Skip to content

Day 2: Written Career Plan + Presentation Outline

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Write the final written Career Plan including all required sections; outline the Day 3-4 capstone presentation
TEKS d(8)(A), d(8)(B), d(8)(C), d(4)(C)
Deliverable Written Career Plan + capstone presentation outline
Materials Chromebooks, H&L accounts, H&L Workbook (Ch 16, p. 267 "My Career and Course Plan"), printed Career Plan template, printed Capstone Presentation Rubric

Warm-Up (3 min)

WARM-UP: In ONE sentence, what is your career goal? In ONE more sentence, what is your first step toward it?

Take 4-5 student responses. This forces clarity. If a student can't answer in 2 sentences, they need the work time today. The capstone is a presentation of THIS. Make sure they have clear answers.

Activity 1: Written Career Plan (25 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 16, p. 267, "My Career and Course Plan" + scope and sequence d(8)(A-C)

Distribute the printed Career Plan template (or share a Google Doc version). Students write the FINAL version of their Individual Career Plan. The template includes 7 sections, every section maps to a TEKS standard.

Section 1: Career Goal (d(8)(A))

  • "My career goal is to become a _ in the ___ cluster."
  • One sentence about the career

Section 2: RIASEC Connection

  • "My personality type is _____."
  • "This career fits my personality because _____."

Section 3: Selected Pathway and Irving ISD High School (d(8)(A))

  • "I will pursue this career through the _ pathway at ___ High School."
  • One sentence about why this pathway is the right fit

Section 4: 4-Year Course Plan (d(8)(B))

Year Required Courses CTE / Pathway Course Electives
9th English I, Algebra I, Biology, World Geography, PE/Health
10th English II, Geometry, Chemistry, World History
11th English III, Algebra II, Physics, US History
12th English IV, Math elective, Science elective, Government/Econ

Students fill in the CTE/Pathway course column based on their chosen pathway (using the H&L District Course Planner data from Day 1).

Section 5: Postsecondary Goal (d(8)(B))

  • Pick ONE: 4-year university, 2-year community college (Dallas College / TCC), trade school, military, apprenticeship, or direct employment with certification
  • One sentence about why this option is the best fit

Section 6: Three Action Steps (d(8)(C))

  • In the next 30 days, I will _____. (Example: research the Marketing pathway at Singley Academy)
  • In the next 90 days, I will _____. (Example: pick my 8th-grade electives that connect to my pathway)
  • In the next 365 days, I will _____. (Example: register for the right 9th-grade courses with my counselor)

Section 7: Personal Growth Reflection

  • "At the start of this year, I thought my future career would be _. Now I think it might be because __."

The Career Plan template should be 1-2 pages. Students who finish early can add a paragraph about a Plan B career.

Facilitation Tip

Walk around with the Plan template visible. Students get stuck on the Action Steps section because they have never thought in 30/90/365 day terms. Coach them: "What CAN you do in 30 days? Send one email? Read one article? Talk to one person? Do that and write it down."

DOK 4: Look at your three action steps. If you actually DO all three in the next year, how will your life be different by this time next April?

Activity 2: Capstone Presentation Outline (15 min)

Source: Career Plan + Capstone Presentation Rubric

Distribute the Capstone Presentation Rubric. Walk through the structure for the 5-minute presentation:

Capstone Presentation Structure (5 minutes):

  1. Introduction (45 sec)
    • Career goal in one sentence
    • Why this career, personal connection
  2. The Path (90 sec)
    • Irving ISD CTE pathway and high school
    • 4-year course plan highlights
    • Postsecondary goal
  3. The Year (90 sec)
    • How your career interests evolved across the 6 six-weeks blocks
    • One specific moment or activity that changed your thinking
    • Iceberg connection, what work did this take that no one sees?
  4. The Plan (45 sec)
    • Your three action steps (30/90/365 days)
  5. The Closing (30 sec)
    • One sentence about why you are excited (or nervous, or both) about this career
    • Thank the audience

Students draft the outline on the Capstone Presentation Outline template. Bullet points only, no scripts. Memorizing kills authenticity.

Facilitation Tip

Project a 5-minute timer for any student who wants to do a 30-second test run during the last 5 minutes. Hearing yourself out loud once is better than reading silently 10 times.

DOK 3: What is the difference between a career goal and an action step? Why does a real Career Plan need both?

DELIVERABLE: Written Career Plan + Capstone Presentation Outline.

Exit Ticket (7 min)

EXIT TICKET (Short Constructed Response) · Printable PDF:

  1. My career goal (one sentence): __________

  2. My postsecondary goal (circle ONE): 4-year university / 2-year community college / trade school / military / apprenticeship / direct employment with certification

  3. My 30-day action step (specific: one email, one article, one conversation): __________

  4. My 90-day action step: __________

  5. My 365-day action step: __________

  6. In one sentence, why this postsecondary path fits MY career goal (not a generic answer):

(d(8)(B), d(8)(C))

Differentiation

  • Support: Pre-fill the 4-year course plan grid with the standard required courses. Students only fill in the CTE pathway courses and electives. Provide sentence starters for every section ("My career goal is _. This fits me because ___.").
  • Extension: Students draft a Plan A AND Plan B Career Plan. They write a 1-paragraph reflection on why having a backup matters in real life.
  • ELL: Bilingual Career Plan template with Spanish section headers and sentence starters. Allow the written plan to be in Spanish or bilingual. Pair ESL students with bilingual peers for the action steps section.