Skip to content

Day 1: H&L Construction Pathway + Hat Research

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Explore construction careers in the H&L A&C cluster; complete the Hat Research template for one construction career; identify the six confirmed A&C pathways
TEKS d(1)(C), d(2)(A)
Deliverable Completed Hat Research template (1 construction career)
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts + Workbook (Ch 3, pp. 37-47), projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: What is being built near your neighborhood right now? A house, apartment, school, road, or business? Estimate how many different workers (carpenters, plumbers, electricians, drivers, managers) are on that job site.

Take 2-3 guesses. Students typically underestimate, a mid-size commercial building can have 50+ workers across a dozen different trades. This sets up why this week is about the builders rather than the designers from Weeks 1-2.

Activity 1: Review A&C Pathways (10 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 3, p. 38, "What are the Pathways?"

Open the H&L workbook to Chapter 3, page 38 and review the six confirmed A&C pathways (students saw these in Week 1, but now the focus shifts from design to construction):

  • Carpentry: Build, install, and repair wooden structures.
  • Architecture Drafting and Design: Plan and design buildings by creating and reading blueprints. (Covered in Wk1)
  • Construction Management and Inspection: Estimate costs, inspect structures, ensure safety compliance.
  • Electrical: Install, fix, and maintain electrical wiring, equipment, and telecommunications cables. (Wk4 focus)
  • HVAC and Sheet Metal: Install, repair, and maintain heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. (Wk4 focus)
  • Masonry, Plumbing, and Pipefitting: Build structures with brick and stone; install and maintain pipe systems. (Wk4 focus)

This week's focus: Carpentry and Construction Management. Next week's focus: skilled trades (Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Welding).

Facilitation Tip

Students sometimes think "construction" means just hammering nails. Emphasize that Construction Managers are well-paid leaders who coordinate schedules, budgets, and safety, a great career for students who score high on RIASEC Enterprising or Organizing.

Activity 2: H&L Hat Research — Construction Career (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 3, p. 47, "Hat Research"

Students open their H&L workbook to the Hat Research page in Chapter 3. The workbook instructs: "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and click on the Hat Finder. Explore Hats in the Architecture and Construction career cluster. Choose one Hat and fill out the information below."

Since students already did Hat Research in Week 1 for a design career, this week they pick a construction/building career from:

  • Carpenter
  • Construction Manager
  • Mason
  • Heavy Equipment Operator
  • Ironworker
  • Construction Inspector

Students complete all fields on the Hat Research template:

  • Name of Career
  • What Interests You?: why this career caught their attention
  • Brief Job Description: what this professional does daily
  • Education/Training Needed: apprenticeship length, licensing, NCCER certifications
  • Average Salary: DFW data from the H&L Hat profile
  • Tools, Equipment, or Skills Needed: physical tools, math, blueprint reading, leadership

Facilitation Tip

Check that students are pulling real data from the H&L app, not guessing. If a student writes "$30/hour" without a source, prompt: "Where in H&L did you find that number?" The localized DFW salary data in H&L is the anchor for the classification activity on Day 3, inaccurate data here will cascade.

Activity 3: Partner Comparison (7 min)

Students pair up and compare Hat Research sheets. They answer:

  • How are our two careers similar? (Both in construction, both use physical skills, both involve safety.)
  • How are they different? (Education path, salary ceiling, day-to-day tasks.)
  • Which career pays more entry-level? Which pays more at the top of the scale?

This sets up Day 3's Classification activity where students compare multiple careers systematically.

DOK 2: How does a Carpenter's training pathway differ from a Construction Manager's training pathway? Which has a higher salary ceiling?

Exit Ticket (3 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case / Scenario Application) · Printable PDF:

Scenario: A new 10-story apartment building is about to break ground in Las Colinas. The contractor needs to hire 4 specific trade workers TODAY.

  1. Name TWO construction careers from today's Hat Research that this contractor needs:

  2. Career 1: _____

  3. Career 2: _____

  4. Compare education type for each (apprenticeship / associate degree / bachelor's):

  5. Career 1 needs: _____

  6. Career 2 needs: _____

  7. ONE SKILL both careers require: _____

  8. If I had to pick ONE of these pathways TODAY, which would I pick and what TRADEOFF (time / money / physical risk / earning start-date) am I accepting? (d(1)(C), d(2)(A), d(3)(G))

My pick: _____

Tradeoff: _____________

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-select 3 construction careers for students to choose between, with the H&L Hat profile page already open on their computer. This reduces decision fatigue.
  • Extension: Research Construction Manager career paths that require a bachelor's degree in Construction Management. What universities in Texas offer this degree? Compare to a carpenter who reached master level without any college.
  • ELL: Bilingual H&L Hat names: Carpenter = Carpintero, Mason = Albañil, Heavy Equipment Operator = Operador de maquinaria pesada, Construction Manager = Gerente de construcción.