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Day 4: Hat Research + Google Applied Digital Skills

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Complete Hat Research for one Marketing career; complete a Google Applied Digital Skills marketing-related lesson; explore school subjects that connect to marketing through Xello
TEKS d(1)(C)
Deliverable Completed Hat Research template + Google Applied Digital Skills lesson completion
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts, H&L Workbook (Ch 5, p. 80 Hat Research), Google Applied Digital Skills, Xello accounts

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Name ONE digital marketing skill you could learn TODAY that would make you more employable in 5 years.

Take 4-5 student responses. Most students will guess "social media", push them to be specific. "Editing TikToks" or "writing Instagram captions" or "designing Canva graphics" are all real, learnable skills that pay.

Activity 1: H&L Marketing Hat Research (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 5, p. 80, "Hat Research"

[H&L PLATFORM] From the workbook (Ch 5, p. 80): "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and click on the Hat Finder. Explore Hats in the 'Business, Marketing, and Finance' career cluster. Choose one Hat and fill out the information below."

Students choose ONE Marketing-specific Hat and complete the workbook research template. Suggested Hats:

  • Marketing Manager
  • Brand Manager
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Social Media Manager (often called Digital Marketing Specialist)
  • Advertising Account Executive
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Content Creator / Content Strategist
  • SEO Specialist

The workbook template (Ch 5, p. 80) requires:

  • Name of Career
  • What Interests You? (1-2 sentences)
  • Brief Job Description (3-4 sentences from the H&L Hat profile)
  • Education/Training Needed (degree, certifications)
  • Average Salary (DFW data from H&L or BLS)
  • Tools, Equipment, or Skills Needed (software, soft skills, etc.)

Students fill in the workbook page (or a Google Doc copy) using the H&L Hat profile. They should not just copy. They should summarize in their own words.

Facilitation Tip

For Marketing Manager, the BLS shows it's one of the highest-paying business roles ($140K+ median nationally). Walk by students who chose Marketing Manager and confirm they wrote down the salary correctly, they often think they misread it.

DOK 2: Compare the salary of your chosen Marketing career to a Graphic Designer (from last week). Which earns more, and why might that be?

Activity 2: Google Applied Digital Skills Lesson (25 min)

Source: Google Applied Digital Skills (applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com)

Direct students to applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com. Pre-select 2-3 marketing-relevant lessons and give students the choice. Recommended lessons:

  • "Plan and Create a Website": Uses Google Sites to build a small website for a business. Real marketing skill.
  • "Design a Presentation to Pitch Your Idea": Uses Google Slides to build a pitch deck. Connects to Wk 4 presentations and the Wk 5 capstone.
  • "Organize a Project with Digital Tools": Uses Google Workspace to manage a marketing project end-to-end.
  • "Plan an Event": Uses Google Sheets and Docs to plan an event. Connects to event marketing.
  • "Create a Resume in Google Docs": Reinforcement for the Xello resume work from last week.

Students pick ONE lesson and work through it independently. Most lessons take 30-45 minutes, so students will not finish in 25 minutes, that is fine. They should complete the first 1-2 modules.

Facilitation Tip

Google Applied Digital Skills tracks completion automatically when students log in with their school Google account. Have students screenshot the lesson page when they finish for the day so the teacher has a checkpoint.

Connection to marketing careers: Every lesson on Google Applied Digital Skills is a real skill that marketing professionals use daily. It's hands-on practice with the actual tools.

Activity 3: Xello School Subjects at Work (5 min)

Source: Xello 7th-grade task list (scope-and-sequence column 8)

Direct students to log into Xello and open the School Subjects at Work lesson. This Xello activity connects middle school subjects to careers. Students see how Math connects to Market Research Analyst, English connects to Content Creator, Art connects to Graphic Designer, and so on.

Students complete the activity at their own pace. Most will need 5-10 minutes. Those who don't finish complete it as homework or during catch-up time.

Connection to today: The Hat Research + GADS work shows students what marketing careers DO. The Xello lesson shows them which school subjects MATTER for those careers.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Ranked Justification) · Printable PDF:

Rank these 4 marketing careers from MOST interesting to you (1) to LEAST (4) based on TODAY's Hat Research and the GADS lesson you tried.

  • Marketing Manager: rank ____
  • Social Media Manager / Digital Marketing Specialist: rank ____
  • Market Research Analyst: rank ____
  • Content Creator / Content Strategist: rank ____

Career I actually researched today: _____

Salary I found (H&L): $____

GADS lesson I started: _____

For EACH rank, give ONE reason from today's work (Hat profile OR GADS lesson):

  • Rank 1 (most interesting): ________

  • Rank 4 (least interesting): _______

(d(1)(C))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the Hat Research template with the career name and one section so students only complete the rest. Pre-select ONE Google Applied Digital Skills lesson for students who get overwhelmed by choice.
  • Extension: Students complete TWO Hat Research templates for two different marketing careers and compare the differences in salary, education, and daily work.
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Marketing Manager = Gerente de mercadotecnia, Salary = Salario, Tools = Herramientas. Google Applied Digital Skills offers Spanish-language lessons, show ESL students how to switch the interface to Spanish if they prefer.