Day 5: Cross-Cluster Salary Presentation + H&L Favorites
Lesson Overview
| Time | 50 minutes |
| Objectives | Present a cross-cluster salary comparison (one automotive career vs. one career from a different cluster); update H&L Climber Profile with Transportation favorites; reflect on how automotive careers compare to careers from earlier in the year |
| TEKS | d(5)(E), d(1)(C) |
| Deliverable | Cross-Cluster Salary Presentation (1-2 minutes per student) |
| Materials | Chromebooks, H&L accounts, Day 3 Salary Comparison worksheets, printed Cross-Cluster Comparison presentation note card, Xello accounts (Save Careers activity), projector |
Warm-Up (3 min)
WARM-UP: After this week, has your opinion of automotive careers changed? Write one sentence explaining how.
Take 3-4 student responses. Acceptable answers include "I respect them more now," "I want to do this," and "I still don't want this but now I see why someone would." All three are valid mid-year reflections.
Activity 1: Prepare the Cross-Cluster Comparison (10 min)
Source: Day 3 Salary Comparison worksheet + cross-cluster preview research
Students take their Day 3 worksheet and complete the cross-cluster row. They pick one automotive career (from Day 3) and one career from a different cluster they explored earlier this year. They fill in both careers on the printed presentation note card with these fields:
| Automotive Career | Other Cluster Career | |
|---|---|---|
| Career name | (e.g., Diesel Tech) | (e.g., Registered Nurse) |
| DFW experienced salary | ||
| Education time | ||
| Education cost | ||
| Pathway type | (Apprenticeship / Cert) | (Degree / Cert / Apprenticeship) |
| My evaluation | (Pros and cons) | (Pros and cons) |
| My choice and why | (1 sentence personal preference) |
Students prepare a 60-90 second talking script using the back of the note card.
Facilitation Tip
Students will pick the most extreme cross-cluster comparisons (Diesel Tech vs. Surgeon, Auto Mechanic vs. Software Engineer). Let them. The bigger the gap, the more interesting the discussion. The point is to make the tradeoffs visible, not to declare one career better.
Activity 2: Class Presentations (28 min)
Presentation timing: 25 × 90 sec = 37.5 min, but Activity 2 is 28 min
The 28-min budget only fits at the 60-sec floor (25 × 60 sec = 25 min). Pick one approach before presentations start:
- Hard 60-sec cap: Project a visible timer and announce the 60-sec limit before Student 1 starts. 25 × 60 sec = 25 min, leaving 3 min for transitions.
- Parallel corners: 3 groups of ~8 present simultaneously in corners. Teacher circulates. Each group picks one standout for a final 3-min whole-class share.
- Hybrid: 10 students present live at 90 sec each (15 min); the other 15 submit written 3-sentence pitches to Google Classroom for the exit ticket.
Each student delivers their 60-90 second presentation. Format:
- Name the two careers being compared
- Share the key salary and education numbers
- State which one the student would personally choose and why
- End with one criterion they think every student should use when evaluating careers (beyond just salary)
The class fills in a quick listening grid: which two careers were compared, which one the presenter chose, what the presenter's "additional criterion" was.
After the last presentation, run a 2-minute discussion: - What additional criteria came up the most? (Common: work-life balance, interest, location, debt avoidance) - Did any presenter change their mind during the comparison? - Was there a clear pattern of "automotive wins on cost, other career wins on prestige"?
DOK 4: Based on everything you have learned this week and earlier this year, create a set of criteria for evaluating whether a career is a good fit. Your criteria should go beyond just salary.
Activity 3: H&L Favorites + Xello (7 min)
[H&L PLATFORM] Students open H&L Climber Profile and favorite at least 2 Transportation careers from this week. Auto Service Technician, Diesel Service Technician, Collision Repair Tech, Automotive Service Manager, or any related Hat. The workbook (Ch 16: My Next Steps) treats favoriting as how the H&L app builds the Career Plan. These favorites will appear on their Climber Profile and influence pathway recommendations.
[VERIFY IN Xello] Students complete the Xello "Save Careers" activity from the 7th-grade task list. Confirm exact task name with district admin. Students save the same automotive careers they favorited in H&L so the two platforms stay synced.
Exit Ticket (2 min)
EXIT TICKET (Concept Map / Connection Diagram) · Printable PDF:
The automotive career I would pick from this week: _____
Connect this career to THREE things:
1. The cross-cluster career I compared it to today
My cross-cluster career: _____. One number that shows the biggest gap between them (salary OR education years): _____________
2. My ONE extra criterion beyond salary (from today's presentations)
My criterion: _____. Why does this criterion matter for my pick? One sentence:
3. My NEXT step in Irving ISD (Ratteree pathway, trade school after graduation, or "still deciding")
My next step: _____. In one sentence, name ONE thing I would need to do this year to stay on track for it: (d(5)(E), d(1)(C))
Differentiation
- Support: Pre-filled note card with the salary and education data already filled in (using Day 3 data). Students only write their evaluation and personal choice. Allow students to present from their seat instead of standing.
- Extension: Build a "Career Evaluation Criteria" rubric that the student would use to evaluate ANY career. Apply the rubric to 3 different careers and show which scores highest.
- ELL: Bilingual note card. Allow students to deliver part of their presentation in Spanish if more comfortable. Pre-teach: Comparison = Comparación, Tradeoff = Compensación, Criteria = Criterios. Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for audience support during their presentation.