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Day 5: Irving ISD Pathways + eDynamic 7.2 + Education Favorites

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Map Irving ISD Education pathways from middle school to career; begin eDynamic Unit 7.2 (Getting the Training You Need); favorite Education careers in H&L
TEKS d(1)(C), d(2)(A), d(2)(B)
Deliverable Irving ISD pathway selection + eDynamic 7.2 progress + 2-3 Education career favorites in H&L
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts, Irving ISD CTE Pathways handout, eDynamic Learning access, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Could you see yourself as a teacher? A school counselor? A principal? An instructional designer? Why or why not? Be honest.

Take 4-5 student responses. Some students will say "no way", push them to explain WHY. Others will say "maybe", ask which Education career fits best. This sets up the favorites activity.

Activity 1: Irving ISD Education Pathways (15 min)

Source: Irving ISD CTE Pathways guide + PATHWAYS.md

Distribute the Irving ISD CTE Pathways handout. Walk students through the two specific Irving ISD high school pathways that lead directly into Education careers:

Pathway 1: Teaching & Training (District Wide)

  • Available at ALL Irving ISD high schools
  • 4-course sequence over 9th-12th grade
  • Earns the Educational Aide certification by senior year
  • Educational Aides work as paid paraprofessionals in classrooms, supporting teachers, working with small groups, and gaining real classroom experience
  • Strong launchpad for university Education programs OR direct employment in Irving ISD as a paraprofessional after high school
  • Includes student observation hours in real Irving ISD elementary classrooms

Pathway 2: Early Childhood Education (Cardwell Career Preparatory Center)

  • Available at Cardwell Career Preparatory Center as a travel-to career-center pathway
  • Focuses on Pre-K through age 5
  • Earns the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
  • CDA holders can work as lead teachers in licensed daycare centers and preschools
  • Pairs naturally with the H&L Early Learning pathway

Connection to today's work: Both pathways start in 9th grade. The decision a student makes when registering for high school courses next year affects whether they can begin one of these pathways. Bring a Career Plan to the high school counselor and they can map out the right course sequence.

Students complete a brief reflection on the back of the handout: "The Irving ISD education pathway that interests me MORE is _ because . (Or: Neither education pathway interests me because __.)"

Activity 2: eDynamic Unit 7.2 — Getting the Training You Need (15 min)

Source: eDynamic Learning Unit 7.2 (scope-and-sequence column 9)

Direct students to log into eDynamic Learning and open Unit 7.2: Getting the Training You Need. This unit covers the different training and education options after high school, university, community college, trade school, military, apprenticeship, and helps students think about which path matches their career goals.

The unit is a great complement to today's Irving ISD pathway discussion because it zooms out from "Irving ISD specifically" to "what are ALL the ways to get teacher training in America."

Students work at their own pace through the eDynamic module. They will likely not finish today, that is fine. The unit continues into the next class.

[VERIFY IN eDynamic] Confirm which specific activities and quizzes are in Unit 7.2 and how teachers can monitor student progress through the eDynamic dashboard.

Facilitation Tip

Use the eDynamic dashboard to spot students who blow through the unit without engaging. They should not finish in 5 minutes. If a student claims to be done, ask them to summarize one training option from the unit before logging it as complete.

Activity 3: H&L Education Favorites + Career Plan Update (12 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 6 (Hat Finder) + Ch 16 (My Next Steps: Career Plan)

Direct students to open H&L and complete three tasks:

  1. Favorite at least 2-3 Education & Training careers using the Hat Finder. These save to their Climber Profile and appear in their Career Plan.
  2. Update Building Blocks: Add tutoring, mentoring, peer help, or any community service to their Building Blocks. The H&L app uses Building Blocks to refine career recommendations. If a student has tutored a younger sibling, that is a Building Block.
  3. Open the Career Plan: Add the Education cluster alongside the clusters they have explored all year. The Career Plan is cumulative; they should NOT start over.

[H&L PLATFORM] From the workbook (Ch 16: My Next Steps): "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and begin your Career and Course Plan. Your plan will include: A pathway that you have identified as a career goal, a place to plan steps you can take now and in the future to reach your career goal, a place to plan courses you can take in 8th grade and in high school that will help prepare you for your future career."

Students should now have favorites spanning every cluster explored this year (Manufacturing, IT, Law, Health Science, Ag, Hospitality, Human Services, Business, A&C, Engineering, Transportation, and now Education).

DOK 2: Look at your Career Plan as it stands today. Is Education one of your top 3 clusters? Why or why not?

Exit Ticket (3 min)

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

The Education career I favorited this week: _____

Connect this career to THREE things:

1. An Irving ISD pathway (Teaching & Training at Irving High / MacArthur / Nimitz → Educational Aide cert, OR Early Childhood Education at Cardwell → CDA credential)

My pathway: _____. Does it lead DIRECTLY to my career or is it a STEPPING STONE? Circle: DIRECT / STEPPING STONE. One sentence why:

2. My Day 4 Community Service reflection — a real experience I have had

My experience: _____. In one sentence, how does this experience prepare me for my favorited education career?

3. My Day 2 leadership quality (responsibility / kindness / honesty / courage)

My quality: _____. In one sentence, how would this quality show up in my favorited career DAILY?

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

Differentiation

  • Support: Pair students who struggle with Career Plan navigation. Provide a printed "Education Hat" cheat sheet listing 6 education careers and their typical salaries so students can pick favorites without getting lost in the app.
  • Extension: Students research the Educational Aide certification process specifically, what is the pay, what are the duties, can you stay an Educational Aide forever, or is it usually a stepping-stone? They write a 1-paragraph career profile.
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Pathway = Camino, Certification = Certificación, Aide = Asistente, Early Childhood = Primera infancia. Pair with bilingual peers for the Career Plan navigation. The Cardwell ECE pathway is especially relevant for bilingual ESL students because Texas has a major shortage of bilingual early childhood teachers.