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Day 1: Iceberg Reflection + Finalize H&L Career Plan

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Complete the H&L "Iceberg" reflection on the visible vs. invisible work of career exploration; finalize the H&L Career Plan in the app; (optional) retake the RIASEC assessment
TEKS d(8)(A), d(8)(B), d(1)(B)
Deliverable Iceberg reflection + finalized H&L Career Plan in the app
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts, H&L Workbook (Ch 16, pp. 264-267), printed Iceberg template, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Open your H&L Climber Profile. How many careers have you favorited this year? Which cluster has the most? Which has zero?

Take 4-5 student responses. This forces students to confront how much data they have already gathered. Most have 15+ favorites across 8+ clusters. The Career Plan is built FROM that data. They are not starting from scratch.

Activity 1: H&L Iceberg Cartoon Reflection (15 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 16, pp. 264-266, "Iceberg Cartoon"

Introduce the activity using the workbook framing: "Career exploration is a lot like an iceberg. On top of the iceberg is what people see. But underneath the iceberg is all the hard work and small steps that you've done that people can't see."

Walk through the workbook example (Ch 16, p. 265): winning a sports trophy. The TIP shows the prize. UNDERNEATH the iceberg are: early mornings, perseverance, injury, late nights, training, sacrifice, improvement, learning, strategy, discipline, hope, commitment.

Step 1: Look at the example (3 min): Students examine the workbook example. Discussion: "What does this tell you about winning first place?"

Step 2: Create your own Iceberg (10 min): Using the workbook (Ch 16, p. 266) or a printed Iceberg template, students create a personal Career Exploration Iceberg. Required (from workbook):

  • A title
  • At least 3 words/images on TOP of the iceberg: what people see (your career goal, your favorite cluster, your dream job)
  • At least 10 words/images UNDERNEATH the iceberg: what people don't see (RIASEC assessment, Hat research, podcast outline, billboard ad, mock interview, resume revisions, cover letter, leadership campaign, every activity completed)

Students may sketch on paper or use Google Drawings/Canva. The visible items are aspirational. The underwater items are evidence of the work already done across 36 weeks.

Step 3: Reflect (2 min): Write a one-sentence reflection at the bottom of the iceberg: "Looking at my underwater work, the most important thing I learned about career exploration is _____."

Facilitation Tip

The Iceberg activity often surprises students because they realize how much they have done. Have students count the items they put underwater. If a student has fewer than 5, push them to look back at every six weeks block. They have done MORE than they think.

DOK 4: In what ways do the things underneath your iceberg AFFECT the things on top? Use a specific example from your iceberg.

Activity 2: Finalize H&L Career Plan (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 16, p. 267, "My Career and Course Plan" + H&L app Career Planner

Direct students to open H&L and finalize their Career Plan. The workbook (Ch 16, p. 267) explicitly says: "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."

[H&L PLATFORM] Students open the H&L Career Planner from their dashboard. They review and finalize:

  • Personality type (RIASEC): confirm or update
  • Work Values: confirm or update
  • Building Blocks: add anything from the past 6 weeks not yet listed
  • Career Favorites: make sure top picks are starred
  • Selected Pathway: pick ONE Irving ISD CTE pathway as the primary goal (or choose "still exploring" if appropriate)
  • Course Plan: use the District Course Planner to map the 4-year course sequence at the chosen high school

Students who have been doing the work all year will only need to ADD this week's data and confirm the selection. Students who have been less engaged will need more time, that is fine. The work happens today.

Teacher's job: Walk around with the H&L app dashboard open on a separate device. Spot students who have empty Career Plans and sit with them for 1-on-1 coaching. Ask: "What is your top career interest right now?" Then walk them through favoriting it and adding it to the Plan.

Facilitation Tip. Engagement Variability

The students who struggle most this week are the ones who never committed to a top career. Reassure them: "You don't have to know FOREVER. You need a plan that fits you RIGHT NOW. You can change it next year, but you need a starting point." The plan is a hypothesis, not a vow.

If a student has favorited fewer than 5 careers across the year: give them a compressed browse-and-finalize path. Ask "What are 3 careers that sound interesting right now?" Have them favorite those 3 in the next 5 minutes, then build the Career Plan around the most interesting one. Refinement continues into the Day 2 writing session. They don't need a perfect pick today. They need a starting pick.

DOK 3: Of all the careers you favorited this year, which ONE rose to the top? What evidence from your year of CCE supports that choice?

Activity 3: Optional RIASEC Retake (5 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 1, p. 12, RIASEC reflection

Optional for students who finish the Career Plan early. The workbook (Ch 1) had students take a RIASEC personality assessment in Week 0. Students compare their original results to their current self-perception. If the H&L app supports a retake, they take it now; otherwise they self-assess on a new copy of the workbook page.

[H&L PLATFORM] Students retake the personality assessment ("Discover My Core") in the H&L app if available. If not available, they fill out a fresh copy of the workbook page and compare to Week 0.

The growth comparison is powerful: Week 0 students might have leaned heavily Realistic or Social, and after 36 weeks of exploration they might have shifted toward Investigative or Enterprising. The shift is the point, it means they actually grew.

[VERIFY IN H&L] Confirm with the H&L district admin whether the Discover My Core assessment supports a retake with comparison to original results.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Venn Diagram) · Printable PDF:

Draw two circles labeled TOP OF ICEBERG (what people see) and UNDER THE ICEBERG (what people don't see). Place 2 items in each zone AND 1 item in the OVERLAP (something that is both visible and hidden work).

TOP OF ICEBERG (2 items I listed today):

UNDER THE ICEBERG (2 items I listed today):

OVERLAP (1 item that is both visible to others AND took hidden work):

Bottom line:

My selected career pathway: _____

Irving ISD high school that offers it: _____

(d(8)(A), d(8)(B))

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a list of the top 5 most-explored careers from the year (compiled from H&L favorites). Allow students to pick their pathway from this list. Pre-fill the Iceberg with 5 example "underwater" items so students only add 5 more.
  • Extension: Students complete BOTH a Plan A and a Plan B Career Plan, with a written explanation of why having a backup matters in real career planning. Or they retake the RIASEC and write a 1-paragraph comparison to Week 0.
  • ELL: Pre-teach: Iceberg = Iceberg, Pathway = Camino, Career Plan = Plan de carrera. Allow Iceberg labels in Spanish or bilingual format. Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for the Career Plan navigation in the app.