree for part of their day. The pathway prepares students for the Cosmetology Operator License through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and students can begin earning training hours toward the license while still in high school.

Vocabulary

  • Cosmetologist: A licensed professional who provides hair, skin, and nail services. Requires state licensing.
  • TDLR: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the state agency that issues cosmetology, barber, and other professional licenses in Texas.
  • Esthetician: A skincare specialist who performs facials, chemical peels, waxing, and other skin treatments.
  • Salon Owner: An entrepreneur who owns and operates a beauty salon, managing both creative work and business operations (rent, payroll, marketing, inventory).
  • Apprenticeship: A training model where students learn by working alongside a licensed professional while earning hours toward their own license.
  • Stress Management: Techniques to reduce stress and improve mental and physical wellbeing, important for both client-facing workers and clients.

Bridge to Theory (Hats & Ladders)

The H&L workbook (Ch 11) anchors this week with three Human Services activities that map directly to the Personal Care Services pathway:

  • Stress Toolkit (Ch 11, pp. 177-178): students play a Health and Wellness Coordinator and design 3 social media posts teaching stress management
  • Job Interviews + Practicing for a Job Interview (Ch 11, pp. 179-181): students learn interview prep, dress, body language, and follow-up; then practice with a partner
  • Get Out and Move! (Ch 11, pp. 184-189): Career Lab where students plan a community wellness event for the city of Fairview

These activities teach the SOFT skills cosmetologists need (client interaction, professional appearance, stress management) alongside the practical career research.

IISD Instructional Strategies

  • Modeling: Teacher demonstrates a strong vs. weak interview answer side-by-side before students practice.
  • Sentence Stems: "To become a licensed cosmetologist in Texas, you must _. Total training takes approximately . After training, you must pass __."
  • Active Monitoring: During mock interviews, circulate with a checklist (greeting, eye contact, prepared answer, follow-up question, thank-you).
  • Think-Pair-Share: After exploring TDLR, students think about whether they prefer salon employment or salon ownership.

Week at a Glance

Day Focus Key Activities Deliverable
1 Human Services Cluster + Stress Toolkit H&L cluster tour + "Stress Toolkit" social media activity (Ch 11, pp. 177-178) 3 stress management social media posts
2 Job Interviews. Prep + Practice H&L "Job Interviews" + "Practicing for a Job Interview" (Ch 11, pp. 179-181) Mock interview reflection + thank-you email draft
3 Texas TDLR Licensing Deep-Dive TDLR website research + licensing pathway worksheet Completed TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet
4 Salon Entrepreneurship + Get Out and Move! Salon business concept brainstorm + "Get Out and Move!" event planning (Ch 11, pp. 184-187) Salon concept sketch + event plan brainstorm
5 Xello Career Factors + eDynamic 4.2 Xello Exploring Career Factors lesson + eDynamic Unit 4.2 Part 1 + H&L favorites Xello completion + favorited careers + cluster reflection

Formative Assessment

  • Comparison Matrix exit ticket on Human Services cluster careers (Day 1): d(1)(B), d(1)(C)
  • Mock interview performance + thank-you email draft (Day 2): d(6)(C), d(7)(B)
  • TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet + ranked routes exit ticket (Day 3): d(2)(A), d(3)(G)
  • Salon entrepreneurship concept + Get Out and Move event plan (Day 4): d(3)(I)
  • Xello Career Factors self-assessment + favorited-career concept map (Day 5): d(1)(A), d(1)(C)

Summative Assessment

Cosmetology Career Brief: Students submit a one-page brief that includes (1) the 3 Stress Toolkit social media posts, (2) the TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet, (3) a paragraph defining one entrepreneurial opportunity in the beauty industry and the business skills required, (4) the mock interview reflection, and (5) a paragraph on whether the Ratteree Cosmetology pathway interests them. Scored on accuracy of TDLR licensing data (d(2)(A), d(3)(G)), entrepreneurial reasoning (d(3)(I)), and self-reflection on career fit.

Differentiation

Scaffolded Learning

  • Pre-built Canva templates for the Stress Toolkit social media posts
  • TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet with 1 row pre-filled
  • Mock interview question cards with sentence stems for each answer
  • Get Out and Move event plan template with 2 activity ideas pre-listed

Extensions

  • Compare Texas cosmetology licensing requirements to another state (e.g., California, Florida)
  • Build a full salon business plan with startup costs, monthly expenses, and 1-year break-even projection
  • Research the Ratteree pathway and create a 4-year course plan including required electives
  • Add a 4th stress management technique to the Stress Toolkit (research it independently)

ELL Language Support

  • Pre-teach: Cosmetology = Cosmetología, License = Licencia, Salon = Salón, Apprenticeship = Aprendizaje, Stress = Estrés
  • Bilingual TDLR Licensing Pathway worksheet
  • Mock interview can be conducted bilingually, many real Texas salons serve Spanish-speaking clients
  • Visual TDLR navigation guide with screenshots